Former Kawasaki roadrace great Yvon DuHamel, father of Superbike warrior Miguel DuHamel, is returning to Daytona for some unfinished business in 2001. The five-time National winner and paddock legend is attempting to work on a deal to be the oldest man to complete the Daytona distance. And he isn't planning on just riding around. According to the Father of Miguel, the 61 year old former Yamaha and Kawasaki rider is now working on obtaining a competitive bike that would have him near the front.
"I am working on a project," the elder DuHamel said today at PPIR. "I want to be the oldest man to race Daytona, and I want to do good. I don't want to go there and just ride and play. I want to go as fast as I can go. "I know I am not going to win the race unless ten or fifteen guys break down! (laughs). Besides, I'd like Miguel to win."

"Naturally I would like to be on one of these bikes (Miguel's RC51). If not 100% like this one, maybe the one we have in Canada that Steve Crevier is riding now. Maybe Honda will help me out. We are working on a good crew, not a Mickey Mouse thing like some of the privateers have where a fast stop is two minutes to put gas with the can."

Yvon looks younger than his years, and could more easily pass for 41. He is 61. "People say 'Can you do 57 laps?' I don't have any doubt on that. I am gonna do 57 laps. Sure I'm gonna have to train. Now I am gonna start doing more than I do now, drinking wine and having some good food. I've been vintage racing, but I need to take it up a level from that.

"(Before recently) I never trained in my life. I didn't have time! I had a wife and three kids, and I raced in Canada and Europe and raced snowmobiles and cars. One year when I was racing, I spent 45 out of 52 weekends on the bike. Exercise for me was changing the tire on my bike."

DuHamel is still active in vintage racing. "Two weeks ago I raced in Halifax. My machine blew up and I had to race on the back-up bike, a G50 Matchless that had never been raced before. I won 6 classes and threw the chain in the other one. I felt good. I figure if I can go around at the CCS
race at Daytona in October, then at the tire test, and then at the CCS races the week before the 200 I will be ready."

Yvon almost raced the Daytona 200 two years ago. "Back when I was 59, I was going to lease a bike from Muzzy, but someone wanted to buy that bike from him and so it didn't work out."

Yvon think the hardest thing to adjust to will be the brakes and the lean angle of the modern machines. "When I did the B'Ol Dor (World Endurance) with Mario and Miguel in '88, it took me all night to get used to the braking. I was just using two fingers, but I as braking too hard and too early. I finally got used to it, and then the bike blew up with three hours to go."

Yvon definitely has unfinished business at Daytona. "At Daytona, the closest I got was second. But at Talledega, exactly the same type track, 200 miles with the infield and banking, I won that twice. Naturally, newspaper guys
ask me 'Why did you never win Daytona?'."