12 interesting facts about AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Miguel Duhamel

Miguel Duhamel was a dominant AMA roadracer in the 1990s and early 2000s, and was a true iron man of the sport. Here are a dozen interesting facts about Duhamel, who was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2016.

1. Duhamel is Canadian, born in Lasalle, Quebec, in 1968.
2. He began racing motocross at age 9.
3. Miguel’s father is AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Yvon Duhamel, best known as a Kawasaki road racer.
4. The No. 17 that Miguel raced under was the same number used by his father.
5. During his career, he rode for five  factories in AMA and international competition.
6. Duhamel won the AMA Superbike Championship in 1995. Bonus: He won the Daytona 200 five times.
7. He also won five AMA Supersport titles and two AMA Formula Xtreme titles.
8. Duhamel was one of the winningest AMA Superbike racers ever, with 32 class wins. His 40-plus AMA Supersport victories set a record.
9. In all, he took home 86 career AMA wins.
10. He credits attention to detail for helping give him the edge over the competition. For example, he said he paid a lot of attention to tire selection and riding setup.
11. Duhamel was fanatical about physical training, particularly bicycle riding.
12. He was a true iron man. In 1998, he had a horrific crash at Loudon, N.H. Doctors feared they may have to amputate his leg. He got a bone graft and raced at Daytona before the leg healed. He walked using crutches, but used a cane to get to his bike so the AMA wouldn’t know how seriously hurt he was. He then won the Daytona 200 AND the Supersport race.