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VOLUME 59 ISSUE 17 APRIL 26, 2022 P137 250cc World Championships that season. Earlier that same year, Mang made his first visit to Daytona, and it didn't last long. In the International Lightweight race, he was out after five laps and was credited with 70th. After continued success on the GP circuit in 1977, Mang's second full season, where he scored three podium finishes in the 125cc class, he secured a factory Kawasaki ride for 1978. The first stop as a factory Kawasaki rider for Mang was Daytona. He had considerably better success in his second appearance at Daytona. Gregg Hansford won the race on a Team Kawasaki Australia machine, end- ing Yamaha's 13-year domination of the race. Mang was looking to make it a Kawasaki 1-2, but an 18-year-old Randy Mamola set Mang up perfectly and drafted past just before the start-finish line to nail the runner-up spot. Still, a podium for Mang proved to him that he had what it took to win at Daytona. In the '79 Daytona Lightweight race, the Kawasakis were break- ing a lot. Mang's machine was de- tuned in order to finish the race. The other Kawasaki riders, Mike Baldwin and Kork Ballington, were both out early in the race with mechanicals. Mang raced conservatively and sat back not even attempting a serious move until the final few laps. Then he opened the throttle, realizing that his motor might blow at any mo- ment. But it held together, and he reeled in Mamola late in the race and nearly re- turned the fa- vor on Randy from the year before but came up just short on his underpowered machine and ended the day in fourth. The Kawasaki was spectacular- ly good in 1980, so good in fact, that Mang would go on to win his first 250cc GP World Champion- ship that season. Mang looked poised to finally win the 250cc race at Daytona. He won his heat race on the Krauser Kawasaki going away over Eddie Lawson and earned the pole. Freddie Spencer qualified second, by winning the slower of the two heats. So needless to say, with Spencer and Lawson in the race, even though Mang was favored, it wouldn't be easy. In the race, the trio battled up front. But then on lap six Mang showed he had plenty on tap and quickly opened up a lead on Spencer and Lawson, seemingly with ease. Mang continued to widen the gap at a torrid pace, and it looked to be his race. Then problems. His pace was so fast in the middle stages, it cooked the Dunlop tires on his Kawasaki, and he began sliding through the corners. Instead of trying to keep up the pace and risk his tires go- ing off even more, Mang slowed to preserve them as much as he could, knowing that Spencer and Lawson would likely catch him. Mang figured his Kawasaki was strong enough to win the draft game on the final lap. And the final lap is what it came down to. Mang's Kawasaki was a rocketship and he figured he could win the race leading out of the chicane, but Lawson and Spencer's Yamahas had plenty of juice as well, and Lawson used the draft coming toward the finish line perfectly, swung high and slingshotted past Mang. Spencer went low and likely would have gotten past the German as well, but Mang darted low at the last second hoping to break the draft and Spencer had to back out of it just a tad. Lawson was about three bike lengths ahead at the stripe. Mang and Spencer were so close they had to go to the finish-line camera to determine Mang had held on for second by After trying five times and coming so close on several occasions, Toni Mang (center) finally celebrated a victory at Daytona in 1986. Sito Pons (right) finished second and Harald Eckl (left) was third.