Yvon Duhamel is one of the most successful motorcycle racers Canada has ever produced: an all-rounder on two and four wheels – and even with a snowmobile.
Yvan Duhamel, born in Montreal/Canada in 1999, was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame and the AMA Hall of Fame, and in 2007 into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
These honors were preceded by a motorsport life that required many talents. Duhamel first drew attention to himself in the 1960s in snow and dirt track races in Montreal, and by the end of the decade he was also running flat track in the United States. He’s also tried his hand at trials, running motocross, dragster races and circuits – and won in every discipline.
Duhamel first made a name for himself outside his home country in 1968 when he won the lightweight class at the AMA event in Daytona and repeated the victory in 1969 – each time with a 350cc two-stroke Yamaha.
In 1968 he finished second in the Daytona 200 – never before a two-stroke driver had made it to the podium.
In the years that followed, Yvonne made a name for himself on the circuit. In 1969 he drove in pole position at the Daytona 200. In 1971 he achieved the first Kawasaki victory at the US Championships at Talladega Superspeedway. Between 1971 and 1973 he won five races for Kawasaki at the AMA Nationals.
Then Duhamel made a name for himself in Europe as well. In 1975 he finished fifth over Kawasaki at the 250 cc Grand Prix in Essen. For many years he competed with the Kawasaki KZ1000 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Bol d’Or.
Yvonne Duhamel also made a good name for himself in Formula 750, the precursor to today’s Superbike World Championship. From 1973 to 1979 the series had world championship status, it was powered by modified road machines up to 750 cc.
Off the road, Duhamel was also very fast on the ice. He won races in the United States and Canada, and the 1970 World Championship Snowmobile Derby and the Winnipeg-to-Saint Paul 500 race. He also made the top 10 in a NASCAR 400-mile race in 1973.
Since the late 1970s, Yvonne has cared more and more for the careers of his sons, Miguel and Mario. In 1988, the three Duhamels also competed together at the Bol d’Or – a unique event to date.
Yvonne Duhamel had a full life, he was 81 years old. Our sympathies are with his family.
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