Words: Bertie Simmonds
Pic: Mortons Archive
Some Fifty years ago Barry Sheene took his first 500cc Grand Prix race win. It was just months after his near-death crash at Daytona and his victory set the scene for his two world championships in 1976 and 1977.
Suzuki’s iconic RG500 would eventually win 49 races, four riders’ titles and seven consecutive manufacturers’ championships. It was also the machine of choice for many privateers from the mid-1970s through to the early 1980s.
Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines.
By the time Barry returned from his Daytona injury and had become more accustomed to the Suzuki, it was time to win at Assen. Sheene eclipsed the old master Giacomo Agostini in practice by taking pole position – his first.
In the race itself, the young Sheene displayed all the racecraft of a seasoned veteran. Repeatedly he showed his front wheel on the right-hand side of Agostini’s bike as the pair negotiated the final right-hand corner before the start/finish line. This was merely a ruse to fool Agostini into thinking Sheene was going to overtake on that side. As a result, Agostini defended the inside line into the chicane, but on the final lap Sheene swept past on the left, taking advantage of the space the Italian had left.
Sheene’s stronger drive out of the final corner won the drag race to the line, crossing first in front of 150,000 cheering fans, many of whom had travelled from Britain to support their new hero.
That first 500cc Grand Prix-winning Sheene bike (chassis number G56-1026) has since been owned by collectors Steve Wheatman and Chris Wilson before passing to another enthusiast. Barry Sheene rode the machine again at the Assen Centennial in 1998 and confirmed it was the genuine bike, signing the fuel tank as proof.
