Left : Trevor Discombe and TZ350 Yamaha at Pukekohe
Right : Vaughan Coburn ’ s immaculate TZ Yamahas at Pukekohe 1977
Molloy and Keith Turner , all riding Yamaha TZ350s . By 1976 , the 350cc race at the same event contained 49 Yamaha twins , with the rest of the field comprising of seven entries . In the 250cc race there were 23 Yamaha twins and four Hondas .
TZ700 MADE DEBUT IN NEW ZEALAND Internationally , in 1972 Jarno Saarinen won the 250cc World Championship riding a TZ250cc Yamaha . In 1973 , he won the Daytona 200 on a TZ350 and followed this with victory at the Imola 200 in Italy . Sadly , he died at Monza during the fourth Grand
Prix of the year . He was leading in both the 500 and 250 World Championships at the time . Yamaha respectfully withdrew from racing for the remainder of 1973 . Before he died , Saarinen is credited with leaking the news that a new big-bore Yamaha that would dominate 750 class racing was in the pipe line . It consisted of two TZ350 racing engines , forming an in-line four-cylinder two-stroke . It would produce 140bhp and be capable of 296km / h . The first appearance of the TZ700 was at Gracefield near Wellington in January 1974 . Then when Giacomo Agostini won the 1974 Daytona 200 , and repeated Saarinen ’ s
84 KIWI RIDER