Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128174
The Goodwood Festival After initially telling Goodwood owner Lord Mar.ch that he would be too ill to race, Sheene changed his mind at the last moment and flew to Britain from his base on Australia's Gold Coast determined to do his best for the thousands of fans who had flooded phone lines and magazine letters pages all over the world with statements of support. And he ended up the overall winner after a thrilling pair of races, to repeat his victory in last year's event. But Sheene had to contend with an equally amazing Gardner, who showed all the class in the world by winning his first motorcycle race for 10 years on Saturday aboard a Seeley-Matchless, by a razor-thin .002 of a second from Sheene, after an eightlap battle with those two and classic ace John Cronshaw (Seeley-Matchless) that saw the lead change hands twice on the fmal lap. It was the first time Gardner had ever ridden a vintage racer, and he came to terms bril- By ALAN CATHCART PHOTOS By PHIL MASTERS GOODWOOD, ENGLAND, SEPT. 7-8 ritain's Barry Sheene won the two-wheeled battle of the giants at the world's most prestigious historic bike race, the Goodwood Revival Meeting held on the famous British racetrack overlooking the English Channel. Riding a single-cylinder Manx Norton in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 80,000 spectators, the 51-year-old superhero - who revealed less than one month ago that he was suffering from cancer of the esophagus and upper stomach - defeated fellow former 500cc World Champions Wayne Gardner and Freddie Spencer to score a narrow but decisive overall victory in an event packed with stars of yesteryear matched with the cream of today's classic racers, aboard an array of Historic bikes from the 1950s and '60s. B liantly well with drum brakes and a right-foot gearshift (even with a reverse pattern to the streetbike layout he's used to riding with) to assert his claim on the overall prize. The fact that the race was run at record pace underlined how intent each rider was on winning. But, in the second race on Sunday, Sheene won a magnificent six-bike battle by a practically dominant 1.3 seconds to claim the overall victory on aggregate times from his Aussie rival. Aermacchi rider Bill Swallow, just back from winning the Classic Manx GP in the Isle of Man the week before, was third overall with two fourth places. "It's fantastic to win here again," beamed a clearly delighted Sheene, who's lost weight as a result of the homeopathic treatment he's chosen to fight his illness with - but he never stinted the hundreds of fans who laid siege to him for autographs and pictures. "Wayne and I both trust each other implicitly, which makes it possible to race wheel-to-wheel like we were doing," Sheene said. "This has been an unbelievable weekend, with such great racing and fantastic weather, and the fans have been incredible. I'm so glad I changed my mind and came after all - this is a unique event, and it's great to be a part of it." How about the satisfaction in overcoming the effects of his illness to triumph once again at glorious Goodwood? "I'm not going to let this get the better of me - I'm going to fight it all the way," Sheene said. "But I believe you can do it naturally, because I reckon that the chemotherapy business in America is a trillion-dollar industry, and I don't think they're too interested in anything else that might cure it. Anyway, I can't die - I've promised my kids I'll be all right, and I'm not going to let them down for anything." BAZZA'S STILL BEST AT GL8RI8US _ _ 30 OCTOBER 2, 2002' cue • ... n e _ s