Racing royalty for sale at Stafford: Ex-Troy Bayliss MotoGP Ducati headlines Bonhams autumn auction

Bonhams auctioneers are giving race fans the once in a lifetime opportunity to own a former factory-backed Ducati MotoGP bike, ridden by Troy Bayliss at this October’s Autumn Stafford Sale.

Part of the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show, the 14-15 October sale will be headlined by a 2003 990cc Desmosedici GP3, which is believed to be one of only 12 that still exist.

Ridden by Bayliss to sixth in that year’s MotoGP world championship, the bike has now undergone comprehensive engine and gearbox overhaul and can still be ridden today. Those seriously interested in owning the machine can now expect to pay between £270,000 and £300,000.

But it’s not the only historic race bike at the sale and also just one of over 480 veteran, vintage, classic bikes on offer at what has become the premier European collectors’ motorcycle auction of the year.

Also in the sale is Kork Ballington’s own 1979/1980 Kawasaki KR250 racer on which he won the 1979 250cc GP world championship.

Estimated to be worth £80,000-£100,000, the lot is being offered directly by Ballington himself and includes five GP winners’ trophies from the 1980 season from the Spanish, French, German, British and Finnish rounds.

Another rare Kawasaki racer on offer is the 1971 ex-Gregg Hansford Kawasaki H1RA 500 which is also currently owned by Ballington and is estimated at £40,000-£50,000.

While a more recent racing rarity is the ex-works Bimota SB8K WSB racer which was famously ridden to Bimota’s only WSB victory at Phillip Island in 2000 by Anthony Gobert. One of only two SB8K factory bikes ever made, the machine has reportedly been untouched since that race and is estimated at £115,000-£135,000.

But race bikes aren’t the only highlights of the Stafford sale. There is also: a 1975 Ducati 750 SS estimated at £45,000-£60,000, a 1999 unregistered Yamaha YZF-R7 OW-02 with two miles on the clock expected to go for £35,000-£45,000, and even a road-going 2008 Ducati 990cc Desmosedici RR. With around 5000 miles on the clock, it’s thought to be worth £40,000-£45,000.

Going back in time, older machines also include a 1938 Brough Superior 982cc SS80 ‘project’ for between £40,000 and £45,000, plus a 1910 FN 498cc Four, expected to fetch around £20,000-£26,000.

While there are also 80 bikes, all without reserve, from the Anthony R. East Collection at the Isle of Man Museum. These include a 1938 Triumph Speed Twin, 1937 Triumph Tiger 90, and a 1951 Speed Twin. Lots can be viewed online now at bonhams.com, with a different portion of the bikes and memorabilia sold on each day.

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Smart buy: Ducati 750SS sells for £172,500 at Autumn Stafford Show

First published 18 October 2022 by Stuart Prestidge

A 1974 Ducati 750SS in proper Paul Smart spec has fetched £172,500 at the 2022 Autumn Stafford Show auction. The ‘round case’ example of this coveted classic was fully restored with no expense spared in the late nineties and hasn’t been ridden in the last 20 years.

The Ducati appeared alongside a whole host of rare and exotic machinery, including a 1934 Crocker and 1927 Indian, both from the Forshaw Speedway Collection that went for £126,500 and £92,000 respectively.

Strangely, a 2001 500cc FWD Manx Norton ridden by Barry Sheene to his final victory at the Goodwood Revival in 2002 failed to find a buyer.

The show also featured a display of classic Suzuki racers, including Corser and Reynolds superbikes, in their Corona Suzuki and Rizla Suzuki liveries from the period. The display was the centrepiece of the show’s new ’90s and ’00s hall, with Reynolds himself present for the duration.

Other exhibits from that era included Niall Mackenzie’s 1992 Honda NR750 alongside his 1999 Yamaha R7, while Michael Dunlop’s GSX-R750 SRAD from this year’s Manx GP was also on show.

Additional Suzukis on display included a TL1000S that was built from brand-new spares in 2014, and a GSX-R1100L and Bandit 600 that were both restored at the Suzuki Apprentice Centre in Doncaster. Plus, there was a DR Big and a GSX1000SZ Katana, one of only 166 imported into the UK in 1981.

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Suzuki to bring championship-winning superbikes to Stafford Classic Bike Show

First published on 11 October 2022 by Stuart Prestidge

Suzuki are bringing championship-winning superbikes to the Stafford Classic Bike Show in Autumn 2022.

The annual event takes place on Saturday and Sunday, October 15-16 at the Staffordshire County Showground and will feature Troy Corser’s World Superbike-winning GSX-R1000 K5 and John Reynolds’ 2004 British Superbike title-winning machine.

Corser competed in WSB between 1992 and 2011, only absent from the championship in 1997 when he went to MotoGP. He took the WSB championship title in 1996 and 2005.

The two iconic superbikes, in their Corona Suzuki and Rizla Suzuki liveries from the period, will be on display in the show’s new ’90s and ’00s hall, with Reynolds himself present for the duration of the show.

Other classics from that era include Niall Mackenzie’s 1992 Honda NR750 alongside his 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7. The GSX-R750 SRAD ridden by Michael Dunlop at the 2022 Manx GP will also feature.

Riders’ of 90s machines can also take part in a classic bike ride-in by applying online at the Staffordshire Show website.

Other classic Suzukis on display include the TL1000S that was out of brand-new parts in 2014, thanks to Suzuki’s Vintage Parts Programme, and a GSX-R1100L and Bandit 600 that were both restored by apprentices at the Suzuki Apprentice Centre in Doncaster. Also on show is a DR Big and a GSX1000SZ Katana, one of only 166 imported into the UK in 1981.

Alongside the classic fleet the latest Katana will head a display of modern machines, which will also include the third generation Hayabusa and the new GSX-S1000GT sports tourer.

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Barry Sheene’s final winning Norton included in Bonhams auction

First published on 3 October 2022 by Phil West

The last bike ridden to victory by Barry Sheene is the star lot at Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale on October 15-16.

The Manx Norton was ridden by the double 500cc grand prix world champion in the 2002 Goodwood Revival Lennox Cup. It’s joined by a number of trophies won by the great man.

After retiring from top-level racing in 1984, Sheene emigrated to Australia, became a TV pundit and in the late 1990s took up historic racing, particularly at the Goodwood Revival where he primarily rode Fred Walmsley’s modern Manx Nortons.

In 2002, after his cancer diagnosis, he put in a last-minute request for Fred to provide a machine for that September’s Revival. The bike was this FWD Manx Norton 500 ‘FW02’.

The 2001 machine powered Sheene to victory in the second Lennox Cup race and saw him take overall victory. It was his last race win.

Following Sheene’s death the following March aged just 52, the Lennox Cup was renamed the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy.

The bike is fitted with its original race fairing with Sheene’s No.7 and has an estimate of £55,000-£75,000. The sale also features a selection of trophies won by Sheene at the height of his career.

These include a first place trophy in the fourth International Grand Prix at Pesaro, in August 1975 – estimated to fetch £400-£800.

There’s also the trophy from the Automobile-Club L’Ouest Grand Prix de France Moto 500cc (French GP) and several ex-Sheene race worn Arai helmets.