Johnny Alberto Cecotto Persello (born 25 January 1956), better known as Johnny Cecotto, is a

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

former professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer and auto racer. He rose to prominence as a teenage prodigy in 1975 when he became the youngest motorcycle

road racing Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held on a race track, closed circuit—generally, a purpose-built racing facility—or on a street circuit that uses temporarily c ...

world champion at the age of 19. Despite the auspicious beginning to his motorcycle racing career, he suffered numerous injuries and mechanical problems which curtailed his success in motorcycle Grand Prix racing. At the age of 24, Cecotto turned his attention to auto racing where he reached the pinnacle of the sport as a

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

driver. He later became a successful

Touring Car Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The ...

racer. He is the last of a select group of competitors who competed at the highest level in motorcycle and auto racing, which includes

John Surtees John Norman Surtees (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One from to . Surtees was a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycl ...

and

Mike Hailwood Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One between and . Nicknamed "the Bike", Hailwood was ...

among others.

Motorcycle racing history

Early career

Cecotto was born in

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

to Italian immigrant parents. His father was a motorcycle shop owner and former motorcycle racer who had won the Venezuelan national championship on a 500cc Norton. He followed his father's career path and began motorcycle racing at a young age, first competing on a

Honda CB750 The Honda CB750 is an air-cooled, Transverse engine, transverse, Straight-four engine, in-line-four-cylinder-engine motorcycle made by Honda over several generations for year models 1969–2008 with an upright, or Types of motorcycles#Standard, ...

and a Kawasaki triple before gaining the support of the Venezuelan Yamaha importer. Cecotto rode a Yamaha TZ350 to win the 1973 Venezuelan

national championship at the age of 17. After the death of

Jarno Saarinen Jarno Karl Keimo Saarinen (11 December 1945 – 20 May 1973) was a Finnish professional Motorcycle racer. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1968 to 1971 as Yamaha privateer, before receiving the Yamaha ...

at the

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

Nations Grand Prix, Cecotto adopted a new helmet color scheme with two pointed red stripes that was based on Saarinen's helmet colors, in honor of the fallen rider. He would keep the helmet design through the remainder of his career. Cecotto successfully defended his title by reclaiming the Venezuelan national championship in 1974, and also won the 1974 South American motorcycle road racing championship, a one-race event held at the

Interlagos Circuit The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Autódromo de Interlagos or simply Interlagos, is a motorsport race track, circuit located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It was inaugurated on 12 May 1940, by the federal intervener of the S ...

near

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. In his first international racing outside of South America, he finished 35th overall at the Daytona 200 on a Yamaha 350cc, and suffered a mechanical failure after only 5 laps at the Imola 200.

Daytona success

Cecotto rose to international prominence at the 1975

Daytona 200 The Daytona 200 is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held in early spring at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Mo ...

motorcycle race with one of the more inspired rides in the history of the event. At the time, the Daytona 200 was considered one of the most prestigious motorcycle races in the world, attracting world champions such as

Giacomo Agostini Giacomo Agostini (; born 16 June 1942) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and racing team manager. He competed in the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1963 to 1977, most prominently as a member of ...

and

Barry Sheene Barry Steven Frank Sheene (11 September 1950 – 10 March 2003) was a British professional motorcycle racer and television sports presenter. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing between and , most prominently as a member of the Su ...

. He arrived at Daytona as an unknown rookie aboard an unmodified Yamaha TZ750 sponsored by Venemotos, Yamaha's Venezuelan importer. The unheralded teenager promptly raised his profile by qualifying on the front row shared with pole-sitter

Kenny Roberts Kenneth Leroy Roberts (born December 31, 1951) is an American former professional motorcycle racer and racing team owner. In 1978, he became the first American to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship. He was also a two-time w ...

, Gene Romero,

Teuvo Lansivuori Teuvo is a masculine given name predominantly found in Finland. Individuals bearing the name include: * Teuvo Aura (1912–1999), Finnish politician * Teuvo Hakkarainen (born 1960), Finnish politician and member of Finnish Parliament *Teuvo Hatun ...

and Steve Baker. As Cecotto took his place on the starting grid, race officials noticed a puddle of fluid developing beneath his motorcycle. With the start of the race just moments away, the officials made the decision to remove Cecotto and his motorcycle from the grid for safety reasons. As the race was started without Cecotto, officials discovered that the fluid was only water overflowing from the radiator and posed no safety hazard. Officials allowed Cecotto re-enter the race however, by then he was in last place. With an impressive display of riding ability, Cecotto passed half the field of competitors on the first lap alone. Two laps later, he was up to 26th place. By the fifth lap he was in 18th place and by the end of the tenth lap he was in tenth place. On the 50th lap, he caught and passed Agostini for third place before his motorcycle began to overheat, forcing him to reduce his pace and settle for a third place behind the eventual winner Gene Romero and second place Steve Baker. On the event of the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 200 in 1991, the

American Motorcyclist Association The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its motto, mission statement is "t ...

convened a panel of motorcycling press and former racers, who named Cecotto's accomplishment as the top performance in the first 50 years of the race.

World champion

One month after his Daytona performance, Cecotto traveled to Europe where he continued his meteoric rise with a victory at the prestigious Imola 200 F750-championship race after Agostini's engine seized while American champion

withdrew due to a wrist injury. Cecotto continued his impressive streak by scoring a double victory in the first world championship Grand Prix race of his career. At the season opening

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...

held at the

Paul Ricard Circuit The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, Le Castellet, Var (department), Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of buil ...

, he set the fastest lap time en route to winning the 250cc race and, followed that performance by leading the 350cc race from start to finish to win by a 25-second margin over the seven-time 350cc world champion Agostini. He had originally planned to compete in two or three European events but, after his performance at the French Grand Prix, he gained full sponsorship for the remainder of the season aboard an ex-Agostini TZ350. He went on to win three more races and defeated Agostini, for the 350cc World Championship. At the age of nineteen, he was the youngest ever world champion until

Loris Capirossi Loris Capirossi (born 4 April 1973) is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, currently serving as Safety Advisor to Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. He is a 9-time Premier Class race w ...

won the 1990 125cc world championship at the age of 17.''50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix'' (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999. He was competitive in the 250cc world championship with two victories however, a crash at the

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix () was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history: the Nürburgring in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hockenheimring in B ...

and then engine problems for his motorcycle left him in fourth place in the final standings.

Later career

In 1976, Cecotto returned to the Daytona 200, now with full support from the Yamaha

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

racing team. The race turned into a battle between Cecotto and his Yamaha teammate, Kenny Roberts. Their grueling pace proved too much for their tires and on the 33rd of the 52 laps Roberts slowed with a worn rear tire. Nine laps from the end, Roberts' tire blew apart, almost making him lose control before he limped back into the pits. Cecotto's pit crew attempted to wave him into the pits with three laps remaining to check on his tire but, he ignored their signal and continued on to win the race. Afterwards, his shredded tires showed how close he was to suffering the same fate as Roberts. Cecotto moved up to the premier 500cc class riding a year-old

Yamaha YZR500 The Yamaha YZR500 was a 500cc Grand Prix racing motorcycle made by Yamaha from 1973 to 2002. It achieved significant acclaim, especially during the 1980s and 1990s. Racing history The YZR500 was ridden by championship winners Giacomo Agostin ...

for a Yamaha-supported satellite team operated under the Venemotos team banner. Suzuki's

was expected to be his main competitor for the

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

world championship. He began the season with a promising second-place finish behind Sheene at the season-opening

however, Cecotto struggled to come to grips with the Yamaha, falling 13 times in subsequent races. He failed to score any further points after the French round and shortly after the Italian Grand Prix, he gave up on the 500cc class completely to concentrate on defending his 350cc title. He finished the 500cc season in a disappointing 20th place as Sheene won the 500cc world championship. He also lost his 350cc crown in a tight battle with

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression along with i ...

mounted

Walter Villa Walter Villa (13 August 1943 – 18 June 2002) was an Italian four-time Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion. He was known for his quiet, unassuming nature off the bike who became a ruthless competitor once the races began. Motorcyc ...

. While Cecotto possessed a natural riding ability, some observers speculated that he had won too early in his career without fully understanding how he had accomplished it. Yamaha Team Manager and former world champion Rod Gould said, "I think Cecotto was going fast and didn't really know why. Now he doesn't know why he's going slower and crashing." Cecotto's results were also affected by the Venemotos team's disorganization and lack of preparation. According to his Yamaha factory mechanic Vince French, on several occasions, the team failed to file official race entry forms or failed to secure garage space thus delaying vital practice time. On other occasions, the team failed to provide equipment required by race organizers causing further delays. At the beginning of the

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

season, Cecotto was badly injured in a deadly four rider accident at the

Austrian Grand Prix The Austrian Grand Prix () is a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned motor racing event that was held in , –, and –. It returned to the Formula One calendar in , where it has remained since then. It was first held at ...

that claimed the life of Swiss rider Hans Stadelmann. He recovered from his injuries in time for the

Swedish Grand Prix The Swedish Grand Prix () was a round of the Formula One World Championship from 1973 to 1978. It took place at the Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp ( Gislaved Municipality), about from Jönköping, in Småland, Sweden. The first race to hold ...

where he finished in second place, 2.9 seconds behind winner Barry Sheene. Cecotto then won two consecutive races with victories at the Finnish Grand Prix and the Czechoslovak Grand Prix where he also won the 350cc Grand Prix. Despite missing most of the season due to injuries, he still ranked fourth in the final championship standings. Cecotto began the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

season by winning the Imola 200 for a second time but, he faced a new rival for the world championship with the arrival of Kenny Roberts. Although he scored four podium finishes including a narrow victory by 1/10ths of a second over Roberts at the 1978 Dutch TT, he failed to score consistent results and suffered four mechanical failures, as Roberts won the world championship ahead of Sheene and the third placed Cecotto. He was more successful in the 1978 Formula 750 world championship, where despite four victories by Roberts, Cecotto was able to score three victories along with three second-place finishes to secure the championship. Cecotto suffered a badly broken kneecap at the

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

at the

Salzburgring The Salzburgring is a motorsport race track located in Plainfeld, east of Salzburg. Key facts Track Length Bends 15 Straights ...

and missed half the season due to his injuries. He rejoined the championship for the final four races but, with his injuries still causing him pain, he failed to score consistent results as, Roberts won his second consecutive 500cc world championship. Although he won 5 races in the 1979 Formula 750 world championship, his inconsistent results relegated him to third place in the final standings. As a result of Roberts' success for the Yamaha team along with Cecotto's inconsistent performances, Yamaha withdrew their factory support for him after the 1979 season. He went into the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

season competing as a

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

aboard a

Bimota Bimota is an Italian manufacturer of custom and production motorcycles. It was founded in 1973 in Rimini by Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini. The company name is a portmanteau derived from the first two letters of each of ...

chassis powered by a Yamaha engine in the 350cc class and a production Yamaha in the 500cc class. He began the year with a victory at the 1980 Imola 200, joining Kenny Roberts as three-time winners of the event. His world championship campaign started on a positive note when, he scored a victory at the season opening 350cc French Grand Prix along with a fourth-place finish in the 500cc race however, after his initial success his motorcycles suffered numerous mechanical failures and, he could do no better than a fourth-place finish in the 350cc championship along with a seventh place in the 500cc championship. After the 1980 season, he decided to quit motorcycle racing at the age of 24 to pursue an auto racing career. He retired with twelve 500cc pole positions in 28 starts, giving him one of the highest pole position per start ratios in motorcycle Grand Prix history.

Automobile racing history

Formula racing

Cecotto made his four-wheeled debut with

Minardi Minardi was an Italian automobile racing team and constructor founded in Faenza in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following ...

in the

Formula Two Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...

Championship. In the Formula Two season, driving for the

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

team, he won three races and finished the season tied for first place with his teammate

Corrado Fabi Corrado Fabi (born 12 April 1961) is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 18 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 13 March 1983, scoring no championship points. He is the younger brother of Teo Fabi, also a racing driver. Care ...

, but was relegated to runner up by the tie breaker system. Nevertheless, his performance garnered enough attention that he was offered a seat in Formula One. In

, Cecotto participated in 23 races, debuting on March 13,

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

for the

Theodore Racing Theodore Racing ( zh, t=徳利賽車隊香港) was a Formula One constructor from Hong Kong founded by real estate magnate and millionaire Teddy Yip (businessman), Teddy Yip. They participated in 51 Grands Prix, entering a total of 64 cars. In ...

team. He had a promising start as he scored a sixth place in only his second race; however, the team suffered from lack of funding and he was forced to sit out the final two rounds. For the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

season, he joined the

Toleman Toleman Motorsport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It participated in Formula One between 1981 and 1985, competing in 70 Grands Prix. Today, it is best known for giving Ayrton Senna his Formula One debut. The team was gener ...

racing team with

Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren, and—at the time of his death—held ...

as his teammate. While qualifying for the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor racing event organised in the United Kingdom by Motorsport UK. First held by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in 1926 British Grand Prix, 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 ...

, he crashed heavily at Westfield, breaking both of his legs, which effectively ended his Formula One career. His sixth place at Long Beach stood as the best result for a Venezuelan driver until

Pastor Maldonado Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta (; born 9 March 1985) is a Venezuelan former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Maldonado won the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix with Williams. After winning the GP2 Series in 2010 with Rapax, Maldona ...

's victory in the

Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix (, ) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating its centenary in 2013. The race had modest beginnings ...

29 years later.

Touring cars

After recovering from his injuries, Cecotto returned to competition in the flourishing

Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived touring cars for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles wer ...

category for the famed

Schnitzer Motorsport Schnitzer Motorsport was a motorsport team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. From the early days of its establishment, the team mostly operated an auto racing, automobile racing squad for BMW, and had remarkable results in touring car rac ...

team, with his best finish being 2nd at the 1985 Spa 24 Hours with Dieter Quester and Markus Oestreich. He then traveled to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

where he finished second in the 1985 James Hardie 1000 at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, driving the BMW 635 CSi he drove at Spa, jointly winning the races "Rookie of the Year" award with his co-driver

Roberto Ravaglia Roberto Ravaglia (born 26 May 1957) is an Italian former racing driver, who currently runs ROAL Motorsport, who operate a Chevrolet operation in the World Touring Car Championship. Before retiring in 1997, he was one of the most successful tourin ...

. During practice for the James Hardie, Cecotto professed surprise when told by former motorcycle racing rival Gregg Hansford, who was driving an

Alfa Romeo GTV6 The Alfa Romeo Alfetta (Type 116) is a front-engine, five-passenger saloon and fastback coupé manufactured and marketed by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 1972 to 1987 with a total of over 400,000 units produced during its production run. ...

in the race, that they raced motorcycles at Mt Panorama as well as cars, claiming that he would think twice before racing a bike there (Hansford was at the time the 350cc motorcycle lap record holder for the 6.172 km (3.835 mi) circuit). In 1986 he joined Belgian based factory backed RAS Sport

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

team in the renamed (for 1986 only) FIA Touring Car Championship driving a turbocharged Volvo 240T. Usually co-driving with defending European Touring Car Champion Thomas Lindström, Cecotto finished 8th in the championship with two wins (

Hockenheim Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...

and

Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. History Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, a ...

), two second and two third placings. He also drove a 240T to victory at the 1986 Guia Race held during the

Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix (; ) is an annual motorsport road racing event for automobiles and motorcycles held on the Guia Circuit in Macau. The event includes the Formula Regional and Motorcycle Grand Prix title races, with other races for Touri ...

, as well as winning the 1986 InterTEC 500 held at Fuji in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

alongside Swedish driver and Volvo teammate Anders Olofsson.. After Volvo pulled out at the end of the 1986 season, Cecotto re-joined

and competed in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship driving a

BMW M3 The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M GmbH. M3 models have been produced for every generation of 3 Series since the E30 M3 was introduced in 1986. The initial mod ...

for the Italian CiBiEmme team alongside joint 1985 ETCC champion Gianfranco Brancatelli. The pair won the third round of the championship, the 500 km de Bourgogne at

Dijon-Prenois Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends. Opened in 1972, Dijon-Prenois hosted the Formula One French Grand Prix five times, and the Swiss Grand P ...

, before being the first WTCC registered car to finish the first Australian round, the 1987 James Hardie 1000. Although Cecotto and Brancatelli only finished in 7th place at Bathurst, as the first registered car to finish they were awarded first place points. In 1989 he captured the Italian Touring Car Championship. Cecotto finished in 8th place with Brancatelli in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship with 158 points. From 1988 to 1992, Cecotto competed in the

Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft The Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) was a touring car racing series held from 1984 to 1996. Originally based in Germany, it held additional rounds elsewhere in Europe and later worldwide. The original DTM had resumed racing with produc ...

(DTM, German Touring Car Championship). Driving a

BMW M3, he finished as runner up in the 1990 season. He also participated in endurance racing, winning the 1990 24 Hours of Spa and the 1992

24 Hours of Nürburgring 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky i ...

. In

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

he won the German

Super Tourenwagen Cup The Super Tourenwagen Cup, or German Supertouring Championship, was a touring car racing series held between 1994 and 1999 in Germany. The championship was established when BMW and Audi both left the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) in 199 ...

Championship for BMW. In

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

he raced in the

British Touring Car Championship The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...

(BTCC) for

. In

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

and

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, he switched to the

Irmscher Irmscher Automobilbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German car tuning and manufacturing company, specialising in Opel, Peugeot and Kia vehicles as well as working for the complete automotive industry as an engineering service provider. It was founded in ...

Opel Omega The Opel Omega is an executive car engineered and manufactured by German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2003. The first generation, the Omega A (1986–1994), superseded the Opel Rekord. It was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, and was ...

and won the German V8Star Series Championship two years running.

Later life

Cecotto currently devotes most of his time to supporting the professional auto racing career of his sons, Johnny Cecotto Jr. and Jonathan Cecotto.

Racing record

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

Source: ( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

Source:
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One World Championship results

Source:
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Complete European Touring Car Championship results

Source: ( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete World Touring Car Championship results

Source:
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) † Despite finishing 7th outright at Bathurst, as the highest placed registered WTCC car Cecotto was awarded 1st place points for the round.

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft/Masters results

Source:
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete German GT Cup results

Source:
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Super Tourenwagen Cup results

Source:
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Italian Superturismo Championship results

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Source:

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

References

External links

Johnny Cecotto official fan site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cecotto, Johnny 1956 births Living people Venezuelan motorcycle racers 250cc World Championship riders 350cc World Championship riders 500cc World Championship riders Venezuelan racing drivers Venezuelan Formula One drivers Theodore Formula One drivers Toleman Formula One drivers European Formula Two Championship drivers British Touring Car Championship drivers Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers World Touring Car Championship drivers FIA GT Championship drivers Racing drivers from Caracas Venezuelan people of Italian descent World Sportscar Championship drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers European Touring Car Championship drivers Motorsport announcers BMW M drivers Schnitzer Motorsport drivers Oreca drivers Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers 350cc World Riders' Champions