French Canadian Yvon Duhamel became well-known in the world of motorcycle racing in the early 70s when he was hired by the Kawasaki team in 1971 to race the famous H2R three-cylinder 750cc 2-stroke monster, which was delivering horsepower within a very narrow powerband on the US circuits. He did it quite well, with several wins. In 1975 he started to race in Europe, notably in the 250cc Grand Prix and Formula 750.
Born on 17 October 1939 in Montreal (Quebec, Canada), Yvon Duhamel started on a motorcycle very young and went on experimenting almost all kind of motorcycle competition before deciding on road racing in 1971: motocross, dirt-track, ice-racing… at 17 he bought a Triumph T100. In the late 60s he was racing in the States, including Daytona, while winning almost every competition he was taking part in Canada. He became also a leading competitor in snowmobile events during the winter seasons.
As from 1975 in Europe, he also took part in Endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Bol d’Or, including with his two sons Miguel and Mario, becoming the first father-and-sons family team to compete in this event. He never really retired from competition, accompanying and helping his sons while they were racing, and quite often taking a bike himself. Yvon Duhamel became known through his aggressive racing style and his great ability to ride any type of sport motorcycle – and win races – and also through his personality.
Marc Pétrier