Barry Sheene MBE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Sheene in 1975 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | London, England | 11 September 1950||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 10 March 2003 Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | (aged 52)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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]
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