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/1543816
VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P155 won Daytona that season as well, with only a late-race crash keep- ing him from atop the podium. All of that would change by 1976, with other riders openly lamenting the horsepower gap between their race bikes and the Yamaha 750. Suzuki rider Barry Sheene said (with a lovely Cockney accent), "That bloody Kanaya has almost 17 mph on me, Suzuki. The only way I'll win is if the 10 Yamahas in front of me break." Sheene and Nixon rode well in the race. Gregg Hansford held third for a while on the Kawasaki, and young Pat Hennen was run - ning in the top five on his Suzuki. A handful of privateer riders, including Steve McLaughlin and Ron Pierce, were in the top 10. But they all might as well have been in a separate race, a battle to see who would finish third, the best of the rest. Up front, Cecotto and Roberts had made the 1976 running of the Daytona 200 a two-man race, lapping the field up to 12th place by just the 20th lap. "Cecotto," wrote CN, "had the lead with Roberts close enough behind to read the stickers on the back of the Venezuelan's bike." By lap 26, only seven riders were still on the same lap with the Yamaha duo. Roberts eventually carved out a seven-second lead on Cecotto, who was battling both mechani - cal and physical gremlins. The Yamaha's expansion chamber now had a power-robbing hole in it, while Cecotto had somehow managed to twist his ankle on lap 20. "I thought," he said later, "about stopping" because of the pain. With 16 laps remaining, the race was no longer solely in the riders' hands. All eyes were focused on a man named John Smith, who was neither a racer nor even a race team manager. Smith was a technician for Good - year, and when Team Yamaha saw Roberts gesturing wildly at his pit board, Smith "advised the Yamaha crew to replace the rear tire, with the same advice going for third-place Kanaya." In the Yamaha pits, two fully assembled wheel and tire as - semblies were parked alongside the pit wall, waiting to be in- stalled. But when Roberts pitted, he took on only fuel and a quick inspection, speeding off down pit row with the fresh rubber still leaning against the wall. His teammate Kanaya had come in for a change "on lap 40 with, reportedly, his special-compound Goodyear rear slick down to the cords." The decision not to outfit Rob - erts with the new tires proved to be a misstep, one that could've had far more tragic consequenc- es. "His tire apparently went flat just as he was entering the chicane," CN reported. "Kenny crashed into the sand banking on the outside of the turn, [and he] had to ride slowly through the grass to the pits with a flopping tire carcass slapping the ground." With 16 miles remaining, Johnny Cecotto's crew was also notified that he should come in for a tire check, an inspection that almost certainly would've resulted in a time-sucking change of rubber. Somehow, that word was never relayed to him. Whether it was a misunderstand- ing or a message that couldn't cross over the language barrier, Cecotto kept going. Kanaya's tire change had dropped him to seventh, Roberts' ordeal saw him slip to ninth, and a lengthy stop would've cost Cecotto significant time. Riding the same motor - cycle on the same tires as his teammates, the Venezuelan rider somehow managed to nurse his Yamaha 750 to the finish line, one full lap ahead of second- place Gary Nixon. "The tire was at the limit but still okay," Cecotto remembers. "I managed to take it easier on the last laps! That victory was really fantastic, winning the race, which was considered the hardest bike race at that time. There were many Venezuelan people attend - ing the race, and many also at the airport waiting for me when I went back to Caracas!" In his relatively short career, Cecotto would add many more accolades to his racing resume, including a 350cc World Cham - pionship and a Formula 750 title. Injuries robbed him of the suc- cess that should have been his, but in 1976, nothing, including physical pain, mechanical woes or a fickle rear tire, would keep him from a spectacular Daytona 200 victory. On a side note, I'd like to thank John Damen at www.johnny - cecotto.com for his assistance with this article. CN Subscribe to more than 60 years of Cycle News Archives issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives