Celebrating the Daytona 200
50 years ago, BSA-Triumph set out to dominate the Daytona 200 with groundbreaking triples, big-name riders and loads of cash…
At last weekend’s Daytona 200 just two out of the 68-strong grid were Triumphs. Americans Christian Meekma and Ray Hofman campaigned their Hinckley-hewn Daytonas to 45th and 53rd place in the race that inspired the bike’s name, when Buddy Elmore took victory in 1966 from 46th on the grid. But few realise that exactly 50 years ago this week the original BSATriumph embarked on their last but most ambitious racing conquest. On Sunday, March 14, 1971 a 10-strong team of special Triumph Trident and BSA Rocket3 works racers, ridden by some of racing’s greatest names including Mike Hailwood, Paul Smart and Gary Nixon, were about to start the Daytona 200, the world’s most prestigious motorcycle race, with the sole aim of victory after narrowly losing out the year before. They did just that and more, sweeping the podium 1-2-3, in a success made all the more poignant for being followed so quickly by BSA-Triumph’s collapse. The last BSA Rocket3 was built barely 12 months later with the Small Heath factory closed shortly after. Triumph fared little better, workers starting a twoyear ‘sit-in’ in 1973 before stagnating into ultimate liquidation in 1983. But on that sun-drenched Sunday in Florida all of that seemed impossible and British success shone through.
‘Things moved fast – with the race months away they had to’
The story actually began 18 months earlier, towards the end of 1969 when the Daytona 200’s regulators, the AMA, revised the rules to a new 750 formula based on production machines but allowing special race frames. BSA-Triumph had unveiled the new Rocket3 and Trident 750 triples in 1968, bikes aimed at the huge American market, which then accounted for 75% of sales. However, by the time they went on sale in June 1969 and despite a PR campaign involving a Rocket3 breaking numerous speed records in a special stunt arranged at Daytona in April, both had already been upstaged by Honda’s new CB750 four.
It was against this background that the new boss of BSA-Triumph in America, Peter Thornton, decided on an unprecedented AMA racing campaign in a bid to reclaim the limelight. A budget of $440,000 was reportedly allocated; the factory was lobbied to design and build appropriate bikes; BSA-Triumph USA vice-president Peter Colman was tasked with recruiting riders and the Daytona 200 the following March would see the team’s race debut.
Things moved fast – with the race just months away they had to. In November Meriden set up a special race department under Doug Hele, who oversaw development of the racing triples. All-new chassis were commissioned from Rob North, who’d already had success working with Triumph on their twins. New pistons, crank and a three-into-one exhaust raised the 750’s power to 81bhp at 8250rpm (from 58bhp), a Quaife closeratio, five-speed gearbox replaced the standard four-speeder while the first prototype North frame, a tubular steel double cradle made from Reynolds 531 tubing and which held the engine 60mm higher, was ready in January and tested by Smart.
With six bikes set to race in Daytona, 16 frames with varying specs and geometry were commissioned. Fibreglass fairings and seat units were developed with the help of an RAF wind tunnel and factory rider Percy Tait continued testing through winter.
However, with Daytona rapidly approaching and the bikes still not
‘A budget of $440,000 was reportedly allocated to the campaign’