Cycle News

CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE I n 1984, two-time GP World Champion Barry Sheene was 33, back when being in your 30s meant you were long in the tooth as a motor- cycle racer, and on top of that, his body had taken a major beating in his 17 years of racing motorcycles. But in March of 1984 at the grand prix season opener, Sheene, riding a previous year's model Suzuki RG500 GP bike, called on all his years of experience and shocked most of the racing world when he took a podium finish in the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami. No one knew it at the time, but it would mark the last time the legendary Brit would stand on the podium, in what would ultimately become his final season of racing. humorous defiance in the face of questions of retirement brought head-shaking smiles to motorcy- cle-racing enthusiasts. Suddenly, with the popularity of Sheene, the series became a part of marketing plans for large corporations, even those outside the motorsports industry. Before Sheene, you might see the logo of an oil, gas or helmet company on the side of a GP bike, after Sheene you could see the logos of consumer electronics compa- nies like Akai, Pioneer, Canon and others. Kenny Roberts arrived in 1978 and the two had an epic battle for the championship with the rookie American taking the title. And it continued. Sheene's battle with Roberts at the 1979 British Grand Prix at Silverstone has been cited as one of the greatest motorcycle grand prix races of the 1970s. GP racing was no longer just a sport for Europeans, but had truly become international. Sheene, followed by Roberts, were the P118 BARRY SHEENE'S COMEBACK PODIUM Grand prix legend Barry Sheene finished on the podium for the last time in 1984. Barry Sheene is generally regarded by most racing experts as the rider who helped elevate the popularity of grand prix motorcycle racing more than any other rider. Sheene was more than simply a well-known racer, the two-time world champion became a celebri- ty that the British press covered on and off the track. He hobnobbed with George Harrison and Ringo Starr and then dated and later mar- ried a Penthouse Pet of the Month. He unashamedly smoked, drank, drove a Rolls-Royce and was a big part of the happening London club scene. In 1977 he moved to a 700-year-old manor house in Surrey once owned by the actress Gladys Cooper and was selected by Faberge to promote Brut after- shave. Sheene rose quickly from the British club ranks in the late 1960s to become British 125cc Road Racing Champion in 1970. That same year he won his first grand prix, in the 50cc class at Brno. From there it was a steady rise to the top of the motorcycle-racing world. By 1977, Sheene was the dominant racer in GP's premier class, with two consecutive world championships. In '77 he won over half the races, scoring victory in six of the 11 500cc grand prix rounds. Americans began to love Sheene after watching how he dealt with the horrific top-speed crash at Daytona in 1975. His

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