Barry Sheene

For the judge, see Barry Sheen.

Barry Sheene
MBE
Sheene in 1975
NationalityBritish
Born(1950-09-11)11 September 1950
London, England
Died10 March 2003(2003-03-10) (aged 52)
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years1970–1984
First race1970 125cc Spanish Grand Prix
Last race1984 500cc San Marino Grand Prix
First win1971 125cc Belgian Grand Prix
Last win1981 500cc Swedish Grand Prix
Team(s)Suzuki, Yamaha
Championships
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
104 23 52 18 20

Barry Steven Frank Sheene MBE (11 September 1950 – 10 March 2003) was a British professional motorcycle racer and television sports presenter. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing between 1971 and 1984, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory racing team where he won two consecutive 500cc World Championships in 1976 and 1977.[1] Sheene's 1977 title remained as Britain's last solo motorcycle world championship until Danny Kent won the 2015 Moto3 championship.[2] However, Sheene is still the last British champion in the premier class.[3]

Articulate and charismatic, Sheene was the first motorcycle racer to harness the power of mass media to transcend the sport to become the best-known face of British motorcycling during the 1970s, parlaying his fame to gain commercial endorsements from outside the sport including television advertisements for Brut cologne.[4][5] Fluent in several languages, he had a cheeky, cockney persona that matched his talent as a racer and endeared him to thousands of race fans.[4]

Sheene was also a strong proponent of race track safety, and was one of the first competitors to object to racing at the notoriously dangerous Isle of Man TT street circuit.[5][6] He recognized his value to race promoters as a gate attraction and used his influence to force race promoters to increase rider safety.[4][6]

After a racing career stretching from 1968 to 1984 he retired from competition and relocated to Australia, working as a motorsport commentator and property developer.[4][6] In 2011, the F.I.M. inducted Sheene into the MotoGP Hall of Fame.[7]

  1. ^ "Rider Statistics - Barry Sheene". MotoGP.com. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  2. ^ "Danny Kent the first British motorcycle GP world champion since Sheene". theguardian.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  3. ^ "motogp.com · STATISTICS - wc-winners - All-seasons MotoGP All-countries". motogp.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Barry Sheene". Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Sheene: Cockney Rebel". motorsportmagazine.com. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Barry Sheene". The Telegraph. 11 March 2003.
  7. ^ "MotoGP Legends". motogp.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.