Crowes and Todd record breaking champions at S100.

Championship Day at the Platinum Jubilee Southern 100 Races brought beautiful weather and racing that will be talked about for many a year. The crowds arrived early to grab the best vantage points; it was worth the effort as the riders produced close racing at record speeds. Church Bends; roughly 3 miles into the lap was packed to rafters when the first race began.

The J. C. K. Supersport B Race; a repeat of Wednesday’s final race; was the morning’s appetiser. Wednesday’s winner Paul Cranston did not make the best of starts; he was 4^th by the time he reached Church. Fellow Irish veteran Dennis Booth led from Wednesday’s 3rd place finisher John Marsh; with Mark Jackson 3^rd. Marsh was soon hounding Booth and by lap 4 he had the lead. Laps at over 102mph gave him victory by 1.907s. Cranston was making up for his slow start and with the aid of the best lap of the race at 102.386mph he was able to snatch 2^nd from Booth.

J.C.K. Supersport B Race

1. John Marsh        Honda 100.928mph
2. Paul Cranston    Honda 100.747mph
3. Dennis Booth     Kawasaki 100.727mph

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Second race was the S & S Motors Supersport A. This race produced two groups of three battling for the podium and lower leader board places. Continuing the established theme, Davey Todd was quickest out of the traps, and he led by 25m from Mike Browne as they reached Church. Close behind them came Rob Hodson, Mikey Evans and Michael Dunlop; they were about 50m ahead of Jamie Coward and Michael Sweeney. However, Evans did not complete the lap. On lap 2, Browne was just inches behind Todd. Behind them Dunlop had moved up to third; the trio having gapped their pursuers. Hodson, Coward and Sweeney completed the leader board. Sadly, Sweeney soon followed Evans on to the list of retirements.

Lap 3 saw the first three covered by 10 metres. Hodson, Coward and Jordan completed the leader board. The speeds were rising with the leading trio lapping at over 110mph. Laps 4 and 5 saw the leading trio holding station, in what looked like a game of cat and mouse; prior to the usual last lap charge. The leading four all set their best lap speeds on the last lap; Dunlop fastest of all at 111.234mph. Browne and Todd also lapped at over 111mph. The expected overtaking manoeuvres did not happen at Castletown Corner; perhaps due to the programme ahead; and Browne was able to take victory by 0.159s from Todd; Dunlop was 3^rd, 0.321s down on Todd. In his post-race interview Michael said that the bike was now close to perfect and that it would be come the afternoon. Hodson, Coward and Jordan completed the top 6; just 2.1s covered them. Nathan Harrison and Joe Yeardsley upheld local honour in 7^th and 8^th; with the ever impressive Erno Kostamo in 9^th. Kevin Keyes was the best newcomer in 14^th; his best lap was over 107.5mph.

S & S Motors Supersport A Race

1. Mike Browne Yamaha 109.688mph
2. Davey Todd Honda 109.670mph
3. Michael Dunlop Ducati 109.634mph
4. Rob Hodson Yamaha 108.706mph
5. Jamie Coward Triumph 108.448mph
6. Paul Jordan Honda 108.436mph

The next race was G H Corlett Solo Founders Race; in effect a consolation race for those who did not qualify for the Superbike or Supersport Races. Craig Szczypek had this race under control from the off; he won by 25.4s from Adam Williams. Third place was taken by Craig Kennelly; from Kevin Adams and Neil Connell; 0.747s covered them at the finish. The named riders were all newcomers.

1. H. Corlett Solo Founders Race
2. Craig Szczypek Kawasaki 97.898mph
3. Kevin Adams Suzuki 94.529mph
4. Craig Kennelly Honda 93.095mph

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Senior Race; effectively a rehearsal for the Championship; was next on track. This race saw the lap and race records beaten as Todd and Dean Harrison fought it out for victory. Todd produced another lightning start and led by 15m as they heeled into Church Bends for the first time. They had already pulled over 2s advantage of the chasing group of Mike Browne, Michael Dunlop and Nathan Harrison. Michael Sweeney headed the next group of four. Lap 2 saw Todd and Dean Harrison just a couple of metres apart; behind them, Dunlop was up to third and 50m ahead of Herbertson and Nathan Harrison; with Sweeney on his own in 6^th. Kostamo was next at the head of a group of 6.

Lap 3 saw no change; but on lap 4 Todd had an increased lead of 50m; both lapping at over 115mph; as was Dunlop in third. Kostamo was down to 12^th as he came through; presumably due to an overshoot.  Todd and Harrison upped the pace on lap 5; something Dunlop could not match. Behind Dunlop; Nathan Harrison had taken 4^th place from Browne. Jordan and Coward were circulating together just over 1s ahead of Hodson and Evans.

The penultimate lap saw the leading duo upping the pace to over 116mph; Harrison setting the new race lap record at 116.910mph; Todd holding a 10m lead over Harrison as they passed us. On the final lap Harrison could not manage to be in a position to attempt an overtake and settled for second behind Todd, the new race record holder. Dean said that he had something in hand for the Championship Race; confident because he found that he could match Todd for top end. Dunlop took another podium finish ahead of Nathan Harrison whose final lap at 114.968mph kept Browne at bay. Sweeney secured 6^th by 0.78s from Jordan. Kevin Keyes raised his best to 110.966mph on lap 7; he finished in 13^th position.

Isle of Man Steam Packet Senior Race

1. Davey Todd                 BMW                                     115.566mph
2. Dean Harrison            Honda                                   115.540mph
3. Michael Dunlop          BMW                                     113.520mph
4. Nathan Harrison        Honda                                   112.963mph
5. Mike Browne               Honda                                  112.711mph
6. Michael Sweeney        BMW                                    112.493mph

The final race of the morning was the Station Garage Lightweight Consolation. Just 9 riders started this race. Andy Smart, David Glossop and Russell Brook were first to reach Church Bends. This proved to be the finishing order; with 2.8s covering them at the finish.

Station Garage Lightweight Consolation Race.

1. Andy Smart        Yamaha                                93.021mph
2. David Glossop    Aprilia                                  92.914mph
3. Russell Brook     Aprilia                                  92.762mph

The afternoon racing opened with the Bettridges of Foxdale Supersport Race. This proved to be a superb; record shattering race. Davey Todd produced another electric start; he led from Mike Browne by 50m as they swept through the S-bend at Church for the first time. Michael Dunlop was 25m behind Browne; Hodson, Yearsley and Evans were close behind him. Todd’s lead was the same on lap 2; behind him Dunlop had moved noticeably closer to Browne. Yeardsley, Hodson, Evans and Coward were in close company 50m behind Dunlop. Todd’s lead was larger on lap 3; but it was from Dunlop who had a 10m advantage over Browne. Yeardsley, Hodson, Evans and Coward remained in a tight group 5s down on Dunlop. Lap 4 saw Dunlop closer to Todd as the lap speeds rose to over 111mph. Browne had upped his game to remain close to Dunlop.

On lap 5 Dunlop was right behind Todd and looking for a way to pass. Such was his space that he set the first 112mph lap in the class and took the lead from Todd. Despite lapping at 111.7mph, Browne was now 2s down on the leading duo. Yeardsley and Hodson headed the group of 6 fighting for the leader boards places. To much acclaim, Dunlop came through Church Bends on lap 6 with an advantage of 20m over Todd. They had doubled their advantage over Browne; who seemed safe in 3^rd. The chasing group was led by Hodson and Yeardsley.

Dunlop had a 15m lead on the final lap; the speed simply amazing as he and Todd pushed to the very edge. Todd ended the race as the lap record holder at 112.665mph; but it was not enough; Dunlop’s new race record gave him victory by 0.176s; after a race that had the crowds enthralled. Mike Browne duly took 3^rd, 4.941s down on Dunlop. The tight battle behind ended in favour of Jamie Coward; Hodson claimed 5^th and Yeardsley 6^th. The best newcomer was Andy Smart in 16^th place.

Bettridges of Foxdale Supersport Race

1. Michael Dunlop   MBE Ducati                         110.709mph
2. Davey Todd           Honda                                  110.689mph
3. Mike Browne         Yamaha                               109.900mph
4. Jamie Coward       Triumph                              108.551mph
5. Rob Hodson           Yamaha                               108.547mph
6. Joe Yeardsley        Yamaha                               108.505mph

The Bushy’s Brewery Lightweight Race was the curtain raiser for the Championship Races. Rob Hodson made the fastest start, and it was he who led at Church on the first lap. Yeardsley; soon to retire; Sweeney and Jordan were in close company; with Furber 50m down in 6^th.  On lap 2 Hodson had doubled his advantage over Todd. Unknown to us, Todd had a brake problem and having nearly hit the back of Hodson on two occasions decided to sit back a little. He upped the ante on the last 2 laps to secure his second place. Sweeney and Jordan were together 25m behind Todd. Barry Furber was 5^th’; Marcus Simpson and Jamie Williams were battling it out for 6th. Hodson had eased further away from what was now a chasing group of 3; as they passed us on lap 3. With a clear road, Hodson continued to increase his advantage as Todd, Sweeney and Jordan fought it out for the podium places. Whilst not pushed to lap record pace; Hodson set a new race record to win by 5.023s from Todd. Sweeney claimed the final podium place a mere 0.225s behind Todd. He raised his personal best lap speed to over 116s to beat Jordan by 0.062s; Jordan also lapped at over 116mph. Barry Furber claimed 5^th; with Simpson 6^th; 0.125s ahead of fellow local Jamie Williams.

Bushy’s Brewery Lightweight Race

1. Rob Hodson                 Paton                                    105.273mph
2. Davey Todd                  Paton                                    104.670mph
3. Michael Sweeney        Aprilia                                  104.643mph
4. Paul Jordan                  Aprilia                                  104.636mph
5. Barry Furber                Yamaha                               102.374mph
6. Marcus Simpson         Kawasaki                            100.138mph

The Ellan Vannin Fuels Solo Championship was the final solo race of the meeting. It was a superb race that saw both lap and race records shattered. As the machines passed on the sighting lap some of the crowd heard a slight misfire coming from Michael Dunlop’s BMW. Once again it was Davey Todd who reacted most quickly to the lights. At Church, he led by 10m from Dean Harrison; who had Dunlop 5m behind him. Nathan Harrison was 4^th, Mike Browne 5^th and Mikey Evans 6^th. On lap 2, Harrison was right behind Todd; with Dunlop 50m behind them. Nathan Harrison was 1s behind Dunlop; but had opened an advantage of nearly 4s over Browne, Evans, Coward and Jordan. On lap 3 it was as you were; but on lap 4 Dean Harrison was our new leader. Todd later said that he wanted to sit behind to work out exactly where he was stronger than Harrison. The positions behind were the same, but Nathan Harrison was noticeably closer to Dunlop. It was even closer next time around; just 50 metres covered the first 4. 15s behind Browne, Evans, Coward and Jordan had less than 1s covering them. There was no material change on lap 6;  but sadly this was to be the last time that we saw Nathan; he had to park his Honda between Cross Four Ways and Church on the next lap.

Lap 7 saw Todd in the lead again as he and Harrison circulated at lap record pace. Todd pulled the pin on lap 8 setting a new outright lap record at 117.414mph. His lead at Church was about 50m. Dunlop could not match the record breaking pace and he was 2s down on Harrison. Coward was up to 4^th; Browne was 5^th with Jordan 6^th. On the last lap Harrison raised his game one more time to set another outright lap record at 117.541mph; simply breathtaking. It was not enough; Todd held on to win a by 0.407s setting a new race record of 115.193mph. Dunlop took another podium after a fine ride on a machine beset by minor problems throughout the meeting. Jamie Coward showed that he is back to his best following this NW 200 accident by taking 4th. Mike Browne finished 5^th, with Paul Jordan 0.35s behind.

Ellan Vannin Fuels Solo Championship

1. Davey Todd                   BMW                     115.193mph
2. Dean Harrison              Honda                   115.154mph
3. Michael Dunlop            MBE BMW          114.574mph
4. Jamie Coward               BMW                     112.201mph
5. Mike Browne                 Honda                  112.123mph
6. Paul Jordan                   Honda                  112.091mph

The meeting closed with the Darryl Blake Construction Sidecar Championship. This did not follow exactly the expected script. Caught in neutral when the lights changed, Ryan and Callum Crowe were left trailing. Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley were the leaders when they reached Church for the first of the 8 laps. Newcomer Carl Fenwick / Jake Roberts were 2^nd, just ahead of Tim Reeves / Kevin Kolsch. Greg Lambert / Andrew Haynes, Wayne Lockey / Matthew Rostron and the Crowe brothers completed the top 6.  The challenge they faced simply fired up the brothers. On the second lap they were 3s behind Founds / Walmsley and already on lap record pace. On lap 3 the lead was all but gone; the Crowe brothers merely 10 metres behind Founds / Walmsley. Behind then the field was stretching out; Reeves / Kolsch were in a safe 3^rd, and like many of the crews using the low pavement on the inside of the right hand bend as part of the track. Fenwick / Roberts were 4^th; Lambert / Haynes 5^th with Hope / Bumfrey 6^th.

The Crowes had a lead of 2.1s as they came through Church on lap 4; the outfit looking like it was on rails. They pushed hard setting a new outright lap record on lap 5 at a simply amazing 103.281mph. Founds lapped consistently at over 101 mph but had to concede defeat to the brothers. The only change in the order came when Lambert was forced to retire on lap 6. Needless to say, Ryan and Callum tore up the old race record; leaving the new mark at 101.316mph. Pete Founds will be back next year with a new outfit and under new regulations; that should give some interesting racing next year. Lambert / Kolsch took the final podium place. A wonderful ride, including a personal best lap at 96.864mph gave Fenwick / Roberts a fine 4^th placed finish. They will be ones to watch next year. Hope / Bumfrey managed to grab 5^th by 0.106s from Lockey / Rostron; both lapped at over 96mph on the final lap.

Darryl Blake Construction Sidecar Championship

1. Ryan Crowe /Callum Crowe               Honda                                  101.316mph
2. Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley          Yamaha                               100.315mph
3. Tim Reeves / Kevin Kolsch                  Kawasaki                            96.240mph
4. Carl Fenwick / Jake Roberts               Yamaha                               95.932mph
5. Darren Hope / Lenny Bumfrey           LCR                                       94.992mph
6. Wayne Lockey / Matthew Rostron

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Honda                                  94.984mph

This was a wonderful meeting with racing that kept everyone watching it enrapt as it unfolded. The club, as always, made it seem easy to run the meeting; when it is exactly the polar opposite; huge congratulations are due to them. Hopefully, we can all gather again next year.