What is the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy?

The Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy features motorcycles from 1948 to 1966, so you can expect to see Norton Manx 30Ms, Matchless G50s and BMWs doing battle around the Motor Circuit. It’s a 25-minute two-rider race with a Le Mans-style start, so we have the theatre of seeing riders run to their machines in their efforts to reach Madgwick first.

Whoever manages that feat has no foregone conclusion of victory, close racing is always the order of the day. With relatively much more track width compared to the cars that compete at Revival, there are more lines available to riders than drivers. The chicane in particular allows for more spectacular side-by-side action for the two-wheelers.

And there’s no shortage of talent on the grid, with World Superbike riders and Isle of Man TT winners among the entry list. John McGuinness, Ian Hutchinson and James Hillier were all names that competed in 2025’s race, while Michael Dunlop is also a recent winner. Last year also memorably saw relative motorcycle racing novice Emanuele Pirro taking to the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy, and he hasn’t ruled out a repeat performance.

The race takes its name from three-time motorcycle champion, Barry Sheene. The Londoner was one of the first sportsmen to cotton on to the value of self-promotion, and his magnetic personality propelled him into the hearts of fans as much as his talent on track. His career started with trials before he developed a greater appreciation for riding on tarmac. He claimed his first Championship in Formula 750 in 1973, and the 500cc World Championship back-to-back in 1976 and ’77.

He cut a distinctive dash in his white overalls and famed Donald Duck crash helmet at a time when rivals were dressed less eye-catchingly. But there was a great mind behind the showmanship and on-track pace. Sheene was fluent in several languages which made communicating with mechanics from different teams much more straightforward. 

Sheene’s final race on British soil was at the 2002 Goodwood Revival in what was then known as the Lennox Cup, shortly before he succumbed to cancer of the oesophagus and stomach at the age of 52. For every year since, the reminted Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy has served to commemorate this much-loved motorcycle racer in a perfectly apt manner. As ever, the 2026 race promises to be an unmissable spectacle.

Tickets for the 2026 Goodwood Revival are now on sale. If you’re not already part of the GRRC, you can sign up to the Fellowship today and save ten per cent on your 2026 tickets and grandstand passes, as well as enjoying a whole host of other on-event perks.

Photography by Jayson Fong, Toby Whales and Michal Pospisil.