CLASSICS
WORDS & PHOTOS:
Rhys Jones
DAYTONA REVISITED
T
he early 1970s was a crucial time for road
racing around the world. The Isle of Man,
which had been the pinnacle of road
racing since 1907, was being challenged
by a new breed of racing, and in 1976
the island lost its World Championship status.
Most of the major Japanese factories had
pulled out of World Championship Grand
Prix racing in the late 1960s leaving MV
Agusta and the private owners to dominate.
Both riders and manufacturers were looking
for a new dawn.
The new era came not in Europe, but
at Daytona Beach in Florida. It was the
manufacturers who had been the driving
force behind racing, working on the theory
that successful race bikes meant increased
sales of road bikes. The shift of emphasis
to the United States was two-fold; it was
very likely the biggest market for larger
motorcycles in the world, and the time was
right for a shift away from the 125, 250, 350
and 500cc classifications in Grand Prix racing.
These were considered small motorcycles by
many Americans.
Enter the 750cc road and race bikes. The
British were ready with John Player Nortons,
BSA and Triumph, the Americans with Harley
Davidson, and the Japanese with Suzuki,
Honda and Kawasaki. All these were road
bikes that had been developed as race bikes,
with strict homologation restrictions – which
is good for bike sales if you’re winning. And so
began a brief but important chapter in road
race history, which led ultimately to what we
call today World Superbikes. But there was a
long way to go before World Superbikes was
introduced in 1988.
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GT750J First model 1972 road
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