MOTORCYCLE great Barry Sheene will lead a parade of legendary riders in North Yorkshire this weekend.

Sheene promises to be the star attraction at the upcoming International Gold Cup Motorcycle Road Races at Scarborough's Oliver's Mount tomorrow and Sunday.

As well as a 12-race programme each day there will be the Parade of Legends headed by Sheene, who will be riding a works machine which is being flown in from Italy.

It will be the first time Sheene has been back in Scarborough since he was at the 50th anniversary meeting in 1996. In his heyday he was a regular Scarborough winner on works 500 Suzukis. Former world champion Ken Anderson will return to the track after 33 years, while world Superbike star Neil Hodgson will ride round on his works Ducati.

Hodgson has set himself a seven-year deadline to emulate the feats of Britain's most successful world superbike racer.

He wants to win the World Superbike Championship and has given himself a timescale to achieve that aim and then match Carl Fogarty's achievement of four world titles.

Hodgson has signed a new three-year contract to remain with the GSE Racing Ducati team.

The former stars, who will also include popular Wakefield-based rider Mick Grant, will ride on parade laps several times during the two-day meeting.

The big race will be Sunday's Gold Cup where top road racers David Jeffries from Baildon, Welshman Ian Kougher, Ulster's Adrian Archibald and Isle of Man-based Jason Griffiths, clash head-on. Jefferies will be going flat out to win the Gold Cup for a fifth time, while Archibald won at Oliver's Mount earlier this year on his first visit.

Practice starts both days at 9am with the action from 1pm tomorrow and 10.30am on Sunday. Admission costs £12 tomorrow and £15 on Sunday, or £25 for a weekend pass. Accompanied children under-15 go free.

Updated: 11:40 Friday, September 21, 2001