[Video] 1979 British GP: Roberts Vs Sheene Vs Fogarty

The 2019 British Grand Prix is ​​taking place this weekend at Silverstone … And it is on this same circuit, 40 years ago all round, that some of you were able to attend one of the best duels between champions Kenny Roberts and Barry Sheene. With, as referee, a certain George Fogarty … Remember.

Canceled last year due to a heavy downpour and – above all – poor water drainage from the new tarmac, the British Grand Prix is ​​undoubtedly one of the most anticipated on the 2019 calendar. Silverstone must make up for it and provide a good show this year !

Hordes of vests yellow caps pray for a winning return of "old" Valentino Rossi, French fans dream that young Fabio Quartararo will make the Marseillaise sound (20 years after Laconi), and many fans hope for a new duel between Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso…

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To wait until Sunday (departure at 2 p.m. French time), Site goes back 40 years … One of the very last races of the 70s was going to become one of the most memorable: it is of course the British GP 1979 !

At home, two-time world champion (1976 and 1977) Barry Sheene was keen to become the first British driver to win his National Grand Prix on the Silverstone track. For this he had to beat reigning world champion and championship leader Kenny Roberts….

Largely dominated by the “Number One” Yamaha during qualifying (5th fastest time 1.7 seconds from the American’s record pole position!), The No. 7 Suzuki nevertheless managed to hold back his opponent at the start of the race, the forcing to compete in one of the most beautiful duels in the history of the Continental Circus !

“In my entire career there are two races that people tell me about like ‘I was at this race’ and I know right away what they mean,” recalls Roberts. "In America it’s in reference to my victory at Indy on the Yamaha 2-stroke in 1975, and in England it’s about the Silverstone race in 1979. It’s one of those races that remains engraved in people’s memories ".

The GP of Silverstone 1979 is effectively remembered, and for good reason: "we exchanged positions at every lap or almost. Barry passed in front of me, slowed me down, then I passed in front to regain the pace and let go of our pursuers", relates the one we then nicknamed the "yellow dwarf".

Meet at the last bend…

Tenacious, Sheene "was backing up, which prompted me to say," Damn, but move on! "I knew I couldn’t outrun him, but I didn’t want him to slow us down, eventually allowing the others to step back. come back. So I wanted to make him understand that he had to attack, but Barry took it badly … ", recalls Roberts.

While Kenny’s little hand gesture went unnoticed, Barry’s response has become legendary: "There’s a famous photo of him waving at me behind his back! We both knew that it would all be in the last lap, because neither of them could gain a clear advantage. And as expected, the race ended on the last lap, in the last corner, and I managed to win ".

At that time, the lap times were recorded to the nearest hundredth of a second: the gap of 0.03 seconds that finally separated the YZR500 from the RG500 at the finish line was then the lowest ever at the finish. of a first class race !

By rewinding the video slightly (see below), we discover that this sumptuous final was mainly played on a checkered flag lap: while they had definitively dropped Wil Hartog, the two champions had to overtake several latecomers . And it was by arriving on a certain George Fogarty that everything – or almost – was played out…

Leading the race, "King Kenny" had no trouble winning on the brakes and inside the father of the future "King Carl" in Woodcote, the break to the right which then commanded the line of arrival. Second a few lengths away, "Bazza" had to take a more delicate option – overtaking from the outside – which caused him to lose contact with the leader..

Pass Fogarty to beat Roberts !

Excluding the "race" for the world title and determined to win on her land, Sheene then embarked on a final anthology lap, playing all for everything and finishing not behind, but next to her. great rival under the cheers of "his" public.

For the record, Barry Sheene did not hold it against George Fogarty – or just a few minutes … – since 22 years after this historic and grandiose defeat (!), The British exiled in Australia corresponded with the son, Carl…

Some time ago, the quadruple Superbike world champion came across a fax sent to him by Barry on December 24, 1992. Asked by Carl on the path to follow for his career (Grand Prix or Superbike?), The double GP500 champion had formulated an answer as clear as it was informed. Here is the translation:

Hi Carl,

Thanks for your fax, I’ll leave an ear for you.

The problem is, all the right seats are taken and it’s better to stay without the handlebars than to ride for a bunch of wankers. I think the most sensible choice you can make is to stay available. If a guy on a good bike were to get injured, I’ll do my best to try to get you there. Say hi to your daddy for me and have a merry Christmas.

cordially

Barry

In 1993, Carl Fogarty finally signed a contract with the Ducati factory in World Superbike, playing directly for the title against Kawasaki rider Scott Russel. "The rest is history," concludes the "King Carl", crowned in 1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999. Well done, Barry !

Video of the 1979 British Grand Prix

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