Yvon Duhamel

Yvon Duhamel
NationalityCanadian
Born(1939-10-17)17 October 1939
Montreal, Canada
Died17 August 2021(2021-08-17) (aged 81)
LaSalle, Quebec
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years1967, 1975
First race1967 Canadian Grand Prix
Last race1975 250cc Dutch TT
Team(s)Kawasaki
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
2 0 0 0 0 9
Yvon Duhamel
Born(1939-10-17)October 17, 1939
Montreal, Quebec
DiedAugust 17, 2021 (aged 81)
LaSalle, Quebec
Awards1970 World Championship Snowmobile Derby winner
NASCAR Cup Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish109th (1973)
First race1973 Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro)
Last race1973 Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 1 0

Yvon Duhamel (October 17, 1939 – August 17, 2021) was a French Canadian professional motorcycle and snowmobile racer. A six-time winner of the White Trophy, the highest award in Canadian motorcycle racing, he was one of the most accomplished motorcycle racers in Canadian motorsports history.[1][2][3] His motorcycle racing career spanned the transition from the 60 horsepower four-stroke motorcycles of the 1960s, to the 100 horsepower two-stroke motorcycles of the 1970s.[4] Duhamel was a versatile rider competing in numerous motorcycle racing disciplines including; trials, motocross, ice racing, drag racing, flat track racing and most prominently in road racing as a member of the Kawasaki factory racing team.[5][6]

Duhamel developed a reputation as a tenacious competitor who always raced at his complete limit with great intensity and skill.[7] Unfortunately, his unyielding approach to racing often led to spectacular crashes as often as it led to race victories although, many of his crashes were attributed to mechanical failures rather than his unrelenting drive to win races.[7][8] Duhamel's reputation as a tenacious competitor with an aggressive riding style earned him the respect of other racers and made him popular with racing fans.[3][9]

Duhamel competed all year, racing motorcycles in the summer, then switching to snowmobile racing in the winter.[10] He became one of the first factory supported snowmobile racers when he was selected to drive for the Ski-Doo factory racing team in 1969.[11] His snowmobile racing accomplishments culminated with his induction into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 1988.[11] In 1999 he was inducted into both the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.[2][5] In 2007 he was inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame.[1] Duhamel's sons, Miguel and Mario Duhamel, became successful motorcycle racers during the 1990s, with Miguel Duhamel winning the AMA Superbike championship in 1995 and becoming the all-time leading AMA Superbike race winner in 1998.[12]

  1. ^ a b "Yvon Duhamel at the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame". canadianmotorcyclehalloffame.ca. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Yvon Duhamel at the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame". Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "In Memoriam Yvon Duhamel: October 17, 1939 – August 17, 2021". Canadian Superbike Championship. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  4. ^ "Yvon Duhamel Dies at 81". cycleworld.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Yvon Duhamel at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "Yvon Duhamel 1939-2021". canadamotoguide.com. August 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Scalzo, Joe (November 1, 1976). "Wheelin' And Dealin' Yvon Duhamel". Cycle World. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  8. ^ Cox, Bruce (2021), "Yvon Duhamel", Classic Racer, Mortons Motorcycle Media Ltd, ISSN 0959-7123
  9. ^ "RIP The Great Yvon Duhamel". superbikeplanet.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  10. ^ "Yvon Duhamel Memories, In His Own Words". snowmobilehalloffame.com. August 20, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Yvon Duhamel at the Snowmobile Hall of Fame". snowmobilehalloffame.com. October 7, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  12. ^ "Yvon Duhamel Passes". americanmotorcyclist.com. August 20, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.