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In 1980 Johnny Cecotto raced in the same racetrack twice in the space of two weeks and it felt like night and day: two completely different experiences. On 6 July, he rode a 500cc two-stroke four-cylinder Yamaha, while on 22 June he had been at the wheel of a Formula 2 March 802, powered by a BMW engine.

The circuit was Zolder, in Belgium.

The Venezuelan ace, who already had two world titles under his belt after succeeding in the 350 and Formula 750 classes, was gradually switching from motorcycle to cars. Today the analogy comes easy: his path, like the ones of at least three other great motorcycle racers, links him to Valentino Rossi who recently ended his career in MotoGP and will focus on cars after over a quarter of a century in the Grand Prix circus, achieving nine world titles.

So what did his colleagues experience before him?

“About my two races in Belgium, shockingly it was like racing in