Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126034
Cecotto wears 'em down & runs 'em into the ground By Gary Va n Voorhis DA YTONA BEACH, FLA., MAR. 7 h r u ggin g off " the threat , of a tire failure, Venezuelan johnny Cccotto lived up to the reputation he gained in last year's event by winning the 35th Annual Daytona 200. Worn-out rear tires forced Kenny Roberts, who was in a strong second, as well as third place man Hideo Kanaya, in the pits for a tire change late in the race. Kanaya finished up seventh and Roberts a disappointed ninth. In terms of unexpected drama and astute, professional pit work, br o ught abo ut by the tire problems, the race was one of if not the most exciting Daytona 200s in history. "in the last five lap s I almost pit because my tire did not hold good. I must cut back on speed to finish, I dill n ot really think I would win." In halting English victor johnny Cccotto to ld , first in his own words and thm through an interpreter, of his problems during the race; " 1 did not race as hard during the opening lap because we had installed a new motor and I must break it in. I hurt my left foot badly about lap 20 when I twisted it "on the track (pointing to his left boot where the leather was ground away enough to show a sock) and thought about stopping. Later one expansion chamber received a big hole in it which slowed the bike a little." The tire problem was shrugged off by Cccotto although he said that the rear tire was "finished completely." He was aware of the problems of Roberts and Kanaya although he was not apparent over-worried for himself. Gary Nixon finished in second position a full lap down on winner Cccotto with Pat Hennen in third " making it Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki respectively in the winners' circle. Yamaha riders filled out the remaining places in til top ten with Gene Romero taking fourth ahead Of Frenchmen Patrick Pons and Michael Rougerie, Kanay,_ was seventh with Randy Cleek eighth, Roberts ninth john Dodds in tenth. S Qualifying 6 Kenny Roberts, to no one's surprise took the po position for the 200 for the second year in a ro w and se a new track record in the process. Roberts upped hii speed to 114.56 mp h on the lengthened 3.87 mile course from his last year's q ualifying speed of 11 1.089 on t he slightly shorter 3.84 circuit. Steve Baker slip ped his Yamaha Motor Can ada moun.~ between th at o f Roberts and Yamaha International C' team mate. Hide o Kanaya for second spo t late in the da}(o. :s The Ve nemotos C.A. Yamaha of johnny Ceco tto filled ~ the fourth positio n making it a clean sweep ' fo r the c latest, improved and lightened monoshock Yamahas. In: fifth position, also Yamaha mounted, was Skip Aksland ~ on a"privateer" effort that had a lot of Yamaha mechanics hovering around it in the Team Yamaha pit.. (It was the same bike Kenny rode here in 1975.) Pat Hennen, on the Suzuki New Zealand sponsored Suzuki, tumed in the sixth fastest -time with Gary Nixon