Road Racing Legend Passes
C
anadian road racing legend
Yvon Duhamel, who was
inducted into the AMA Motor-
cycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and
the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of
Fame in 2007, passed away. He
was 81.
Duhamel is best known for
representing Kawasaki and com-
peted in every style of motor-
cycle racing from motocross and
dirt track to road racing and drag
racing. He was 81 when he died
on Aug. 17.
Duhamel competed in numer-
ous world championship motor-
cycle races during his active ca-
reer. His spirit for racing infected
his sons, Miguel and Mario, who
became renowned road racers
during the 1990s, with Miguel
winning the AMA Superbike
title in 1995 and becoming the
all-time leading AMA Superbike
race wins leader in 1998.
Born in Montreal on October
17, 1939, Duhamel was an avid
bicyclist and established a small
shop when he was only 13.
At 15, Duhamel bought his first
motorcycle, a 500cc Triumph
T-100. At age 17, he began ice rac-
ing. By 1959, and at the age of 19,
Duhamel began his racing career
in earnest on a BSA Gold Star.
By the mid-1960s, Duhamel
began competing in the Daytona
200 and the Laconia Classic in
New Hampshire. In 1967, Fred
Deeley Yamaha offered Duhamel
a chance to race at Daytona in
the Lightweight (250cc) class
IN
THE
WIND
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