    |
 |
|
|
|
Kenny Roberts says of Sheene:
Roberts has the highest regard for his former rival Triple 500cc world champion Kenny Roberts has led the tributes to his great rival Barry Sheene, who has died of cancer at the age of 52. Roberts, regarded by many as the greatest rider of all time, said his legendary battles with Sheene enabled him to push his career to new heights.
Roberts, who claimed his first world title in 1978 by beating Sheene, said: \"Barry made me dig down deeper than I\'d ever dug to win races. He pulled so much extra out of me - it wouldn\'t have been the same without him.\"
Their rivalry struck its highest point in the famous British Grand Prix in 1979 when Roberts denied Sheene a home victory by passing him on the final lap.
\"We always knew that particular race was going to be one that people will always remember,\" Roberts said.
\"It is the one people still bring up all the time. We knew it would come down to the last lap because we just couldn\'t get away from each other.\"
I will remember Barry as just being Barry - very sharp, very quick and never boring
Roberts said the immense pressure of their rivalry never threatened their friendship. \"There was never much sugar in what we said about each other and sometimes we\'d stir things up a little bit more than we should have - but that was all for the benefit of other people.
\"We first met before I was even thinking about competing in the world championships and we went out and got crazy together more than once.
\"In Italy once we rolled our rental car upside down and went into a canal.
\"I will remember Barry as just being Barry - very sharp, very quick and never boring.\"
Foggy says:
“It’s a sad day for British motorcycle racing. He was the biggest household name that the sport has created here in Britain. Even though there had been other British world champions before him, he was the first person to make that cross-over from racer to celebrity.
“Barry lived life to the absolute full and he did more in his 52 years than most people would in 100 years. But, as well as the lifestyle, he was also a great racer, as his two world titles prove.
“He did a lot to bring the sport to the attention of the British public, especially with those two big crashes at Daytona and Silverstone, which were shown on the News at Ten. People still come up to me and think that I used to race against Barry, even though he retired so long ago, which is a measure of how well known he still is even to a new generation of fans.
“We always got on fine and had a laugh whenever we met up, even if we might have done a bit of verbal sparring in public! My sympathies go out to his wife and children.”
Troy Corser says:
“He’ll be sadly missed by many fans and friends, including Sam and I. Barry introduced the two of us in 1994 whilst I was testing and Sam worked for Sky TV, and we’ve been together ever since, so I owe him a great deal for his involvement in my early career and my future with Sam.
Go here for more on - Bazza:
And from - Jim Tuckerman:
The community of MotoGP mourns the loss of Barry Sheene.
The entire MotoGP community is coming to terms with the loss of one its most enigmatic figures, Barry Sheene. The former double 500cc World Champion died today at the age of 52 in a hospital in Queensland. Sheene fell victim to his fight against throat and stomach cancer that was diagnosed last July.
Born in London on 11th of September 1950, Sheene reached the heights of 500cc World Champion in 1976 and 1977. A long and distinguished career yielded 23 victories overall, 19 recorded in the 500 category. He also competed for Suzuki, Yamaha, Bultaco and Derbi.
On October 13th 2001, he was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame in recognition of his sporting achievements at the Qantas Grand Prix of Australia. One year later and in the midst of fighting the illness that would eventually claim his life, Sheene returned to Phillip Island with his son to watch and be involved in the SKYY Vodka Australian Grand Prix.
Sheene resided in Australia following his retirement from the sport and commentated on MotoGP for the television company Ten Network. Even though he finished his career at the end of 1994 Sheene continued to show his class on the track by taking part in several \'Classic\' events. One of his last appearances on the bike was during the 2002 Cinzano Grand Prix of Great Britain where he rode a Manx Norton to victory in the two support races reserved for racing machines of the past.
Next Sunday on 16th April at 2pm, a minute silence will be observed for Barry Sheene prior to the official timed session of the MotoGP Winter Test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.
