Todd and Birchall / Rousseau the champions at Southern 100

It was overcast; the roads were dry; apart from a few damp patches at the edge of the track as the JCK 600cc B Race kicked off proceedings at 10.07am on S100 Championship day. Local newcomer Grant Thompson was quickest from the lights; he led the charge into Ballabeg. It was a lead that he was never to lose; he gradually pulled away from Adrian Harrison; a welcome returnee to the event; and with the aid of some 100mph laps he won by 6.5s. Third place went to newcomer Aran Sadler, after an early battle with veteran Paul Cranston.

The H& H / S & S Motorcycles 600cc A race provided a great spectacle. Mike Browne and Michael Dunlop were rapid away from the lights. Browne led by 10m at Ballabeg on lap 1 and Dunlop had taken 30m out of the chasing pack led by Dom Herbertson, Rob Hodson, Joe Yeardsley and Paul Jordan. Browne and Dunlop circulated together throughout the race; never more than 0.5s apart; raising their lap speed to over 109mph as confidence in the track grew. Concentrating on getting maximum drive out of the corners, Browne was able to resist Dunlop’s last lap challenge to take his first S100 victory (he has won at the Post-TT meeting) by 0.307s. Behind them there were many private battles for the crowd to enjoy. Paul Jordan took third by 1.28s from Herbertson, Hodson was fifth; with Yeardsley 6th. Just 2.1s covered those four after their memorable scrap. Former MGP winner Matt Stevenson was the best of the newcomers in 14th.

The Consolation Race was halted by a red flag on the second lap; the rider okay in an incident at Great Meadow; but the resultant debris required the halt. Not enough distance had been covered to call a result and there was no time for a restart.

In sunshine; the IOM Steam Packet Senior race was next on track, and it provided the same close racing throughout the field that the 600 A Race had. Michael Dunlop and Davey Todd (from 8th on the grid) led the closely packed field as they rounded Ballabeg Hairpin for the first time. Jamie Coward, Dean Harrison, Rob Hodson and the soon to retire Mike Browne completed the top 6. On lap 2, Dunlop and Todd had opened a 50m gap over Harrison and Coward. They had a similar advantage over Dom Herbertson (set to retire on lap 5) and Rob Hodson. Dunlop and Todd continued to increase their advantage over their pursuers; both lapping consistently at over 114mph. Dunlop set the best lap on lap 4 at 114.774mph. The demise of Herbertson on lap 5 promoted Paul Jordan to 6th. Dunlop led at Ballabeg on lap 6; he was baulked slightly whilst lapping a slower rider and this allowed Todd to lead at Cross Four Ways. Todd was himself baulked going into Iron Gate, this allowed to Dunlop to retake a lead that he would not relinquish. Michael took his 25th win by a margin of just 0.073s. Erno Kostamo rode superbly to be best newcomer in 11th.

The final race of the morning was the Ace Hire & Sales Sidecar Race. The first lap charge into Ballabeg was awesome; quite how they all made it around unscathed is a mystery; the crowd loved it. Returnee to Billown, Ben Birchall and new passenger Kevin Rousseau led by a coat of paint from Ryan and Callum Crowe with Lee Crawford / Scott Hardie in third; they stopped to make an adjustment at Cross Four ways and dropped out of contention. Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley were fourth; the soon to retire Tim Reeves / Mark Wilkes were fifth; just ahead of Alan Founds / Rhys Gibbons. On lap 2 Birchall / Rousseau were away and clear. Alan Founds was up to second, just ahead of his brother Peter. An overshoot had dropped the Crowe brothers to sixth; behind Michael Russell / Jake Roberts and Greg Lambert / Andrew Haynes. By the end of the lap the Crowes had moved up to fourth. Then an accident at Ballanorris (Joey’s Gate); involving Alan Founds / Rhys Gibbons brought out the red flag; thank fully Alan was okay and Rhys was found to have no fractures after a check up at Nobles. The result was declared at the end of lap 2; with the removal of Founds / Gibbons promoting Lambert / Haynes to sixth. Best of the newcomers was the pairing of Keiran Clarke / Andrew Johnson in seventh.

The first race to be held in the warm afternoon sunshine was the Bettridges of Foxdale Supersport Race. It was déjà vu as Browne and Dunlop were fastest from the lights. Browne led by 20m as they hustled their bikes through the S bend at Malew church. Rob Hodson, Dom Herbertson, Joe Yeardsley and Michael Sweeney completed the top 6. On lap 2 Browne and Dunlop had a much bigger advantage over the chasing group of 5 that included Michael Sweeney. Yet again, the crowd was treated to close racing throughout the entire field. On lap 3 Dunlop was holding station behind Browne; whilst Hodson had moved into third. Dunlop remained closely behind Browne; holding a tighter line; on laps 4 and 5 and waiting for the moment to pounce. Paul Jordan had moved ahead of Hodson on lap 5 and Michael Sweeney passed Joe Yeardsley. The final lap saw Dunlop mere inches behind Browne as they powered away towards Great Meadow. Browne kept the lead through there and Stadium; then blotted his copybook by losing the front end at the final corner; gifting the win to Dunlop after a super battle. Mike was uninjured in the accident. Paul Jordan took third, Rob Hodson fourth, Michael Sweeney fifth and Joe Yeardsley sixth; just 4.7s covering those five. Best newcomer was Grant Thompson in eleventh; he upped his best lap speed to 103.272mph; very impressive.

The next tasty morsel was the Bushy’s Brewery Lightweight Race. Tuesday’s race winner Rob Hodson grabbed the hole shot on his Paton and led Jamie Coward by 10m at Church Bends. Davey Todd was third and sitting 50m behind Coward waiting for Coward’s smoking machine to expire; it duly did towards the end of lap 2. Michael Sweeney was on his own in fourth, Marc Colvin and the soon to retire Joe Yeardsley completed the top 6. A record lap on lap 2 left no doubt that Hodson would not be headed in this race; misfortune aside. He led from the soon to retire Coward by 50m. Barry Furber was the man on the move; he was up to fifth. Paul Cassidy had moved ahead of fellow local Marc Colvin to take sixth. The demise of Coward left Hodson with a 5.5s lead; he was moving serenely towards his second victory; but behind him Todd was under pressure from Sweeney; but he managed to resist it. After most of the riders had passed Church on lap 3 the red flag appeared. The rider was uninjured in an incident at Stadium; a marshal received minor injuries for which he was treated at the site. He remained to watch the remainder of the action; his daughter took over his duties trackside. The result was declared on the positions at the end of lap 2.

Now it was time for main solo event; the Ellan Vannin Fuels Championship over 9 laps of the 4.25 miles circuit. Conditions were just about perfect. Mike Browne was, understandably, a non-starter for this race. Davey Todd made another lightning start on his brand new machine; built from scratch post the TT. He led by 30m from Michael Dunlop as they swooped through the S-bend for the first time. The other front row man; Jamie Coward; held third 20m behind Dunlop. Dean Harrison was close behind in fourth; he was 2s ahead of Dom Herbertson and Nathan Harrison. Lap 2 saw Dunlop move a little closer to Todd. Dean Harrison had overtaken Coward; behind them Herbertson; Nathan Harrison and Rob Hodson were having a private scrap for fifth. Todd and Dunlop were the same distance apart on lap 3; but were being hauled in by Dean Harrison who was fastest man on track on laps 2, 3 and 4. Coward was in a lonely fourth; with Nathan Harrison 30m ahead of Herbertson in fifth.

It was closer on lap 4; Dunlop just a few metres behind Todd; whilst Harrison had cut his deficit to Dunlop to just 20m. The race was providing excellent entertainment for the large crowd. The gaps were the same on lap 5 as the pace picked up. Lap 6 saw Dunlop right in Todd’s wheel track; Dean Harrison was having a minor brake issue that caused him to lose some ground.

No change on lap on laps 7 or 8 as Dunlop stayed close, waiting for the chance to pounce. Behind them, Rob Hodson was closing his deficit to Nathan Harrison. On the final lap Todd led by 10m from Dunlop who gained great drive out of the corner. He managed to pass Todd on the run into Stadium; but then had to let the brakes off and run wide at Castletown Corner or risk losing the front end. This allowed Todd to power past going out of the corner. Todd thus secured his second Championship victory by 3.123s; Dunlop set the best lap at 116.670mph on the 8th lap. Dean Harrison took the final podium place 5.285s down on Dunlop. Jamie Coward, Nathan Harrison and Dom Herbertson completed our top 6. Erno Kostamo continued to impress; he was best newcomer, having lapped at 109.542mph on lap 8. It was obvious from the interviews after this race, and the morning’s Senior, that Michael and Davey have a huge respect for each other.

The part of the “fat lady” was played by the Daryl Blake Sidecar Championship. The Crowe brothers were first past the paddock on lap 1; but they were passed by Ben Birchall / Kevin Rousseau going into Ballakeighan. At Church Bends, Birchall / Rousseau had opened a lead of 2.1s as they flicked between the stone walls of the churchyard. The Crowe brothers; Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley and Lee Crawford / Scott were in tight group. Tim Reeves / Mark Wilkes were fifth with newcomer Kieran Clarke / Andrew Johnson in sixth. Lap 2 saw the lead up to over 4 seconds as the leaders gave a masterclass; holding a tight line on a machine that looked like it was on rails. The Crowe brothers were 30m ahead of Founds / Walmsley, whose machine appeared to have sub-optimal handling. The top six was the same; Clarke / Johnson using half of the kerb on the inside of the right hand part of the S-bend. Reeves was soon to retire; the engine sounded like it was chewing gravel as it went away from Church. Crawford / Hardie were to suffer a similar fate on lap 5. Birchall / Rousseau continued untroubled; the Crowes had dropped to fourth on lap 4; presumably having run wide somewhere. On lap 5 the Crowe brothers were on a mission; they were just in front of the soon to retire Crawford / Hardie; who used most of the kerb on the inside of right hander. Birchall / Rousseau set a new outright lap record of 102.713mph on this lap to put the icing on their cake; whilst the Crowe brothers lapped at 102.237mph. On the final lap the Crowe brothers had closed to within 10m of Founds / Walmsley at Church and duly made the pass on the run to Stadium. The winning margin for Birchall / Rousseau was 7.328s; the Crowe brothers finished 0.546s ahead of Founds / Walmsley. Clarke / Johnson took a fine fourth, The Ramsdens took fifth; with Greg Lambert edging out Wayne / Lockey / Matthew Rostron for sixth.

So ended a superb day’s racing that brought thrills; spills and thankfully no serious injuries. The committee did a superb job to complete the programme. The marshals and paramedics; as always; did a wonderful job; without them there is no racing.