Barry Sheene

At 52 years old, Barry Sheene physical status not available right now. We will update Barry Sheene's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Sheene began competitive motorcycle racing in 1968, winning his first races at Brands Hatch riding father Frank's 125cc and 250cc Bultacos. He improved to second behind Chas Mortimer in 1969 in the 125cc class on the Bultaco.

By 1970, Sheene had become the British 125cc champion at age 20, riding a former Suzuki factory racing team motorcycle that he purchased for £2,000. The 1967 Suzuki RT67 twin-cylinder motorcycle had previously been ridden by Suzuki Factory-backed rider, Stuart Graham in the 1968 Grands Prix and in selected 1969 events. In 1971, still riding the same Suzuki twin, he finished second in the 125cc World Championship, probably missing the title due to injuries sustained in a well-paid non-championship race at Hengelo (Netherlands) and during the Race Of the Year at Mallory Park (compression fractures of three vertebrae and five broken ribs). His first Grand Prix win coming on that bike at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, soon followed by a win on a 50cc Van Veen Kreidler at the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix held at the Masaryk Circuit, where he finished over two and a half minutes ahead.

For the 1972 season, Sheene was signed by Yamaha to ride a factory-supported Yamaha YZ635 for the 250cc World Championship under the French Yamaha importer Sonauto's banner. There was no Yamaha factory team at the time, but Sheene was one of six riders receiving support from the factory. However, at the third round in Austria, after losing a sprint to the finish line to the Australian John Dodds for third place, he voiced his displeasure to team management about the performance of the bike. The next Grand Prix was the Grand Prix of Nations at Imola at the end of May, but Sheene crashed in practice and broke his collarbone, preventing him from taking part in the race, and in the Isle of Man TT as well (which was the fifth Grand Prix of 1972). Unfortunately for him, the next seven races of the world championship were all taking place in close succession in June and July and Barry would not be fit to take part in them.

After the Yugoslavian Grand Prix, Sheene's factory-supported Yamaha YZ635 was given to Jarno Saarinen, already a Yamaha factory rider in the 350cc class, who went on to win four races and the 250cc World Championship that year. Once back to fitness, Sheene would get factory-supported Yamahas back for British races over the summer (Silverstone, Scarborough, Mallory Park) and for the last Grand Prix of the season, at the Montjuïc circuit in Spain on 23 September, where he scored a third place in the 250cc class.

Sheene was signed by Suzuki during the off season 1972–1973 and won the newly formed Formula 750 European championship for them in 1973. As a works Suzuki rider Sheene had two contracts, with the World Championship events taking precedence over his Suzuki GB contract for home and international events, if any race dates clashed.

For 1974, Suzuki introduced the RG500 which Sheene rode to a second, third and a fourth scoring 30 points and finishing sixth in the World Championship. A spectacular crash at the Daytona 200 in the 1975 season threatened to end his career, breaking his left thigh, right arm, collarbone and two ribs, yet he recovered and was racing again seven weeks afterwards. Again riding the RG500 he scored an impressive first 500cc victory in June at the 1975 Dutch TT, edging out Giacomo Agostini.

In the 1976 season, he won five 500cc Grands Prix, bringing him the World Championship. He took the Championship again in the 1977 season with six victories. For the 1977 season Sheene was partnered by Steve Parrish, who rode Sheene's 1976 Suzuki 500cc machine.

Sheene's battle with Kenny Roberts at the 1979 British Grand Prix at Silverstone has been cited as one of the greatest motorcycle Grand Prix races of the 1970s. After the 1979 season, he left the Heron-Suzuki factory team, believing that he was receiving inferior equipment to his teammates. He switched to a privateer on a Yamaha machine, but soon started receiving works equipment. In 1981, Roberts was the reigning World 500cc Champion for the third time in succession. Sheene, by now on a competitive Yamaha, was determined to take the championship from him. Sheene and Roberts battled all season and let Suzuki riders Marco Lucchinelli of Italy and American Randy Mamola beat them for the top two spots. Roberts finished third and Sheene fourth in the final World Championship standings. Sheene's win at the 1981 Swedish Grand Prix would be the last win for a British rider in the top category until Cal Crutchlow's debut win at the 2016 Czech Republic GP.

In a crash at Silverstone when riding his Yamaha, Sheene hit the unsighted machine of fallen Frenchman Patrick Igoa during practice for the 1982 British Grand Prix. His injured legs were saved by orthopaedic surgeon Mr Nigel John Cobb FRCS at the nearby Northampton General Hospital. This largely ended his potential as a title threat and he retired in 1984. He remains the only rider to win Grand Prix races in the 50 cc and 500 cc categories.

Sheene was known for being outspoken in his criticism of what he considered to be dangerous race tracks, most notably the Isle of Man TT course, which he considered too dangerous for world championship competition. He was a colourful, exuberant character who used his good looks, grin and London accent to good effect in self-promotion, and combined with an interest in business was one of the first riders to make a lot of money from endorsements. He is credited with boosting the appeal of motorcycle racing into the realm of the mass marketing media. He also tried his hand as a TV show host, including the ITV series Just Amazing!, where he interviewed people who had, through accident or design, achieved feats of daring and survival (including the former RAF air gunner, Nicholas Alkemade, who survived a fall of 18,000 feet without a parachute from a blazing Avro Lancaster bomber over Germany in March 1944). Sheene and his wife Stephanie also starred in the low-budget film Space Riders.

Career statistics

The following is a list of results achieved by Sheene.

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

† Events with 2 races staged for the different classes.

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Source