Barry Sheene dies

March 10, 2003 12:31 AM

Barry Sheene dies at 52 Britain's most popular motorcycle racer has died of cancer. His exuberance and lust for life were truly inspirational. He'll be missed.
posted by Nick Jordan (16 comments total)

It certainly is sad news, he was quite a character.

On another note, would it be too difficult to put a bit of effort into these obituary posts? I am sure the majority of people have never heard of him.
posted by Frasermoo at 2:06 AM on March 10, 2003

In 2002, he was diagnosed with cancer of the throat and stomach. But, displaying his forthright approach, he vowed to fight it.

"Although this is a complete pain in the arse, it happens to a lot of people and a lot of people get over it," he said.

Just about sums the man up. The way he came back from so many serious crashes always amazed me. My dad used to take me to watch motorbike racing and Sheene was a major hero of mine in my childhood. Farewell Barry. *Sob*
posted by squealy at 3:18 AM on March 10, 2003

The funny thing is, I'd never even heard of this guy. I would personally put Evil Kenevil as the only stunt motorcyclist I've ever heard of, but I have no idea if he was British, American, or what :-)

Of course, this is now all reminding me of Lance Murdoch from The Simpsons :-)
posted by wackybrit at 3:39 AM on March 10, 2003

wackybrit: Barry Sheene was a motorcycle Grand Prix rider not a stunt motorcyclist. Though perhaps you are pulling my chain?

One British stunt rider you might remember is Eddie Kidd - The Dark Knight.
posted by squealy at 4:12 AM on March 10, 2003

Yes, rest in peace Barry...
posted by plep at 4:25 AM on March 10, 2003

Watching him hustle around the island for the Tourist Trophy was always a magical experience. Hopefully, Speed TV will pull together some footage for a retrospective.
posted by machaus at 5:09 AM on March 10, 2003

I remember Newsround or possibly Roy Castle's Record Breakers showing an x-ray of his leg after reconstructive surgery when I was about 10. It was full of metal plates and pins and just confirmed the his Superman status. Those kind of things impress when you're 10.
posted by jontyjago at 5:39 AM on March 10, 2003

Not exactly an advertisement for the Breuss diet and the other alternative therapies he chose to use.
posted by raygirvan at 5:39 AM on March 10, 2003

.
posted by tomcosgrave at 6:19 AM on March 10, 2003

.
posted by walrus at 6:20 AM on March 10, 2003

I thought the same thing, raygirvan. What a shame.

I'm sad to read this, thanks for the link Nick.
posted by biscotti at 7:06 AM on March 10, 2003

I just have this vision of them cremating him, and all that's left is a metal skeleton, like the Terminator.

Yeah, I know, I'm going to hell...
posted by salmacis at 7:43 AM on March 10, 2003

Goodnight, Barry
posted by matteo at 8:29 AM on March 10, 2003

My mother was in the hospital when Sheene was brought in after his major crash at Silverstone. He spent hours and hours in surgery, had god-knows how many pain-killers shoved into his body, and was in there for weeks. And throughout it all, he was nice, happy, funny, and not once complained about the amount of pain he must have been in, the amount of time it was all taking, and the amount of frustration he must have felt at being cooped up in hospital instead of on his bike...
posted by humuhumu at 9:25 AM on March 10, 2003

i always remember him taking the lead in a race and turning back to wave at the guy he'd just overtaken.
plus, you didnt have to plug barry into a big red clockwork dynamo to get him going and he never crashed into my cat.
posted by sgt.serenity at 9:33 AM on March 10, 2003

Barry has become something of a local hero here in Australia, where he has lived for many years and worked as a commentator on various motor sport categories, both 2 and 4 wheel. His larrikin attitude and positive spirit (no to mention his colourful language) will be sorely missed from our TV screens, now that we know he will not be returning.
posted by dg at 3:48 PM on March 10, 2003