Johnny Cecotto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Johnny Cecotto |
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Cecotto in 1978
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| Nationality |  Venezuelan |
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| Born | 25 January 1956 Caracas, Venezuela |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
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| Active years | 1983–1984 |
| Teams | Theodore, Toleman |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 1 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1983 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1984 British Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Years | 1981, 1996, 1998 |
| Teams | Team Bigazzi SRL, Team BMW Motorsport |
| Best finish | 8th (1996) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Johnny Alberto Cecotto Persello (born January 25, 1956), known as Johnny Cecotto, is a former professional racer from Venezuela. He is famous for being a champion in both motorcycle and car racing.
He became a star as a teenager in 1975. At just 19 years old, he became the youngest motorcycle road racing world champion. Even though he started his motorcycle career with great success, he had many injuries and problems with his bikes.
When he was 24, Cecotto switched to car racing. He even raced in Formula One, the highest level of auto racing. He later had a very successful career in Touring Car racing. Cecotto is one of the few racers, like John Surtees and Mike Hailwood, who have competed at the top level in both motorcycle and car racing.
Contents
Motorcycle Racing Career
A Champion from a Young Age
Cecotto was born in Caracas, Venezuela. His father owned a motorcycle shop and was a former national champion racer. Cecotto started racing young, just like his dad. He won the Venezuelan national championship in 1973 when he was only 17.
After racer Jarno Saarinen died in a crash in 1973, Cecotto changed his helmet design to honor him. He used a similar design for the rest of his career. He won the Venezuelan championship again in 1974 and also won the South American championship that same year.
An Amazing Ride at Daytona
Cecotto became famous worldwide at the 1975 Daytona 200 race. At the time, this was one of the most important motorcycle races in the world. Famous racers like Giacomo Agostini and Barry Sheene were there. Cecotto was a new, unknown racer on a standard Yamaha TZ750.
He surprised everyone by qualifying on the front row. But right before the race, officials saw a puddle under his bike. They removed him from the starting grid for safety. It turned out to be just water from the radiator.
Cecotto was allowed to rejoin the race, but he was in last place. In an incredible display of skill, he passed half of the other racers on the very first lap. By lap 10, he was in tenth place. He eventually passed the great Agostini for third place. His motorcycle started to overheat, so he had to slow down but still finished third. In 1991, this was named the best performance in the first 50 years of the Daytona 200.
Becoming a World Champion
A month after Daytona, Cecotto won the big Imola 200 race in Europe. He then entered his first world championship Grand Prix race in France. He won both the 250cc and 350cc races on the same day. In the 350cc race, he beat the seven-time world champion, Agostini.
After this amazing start, he got sponsorship to race for the whole season. He won three more races and beat Agostini to become the 350cc World Champion. At 19, he was the youngest world champion ever at the time.
Later Motorcycle Career
In 1976, Cecotto returned to the Daytona 200 with full support from the Yamaha factory team. The race became a duel between him and his teammate, Kenny Roberts. Their fast pace wore out their tires. Roberts' tire blew out near the end of the race. Cecotto's crew tried to signal him to pit and check his tires, but he ignored them and went on to win. His own tires were nearly destroyed.
He moved up to the top 500cc class but struggled with his new bike, crashing many times. He decided to focus on defending his 350cc title, but he lost it to Walter Villa. Some people felt he had become a champion so quickly that he didn't fully understand how to stay at the top.
In 1977, Cecotto was badly hurt in a tragic accident at the Austrian Grand Prix where another rider, Hans Stadelmann, died. He recovered and came back to win two races later that season, finishing fourth in the championship.
In 1978, he battled Kenny Roberts for the 500cc world title. He won a thrilling race against Roberts at the 1978 Dutch TT by just a tenth of a second. However, problems with his bike meant he finished third in the championship. That same year, he won the Formula 750 world championship.
After more injuries and inconsistent results, Cecotto lost his factory support from Yamaha. He raced as a privateer in 1980. At the age of 24, he decided to quit motorcycle racing and start a new career in auto racing.
Automobile Racing Career
Formula One and a Career-Ending Crash
Cecotto started racing cars in the Formula Two Championship in 1980. In 1982, he won three races and tied for first place in the championship, but was ranked second due to a tie-breaker rule. His performance was good enough to get him a seat in Formula One.
He raced in 23 Formula One races. In his second race in 1983, he finished in sixth place, which was a great start. For the 1984 season, he joined the Toleman team, where his teammate was the future legend Ayrton Senna.
During qualifying for the 1984 British Grand Prix, Cecotto had a major crash. He broke both of his legs, which ended his Formula One career.
Success in Touring Cars
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After recovering from his injuries, Cecotto began racing Touring Cars for the famous BMW team. He had a lot of success in this type of racing. In 1989, he won the Italian Touring Car Championship.
From 1988 to 1992, he raced in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), finishing as the runner-up in 1990. He also won major endurance races like the Spa 24 Hours in 1990 and the 24 Hours Nürburgring in 1992.
He continued to win championships, taking the German Super Tourenwagen Cup title for BMW in 1994 and 1998. In 2001 and 2002, he won the German V8Star Series Championship.
Later Life
Today, Johnny Cecotto helps his sons, Johnny Cecotto Jr. and Jonathan Cecotto, with their own professional auto racing careers.
Images for kids
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Cecotto driving for BMW at Brands Hatch during the 1995 British Touring Car Championship season.
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See also
In Spanish: Johnny Cecotto para niños
