Former Kawasaki Road Racer Hurley Wilvert Dies after Street Accident
Larry Lawrence | August 16, 2018
Former Kawasaki Road Racer Hurley Wilvert Dies after Street Accident
Hurley Wilvert, the race mechanic turned racer who scored an improbable podium in the 1974 Daytona 200, passed away Monday, August 13, from injuries sustained in a street riding accident according to close friends.
He was 74.
Former Kawasaki Road Racer Hurley Wilvert Dies after Street Accident
Wilvert was a racing mechanic who also gained a reputation as a solid club racer in Southern California. By the early 1970s he was making appearances in AMA National Road Races.
By far Wilvert’s most famous race came in the 1974 Daytona 200. Wilvert rode a strong and steady race to score a surprise third. The race was packed with talent from the U.S. and abroad. The stands were packed on race day with 60,000 fans mainly to see multi-time world champ Giacomo Agostini make his Daytona debut. “Ago” won the race with Kenny Robert second and Wilvert rounding out the podium on a factory-supported Kawasaki.
Wilvert wasn’t a full factory rider in ’74, but a support rider who had to pay his mechanic George Vukmonovich out of his own pocket. He didn’t even get an updated ’74 H2-R, but instead raced with 1973 leftovers, although in the 200, Wilvert did have a special prototype frame built by Kawasaki’s road racing coordinator Randy Hall.
Wilvert also scored a podium finish in the Charlotte AMA National Road Race in 1973. That and Daytona ’74 were his best AMA Grand National results.
Wilvert continued doing occasional vintage and club races up until about four years ago.
Memorial services are being held Saturday in Cedar Crest, New Mexico.