Suzuki will be bringing a vast collection of Barry Sheene’s bikes to the Barry Sheene Classic at Oliver’s Mount this year, creating what is said to be the largest line-up of Sheene bikes ever to be assembled.
Two of his world title-winning machines will be on show, with both the 1976 and 1977 XR14s featuring as two of the main attractions.
Sheene took five race victories in 1976 riding the XR14 on the way to the title before bettering that total a year later with six wins, scoring back-to-back championships.
The Japanese brand will also add the XR45, ridden by Sheene in his final season in the premier class of motorcycle racing, as well as a XR23A, piloted by the British rider in the Trans-Atlantic series, to a packed line-up.
Motorcycle racing and other sports are bubbles – microcosms of life that allow competitors and fans to invest themselves in something wonderful but ultimately trivial. When working in the paddock…
All four bikes have been meticulously restored to their original specifications, with former Grand Prix technicians Nigel Everett and Martyn Ogborne making use of Suzuki’s Vintage Parts Programme.
As part of the celebrations, multiple bikes ridden by Sheene will be shown off on several parade laps, including a RT67 which Sheene took to second in the 1971 125 world championship.
“To see the greatest gathering of Sheene bikes ever assembled will be spectacular. I’ve got so many great memories racing with Barry around the ‘Mount’, it will feel like stepping back in time again,” Oliver’s Mount racing director and TT winner Mick Grant said.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in my leathers and riding some of Barry’s bikes.”
