The results: Sheene and the RG500
The RG500 raced at GP level for 13 years before being replaced by the RGV500 in 1987. It won four riders’ world championships in the hands of Sheene (1976-77), Marco Lucchinelli (1981) and Franco Uncini (1982) and, more importantly to the manufacturers, took seven straight constructors’ world championships between 1976 and 1982. The bike racked up a total of 49 GP wins, the last coming in 1982 when Randy Mamola won the German GP. 1974: Takes second, third and fourth place finishes to end up sixth overall in what is Sheene and the RG500’S first 500cc Grand Prix season. 1975: Debut win for Barry and the RG at Assen followed by another win in Sweden, but the pairing fail to finish any other races and finish sixth in the championship. 1976: Five wins (France, Austria, Italy, Assen and Sweden) and a second place are enough to clinch a debut world title for both man and machine. Sheene doesn’t even bother to turn up to the remaining four rounds. 1977: In what is their most successful year, the pairing take six wins (Venezuela, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium and Sweden) and a second place and, for Sheene, a final world championship.the RG500 would go on to win two more titles in the hands of Lucchinelli and Uncini. 1978: Two wins in Venezuela and Sweden are not enough to stop Kenny Roberts (Yamaha) taking the title. Sheene and the RG finish second overall, 10 points down. 1979: Wins in Venezuela, Sweden and France are only good enough for third place overall behind Roberts and Virginio Ferrari, who beat Barry on another RG500. 1983: After three mediocre years on ayamaha and his infamous crash at Silverstone, Sheene returns on his beloved RG, but this time it’s a private bike and he can only manage a best place of ninth at the British GP to end the season 14th. 1984: Takes his final 500cc GP podium with third place in the wet opening round in South Africa. Barry finishes his last Grand Prix season in sixth place – exactly where he and the RG500 finished during their debut a decade before.