POLICE SWOOP FINDS STOLEN SUZUKI RACERS
A dramatic police swoop on Thursday, July 27, has cleared
up a four-year-old motorcycle racing mystery – the theft
of five iconic Grand Prix-winning factory Suzuki racers worth
around half-a-million pounds.
The grand prix racing machines include bikes ridden by World
Champions Barry Sheene, Kevin Schwantz, Scott Russell and
Kenny Roberts Jr.
A former Suzuki Racing Team mechanic, Wilf Needham (49),
was arrested and charged with handling stolen property. Needham
pleaded guilty at a preliminary hearing, and has been remanded
in custody. He will be sentenced at a time to be determined
at Maidstone Crown Court.
The arrest came after four years of investigative work by
Kent police, and by Garry Taylor, Suzuki team manager until
the end of 2004.
The police have so far recovered four of the five 500cc grand
prix machines stolen from the team’s Edenbridge, Kent
workshop during September, 2002.
Ever since the theft, Taylor has been following leads with
a network of “collectors and friends” in motorcycling,
including several trips abroad. He was able to pass information
on to the police.
“I took this theft very personally,” said Taylor.
“The machines were in my custody, and were very valuable.
I felt I had let the factory down. I wasn’t going to
give up trying to get them back.”
“I’d like to thank the Kent Police, particularly
DS Gavin Griffith and CI John Biggadike; also Crescent Suzuki,
and the motorcycle racing and collecting fraternity. People
have been very helpful and supportive,” he said. “It’s
nice to know there are so many honest people in motorcycling.”
|
