A LONDONER DOWN UNDER
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His marriage to racing motorcycles is over and his cockney accent is now tinged with a hint of "Down Under", hut Barry Sheene, the man who made "splash it all overfamous with Henry Cooper. is still in the limelight this time on the other side of the world.
At the age of 38, he still has not abandoned his love of racing. Instead of hurtling around a track on two wheels, which first brought him to the public's attention, he commentates on car and motorcycle Grands Prix around the world for Australia's Channel Nine beamed into millions of households once a fortnight.
The two times world motorcycle champion set up home in Australia exactly a year ago in an attempt to improve his health. His mementoes of a racing past, include broken legs, thigh, forearm, fingers, collar bone, ribs, verterbrae not forgetting that horrific crash at Silverstone in 1982 which led to steel screws and plates being inserted into his legs. They all nagged at him.
"A year ago, I use to sit down and my legs, knees and arms would really ache. I thought, my God. if I am like this at the age of 37, what will I be like when I am 47 or even 57?says Sheene.
He put the problem down to the British weather "which means rain 365 days a year." smiles Sheenc. It was obviously time to move on from his London roots, so he packed up and travelled to the other side of the world in search of a warmer climate. It worked: and Sheene now feels better than he has for years.
A year away from Britain is not a long time but Sheene insists there is hardly anything he misses about the old country, "except for my friends, who I can arrange to see almost any time, and spinach the stuff we get out here is horrible. But I would rather put up with that than suffer the weather."
Sheene last came to Britain in August and will be back again this month for the Motor Show. Although he will he primarily here to promote Phillips car stereos, he will also be making an appearance for Leyland Daf a relationship which dates back more than 10 years.
"Leyland Daf used to supply me with a transporter and advertisements for my bike. In return, I would go to sales meetings and promotions. They would do anything for me and I would do anything for them. It was the best working relationship I have had in my life," says Sheene.
He is about to add a new string to his bow with a move into commercial property. He is not quite the property tycoon yet, but he is looking into the potential of such investments and has the benefit of a knowledgeable nextdoor neighbour.
"As well as being a very good friend, he is also a big property developer. Property seems like a good thing to go into, as the house prices here have gone through the roof. My house has doubled in value in the 18 months it took to build it," he says.
It is situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland and was designed by Sheene himself in three and a half acres of land. Sheene lives there with his wife, Stephanie, and his four year old daughter "who has so far shown no interest in any forms of transport at all, apart from her pram for her doll" he laughs. The couple are expecting another baby in December and the family atmosphere is also enhanced by both Sheene's and Stephanie's parents, who moved to Australia with the couple in 1987.
"I guess I must be kind of popular with my parents," he smiles and also with his in-laws it seems.
It was in fact his father who set Sheene up in racing when he was just a lad. A former bike racer himself, he built Sheene his first motorcycle at the age of five and when he was 14 his father bought him a Bultaco trials iron. Soon after, Sheene began to indulge in competitive racing and the rest is now firmly engraved in motorcycling history British 120cc Champion in 1970 and 1971; 125cc World Champion in 1971, British Superbike winner 1973 and twice World Champion in 1976 and 1977 to name but a few of his numerous victories.
Crashes during his career often made bigger headlines than his victories. Most noted were Silverstone in 1982 and Daytona in 1976 where he crashed at 175mph. Sheene, however bad the accident, showed the world his amazing ability to bounce back and go after what he wanted.
Now his one aim in life is arguably the hardest of them all, but Sheene feels confident that, with his new life in the land of sun, sea and surf, he is well on the way to achieving it.
"The one thing I want from life now is to be happy. That's all. That is the only thing I ask from the future," he smiles.