Barry Sheene inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame in the heart of London

British motorcycle legend Barry Sheene has officially been honoured with a place in the MotoGP Hall of Fame. 

Sheene was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of a special ceremony held by MotoGP in the heart of London, which also played host to the pre-event press conference for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. On stage at the event were Marco Bezzecchi, Pedro Acosta, Ai Ogura, Diogo Moreira, and home hero Cal Crutchlow. 

Sheene’s Hall of Fame medal was received by his son, Freddie, who represented his late father at the ceremony. Speaking about what it means to have MotoGP celebrate his dad nearly 50 years on from his last world title win, Freddie said: 

"To see that fifty years on [from his 1976 title] MotoGP is still commemorating him, he'd be extremely proud. It's an honour for the family to accept it on his behalf."

Sheene passed away in 2003 following a battle with cancer, and is remembered for both his achievements on track, but also off it. 

The British racing icon ended his career as a two-time 500cc world champion, and he remains the last British rider to win the premier-class title in 1977. Sheene’s two 500cc title wins came aboard the factory Heron Suzuki RG500.

Sheene joined the class with Suzuki in 1974 and remained with the Japanese manufacturer until the end of 1979, before switching to Yamaha. But Sheene would go on to be slightly less competitive with the YZF500, winning just once in three years, before returning to Suzuki for the final two years of his career in the world championship. 

However, Sheene also went on to become a mainstream television personality within the sport, while he was also a big advocate for improving safety within racing, which in recent years has taken another seismic leap forward.

Sheene, who later moved to Australia with his family, was also prominent in helping the early careers of eventual five-time MotoGP champion Mick Doohan, Troy Corser, and Chris Vermeulen. 

MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta, also spoke about Sheene at the ceremony in London, saying: 

"[Barry] was special not just because he was one of the best riders in history, but also his behaviour and the way he interacted with the fans."

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