August 1979. Kick Start was a new bike show on BBC TV, Cliff Richard was at number on in the UK charts, and, on this day, Silverstone gave us one of the closest finishes in Grand Prix history.
The race began with Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts and Wil Hartog breaking away from the rest of the field. At the midpoint of the race, Hartog fell off the pace as Sheene and Roberts continued to swap places in their battle for the lead.
Heading into the final lap, the two leaders came upon lapped riders. Roberts was unhindered as he passed the slower riders however, Sheene was momentarily held up, allowing Roberts to increase his lead. An undeterred Sheene put in an impressive lap time to catch Roberts as they entered the final corner. With momentum on his side, Sheene attempted a last second pass, but Roberts made it to the chequered flag first by just three-tenths of a second.
