Johnny Cecotto
Johnny Alberto Cecotto Persello (born 25 January 1956), better known as Johnny Cecotto, is an Italian-born Venezuelan 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 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.
| Johnny Cecotto | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cecotto in 1978 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Venezuelan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 |
| Entries | 23 (18 starts) |
| 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 | |
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| Years | 1981, 1996, 1998 |
| Teams | Team Bigazzi SRL, Team BMW Motorsport |
| Best finish | 8th (1996) |
| Class wins | 0 |
At the age of 24, Cecotto turned his attention to auto racing where he reached the pinnacle of the sport as a Formula One driver. He later became a successful Touring Car 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 and Mike Hailwood among others.