A quartet of machinery will celebrate and commemorate an icon of world motorsport in the gallery of Historit at the Scramble on Sunday 8 October.
Two of Barry Sheene’s Suzuki motorbikes and the LJ80 the manufacturer gave him in his prime will be on show as part of the ‘Birthday Brits’ theme, because this year marks half a century of his maiden international championship title.
Signed in the close season by Suzuki for 1973, in his debut season he claimed the inaugural FIM 750 title – a rival of sorts to the 500cc series. He mastered the frightening combination of two-stroke 750cc ’bikes and ultra-fast circuits such as Imola, Clermont-Ferrand, Silverstone and Hockenheim to announce himself on the world stage.
The ’bikes on display in the gallery will be rather more familiar, though, with the iconic red-and-black Heron Suzuki livery of 1979 dressing the XR23A variant of the RG500 used in the Match races and the blue-and-white of his final top-drawer ’bike, the XR45A. It was on this ’bike that Sheene saw out his career in 1984.
The LJ80 off-roader made its return to the public eye at the January Scramble, having been bought by the manufacturer at auction last year. Sheene was given the 4x4 in 1979, in the midst of his titanic year-long battles with the great Kenny Roberts, and kept it long into the following decade.
Flanking them will be another machine familiar to Bicester Heritage regulars: the Toyota Supra he piloted in the British Touring Car Championship in 1985 and which joined the Motorcycle category on track at Flywheel. Sheene scored a brace of podiums in his one full season of tin-tops.
Sheene transcended his sport, being seen by many as the James Hunt of two-wheels, and he died 20 years ago in March 2003.
The foursome will honour Sheene in Historit at the Scramble on Sunday 8 October. Tickets are available now – click here to book.
