1970 Honda CR750

This CR750 Honda is a replica of the bike that Dick Mann rode to victory in the Daytona 200 race in 1970.

The CR750 was built to promote sales of the CB750 road bike that had been launched in America in 1969. Four bikes were at HRC and sent to Daytona , to be ridden by Tommy Robb, Ralph Bryans, Bill Smith and eleventh hour team member Dick Mann. It was considered a politically correct move to have an American rider in the team.

Dick Mann was actually contracted to BSA to ride dirt bikes and had been considered too old, at 36, to have one of the Rob North Triples for the 200 miler. Honda team manager, Bob Hansen offered Mann the forth CR750, the rest is history. Mann did get a BSA for the 1971 race and he won that race too.

The CR750 proved to be fast but fragile with considerable problems in practice and only one bike completing the race distance. It is a tribute to the race craft and Daytona experience of Dick Mann that he was able to take that win. Fastest qualifier, Gene Romero, on the factory Triumph had taken to a slip road while leading the race and was unable to make up the time lost, finishing second by just eight seconds.