Featured Barry Sheene Rare Interview

I met Barry Sheene when I was still a kid, it was at Brands and he really was the nicest bloke, signed my programme gave me a couple of signed posters and generally made a huge impression on me, he is my all time racing hero, and he is the reason I wanted a bike.
I agree that there is unlikely to be a more popular British bike racer ever again, he was from a time when things were different and he was loved by the greater British public just as much as bike fans, he really was Mr Cool!

 

Great post Dougie.

Question: In the picture posted by Bikerman can anyone name the two racers sitting to Bazzas right and the one on his left
@Bikerman your not allowed to answer as you were there

 

@Dougie D I think it’s Paul Smart and Sean Emmett to the right and Stan Woods to the left.

Ok @Bikerman who is it, put me out of my misery

 

If you wanted the real McCoy:

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23600/lot/180/

 

Nostalgia.......I remember arriving at Brands in 1971/2? Sheene won the 250 race on a TD250 by something like half a lap but stood out in his all white leathers and full face helmet while most of the rest of the field were in black and wearing pudding basins and goggles.
A couple of years later I was standing on the hairpin bank at Mallory when Paul Smart ploughed in a broke a leg with one helluva thump. I think it was the Transatlantic Trophy races.
Looking back the safety gear on track was nothing like what most of us now wear on the road.

 

If it could be proven that Joey actually wore it during a race, provenance would make its price soar I would have thought.

 

Aria have released a number replica JD helmets over the years.

A friend bought a new white Aria, can’t remember what model it was but it cost him a fair bit of money so can only assume it was a top model and he had it professionally painted in JD colours.
It was the dog dangling bits, real quality job and whenever we went over to Ireland for the racing people would comment on the helmets quality and ask him if he wanted to sell it.
He never did/would.

 

If you get a chance to attend one of Steve Parish's excellent talks he has plenty of tales to tell about his partner in crime Barry.

 

He really was a grounded down to Earth hero.