autofreak
12-25-2008, 04:27 AM
Barry Sheene was your ultimate racetrack rebel. It's not just that he liked doing things his own way, he also like sticking it to the establishment whenever he had the chance.
The Cockney rebel brought the rock 'n' roll image to motorcycle racing. These days, wearing jeans to a high-fallutin' gala dinner might not seem like rebellion, but back then it was, and Sheeneywore jeans everywhere. If his hosts didn't like it, fuck 'em, they could stick their lousy dinner.
More importantly, Sheene used his hatred of the establishment to stir up trouble at the racetracks, vigorously campaigning to have dangerous circuits struck off the world championship. He was one of the first riders to rurn his back on the IT, even though he was only an up-and-coming kid who should've been doing what he was told, not dissing the world's biggest bike race. He raced on the Island just once, when he was 21, and never returned. He was also a prime mover of the breakaway World Series championship which in 1981 came very close to wresting premier-league bike racing away from the blazer-wearing old boys.
164
During his years with Suzuki and Yamaha he never toed the company line. If the bikes didn't work, he said so and to hell with the consequences. And if the Japanese wouldn't fix the bikes he would get them fixed himself. When his Yamaha 5oo V 4 didn't steer he got Spondon to saw off the front end and change the geometry. When his Suzuki didn't behave he took it to Harris and got them to make a frame. And he always refused to switch to a left-foot gearshift, forcing factories to modify their bikes for his old-school right-foot shifter.
Like most racers, Sheene always looked after number one. He defended his position within teams viciously. He was also a serial philander who drove his wife Stephanie to distraction. Many mavericks tend to be selfish people.
The Cockney rebel brought the rock 'n' roll image to motorcycle racing. These days, wearing jeans to a high-fallutin' gala dinner might not seem like rebellion, but back then it was, and Sheeneywore jeans everywhere. If his hosts didn't like it, fuck 'em, they could stick their lousy dinner.
More importantly, Sheene used his hatred of the establishment to stir up trouble at the racetracks, vigorously campaigning to have dangerous circuits struck off the world championship. He was one of the first riders to rurn his back on the IT, even though he was only an up-and-coming kid who should've been doing what he was told, not dissing the world's biggest bike race. He raced on the Island just once, when he was 21, and never returned. He was also a prime mover of the breakaway World Series championship which in 1981 came very close to wresting premier-league bike racing away from the blazer-wearing old boys.
164
During his years with Suzuki and Yamaha he never toed the company line. If the bikes didn't work, he said so and to hell with the consequences. And if the Japanese wouldn't fix the bikes he would get them fixed himself. When his Yamaha 5oo V 4 didn't steer he got Spondon to saw off the front end and change the geometry. When his Suzuki didn't behave he took it to Harris and got them to make a frame. And he always refused to switch to a left-foot gearshift, forcing factories to modify their bikes for his old-school right-foot shifter.
Like most racers, Sheene always looked after number one. He defended his position within teams viciously. He was also a serial philander who drove his wife Stephanie to distraction. Many mavericks tend to be selfish people.