Did you see these other Classic features?
SUSPENSION DEVELOPMENT
RISE AND FALL OF THE TRIPLE
Don Emde Mike Hailwood and
Dick Mann 1971 Daytona
In 1970 the British made a full scale attack
on Daytona, fielding BSA and Triumph
triples, the only noticeable difference
between the bikes being the BSA cylinders
were inclined forward, the Triumph’s straight
up and down. Top British and American
riders were engaged to ride them, and
although they were the fastest machines
in the race they were plagued by cooling
problems caused by the centre cylinder.
Dick Mann won the race for Honda, the first
Japanese victory at Daytona in the then
33-year history of the race. Mike Hailwood
led the race for the first ten of the 53-lap
race on a BSA but was side-lined when the
bike began to misfire and he was forced
to retire. The British contingent was not
discouraged and they returned in 1971 with
ten motorcycles and a large staff. They were
not disappointed, Dick Mann won the race
for BSA, Gene Romero was second on a
Triumph and Don Emde third on another
BSA. Hailwood again suffered mechanical
problems and didn’t finish. Following the
BSA victory in 1971 Don Emde won the 1972
event on a Yamaha, and Yamaha would go
on to win every Daytona 200 race until 1985.
In the late 1970s the race began to lose
much of its prestige, and failed to attract
as many international riders. This could
have been partly because the owner of the
circuit refused to pay start money, which had
been approved by the FIM. In 1978 Daytona
lost its status as a round of the F750 World
Championship. The emphasis had begun to
shift back to Europe once again.
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