Yvon Duhamel

rdf:langString Yvon Duhamel

rdf:langString Yvon Duhamel

rdf:langString Yvon Duhamel

rdf:langString LaSalle, Quebec

rdf:langString Montreal, Quebec

rdf:langString right

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Canadian

rdf:langString I don’t ever race with Yvon. Either he just plain leaves, or blows up, or runs off the track, so I never have raced with him.

rdf:langString AMA Hall of Famer Dick Mann

rdf:langString 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. 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. 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. Even when Duhamel's motorcycle had a top speed advantage, he never slowed to conserve his machine, which led to spectacular crashes or mechanical failures as often as it led to race victories. 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. Duhamel competed all year, racing motorcycles in the summer, then switching to snowmobile racing in the winter. 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. His snowmobile racing accomplishments culminated with his induction into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1999 he was inducted into both the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. In 2007 he was inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. 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.