Pat Hennen’s first MotoGP win and Barry Sheene’s first title were the start of the USA’s MotoGP empire and the beginning of the end of Britain’s, so what explains these generational changes?
The next two weekends mark half a century since Pat Hennen became the first American to win a MotoGP race and Barry Sheene secured the first of his two MotoGP world championships.
These successes during that long, hot summer also signalled the start of the American MotoGP empire and the beginning of the end of Britain’s MotoGP empire.
