Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s ace MX1 rider Bobby Kiniry has announced he is calling a premature end to an illustrious motocross career that saw him rank as high as No.2 in the CMRC Canadian MX1 Motocross Nationals.
The Syracuse, NY native spent the past five years as a valued member of Team Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha, during which time he became a fan favourite and one of only a handful of elite riders to score national motocross wins and consistent podium results.
Kiniry made the difficult decision to retire from active motocross participation, after suffering serious injuries on October 9th at Round 3 of the Canadian AX Tour in Sarnia, ON. He has since that time undergone surgery and is on the mend from a number of broken bones and a concussion.
“It was a rough year for me injury wise in the nationals and my crash in the arenacross series was the final straw. I had many good years in the sport, but it was time to consider retirement. It’s never an easy decision to call an end to something you love doing and have been doing a long time, but the time had come for me to make the decision and start looking at a post motocross career,” Kiniry said.
“I’m comfortable walking away from the sport now because I lived my childhood dream. I can walk away happy with everything I’ve done and achieved. That’s what it was all about, making a living as a professional motocross racer and finish my career with a top team like Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Kiniry, who turned 30 on October 1st, began racing motocross at the tender age of four, turning pro in 2003. Although his talent never attracted the attention of a major factory sponsorship in his homeland, Kiniry regularly booked top-10 finishes in AMA Motocross and Supercross and raced on various teams.
Among his best finishes stateside were an impressive 3rd at the US Open Supercross Lites in 2006; 3rd at the AMA Supercross Lites West in San Diego in2008; and an equally impressive 10th place overall ranking in the World Supercross Championship in 2008.
Kiniry’s true grit, amicable demeanour, and dedication to the sport on and off the track secured him his first Canadian Nationals ride in 2009 with a Texas-based Kawasaki team managed by Billy Whitley. The following year Kiniry’s long tenure began with OTSFF Suzuki, later OTSFF Yamaha.
Kiniry garnered runner-up in the CMRC Canadian MX1 Nationals in 2013. Among his most memorable Canadian victories were 1st overall at the Walton TransCan Grand National in 2010 and 2nd overall in the Lites Class at the Toronto Supercross in 2006, his first year of racing in Canada.
While Kiniry has no plans to race motocross any more, he is currently looking at an association with Rockstar Energy Lucas Oil OTSFF as a rep as well as participant in the Bass Pro Fishing Series. Kiniry has been an avid fishing enthusiast since he was a youngster and has fished competitively over the years.