Kenny Zahrt at Lion’s Raceway in California, 1972
Kenny Zahrt passed away on Friday, November 14, 2014, surrounded by friends and family, one day after he was found unconscious at his small shop in Canyon Country, CA. He was transported to Henry Mayo Hospital in Newhall and never regained consciousness. Doctors there stated that a stroke had left him bleeding in an inoperable part of his brain. Zahrt was 59 years old.
Zahrt grew up in the Woodland hills area of Southern California and was an Indian Dunes regular throughout the seventies and early eighties. Almost as famous for his long hair, smooth style and good looks as he was for his consistent holeshots and blinding speed, Kenny won hundreds of races as a professional, including the 1974 AMA 250 National Motocross at Red Bud Track n’ Trail, in Buchanan, Michigan. Zahrt was a hardcore motocross racer, competing and winning in the Vet Pro class as late as 1995, until injuries and a fused ankle forced his retirement.
Zahrt’s passing sparked an outpouring of emotional responses from hundreds of his fans and friends. He was an icon to so many people and will be missed by the motocross community.
