The Southern 100 is without
doubt the biggest national race on the real road race
calendar and having celebrated it’s 50th anniversary
last year, looks in rude health as it goes into it’s
51st running. Running over four days, the Southern provides
a little bit of everything from Superbike and Supersport,
to two strokes, Classic racing and F2 Sidecars.
Reigning Southern 100 Champion Ian Lougher heads the
entry list which reads like a who’s who of road
racing and includes Guy Martin, Martin Finnegan, Paul
Hunt, Nigel Beattie, Gary Carswell and the rest plus
an all star cast of newcomers including Conor Cummins,
Mick Goodings, Dwyer Agnew, Bret Crossley, mark Buckley
and the one and only Cameron Donald. Double TT winners
Nick Crowe and Darren Hope head an equally impressive
sidecar entry.
Race 1 A – Senior Solo 1000cc Founders
Race
Sponsored by GH Corlett
Race 3 –Senior Race
Sponsored by Total Oils
Race 15 – Solo Championship Race
Sponsored by Protours
Ian Lougher starts as favourite in the Superbike Races
on board the Stobart Honda he rode to such great effect
at the recent Isle of Man TT Races. Although entered
on the Blackhorse backed Superstock machine, he is expected
to campaign the Stobart Superbike, and you can’t
rule out a repeat of last year, when he dominated the
class, shattering the lap record on a continual basis.
Last year Lougher’s biggest rival was Guy Martin,
who this year finds himself in the doldrums slightly,
after a difficult TT, and having had his racing activities
limited by the team. Despite the bad luck the talented
twenty four year old has endured this year, he is still
riding very well and more than capable to winning races
here at one of his favourite circuits.
Like his close friend Guy Martin, Lusk’s Martin
Finnegan has had a troublesome season too, struggling
to get the volatile power characteristics of the Klaffi
Honda to suit the road races he has competed in. For
the Southern 100 he will have a brand new motor, built
by Honda Racing’s engine builder Chris Mayhew
and with his Manx sponsors and team manager Klaffenböck
all in attendance, he will be keen to put on a good
show.
Australian Newcomer Cameron Donald will hope to continue
in his rich vein of form, and as he has proved on numerous
occasions this year already, learning circuits is not
a problem for him, and expect him to feature in the
battle for the podium right from the off. Billown is
tricky enough though, and it won’t be as easy
a task as some of the circuits he has visited.
The Isle of Man is very well represented as you would
expect with Paul Hunt, Gary Carswell, Nigel Beattie
and new kid on the block Conor Cummins all hoping to
make their mark on the op ten. English TT aces Mark
Parrett, Ian Armstrong, James McBride, Tim Poole will
also feature as will Irish stars Paul Cranston, John
Burrows, Darran Lindsay, Davy Morgan, Victor Gilmore
and William Dunlop. Others to look out for include newcomers
Mark Buckley, Bret Crossley and Mick Goodings.
Race 1 B – Senior Solo Founders 600cc
Race
Sponsored by GH Corlett
In the first Superbike Race, there is a second class
ran concurrently for 600cc machines. Heading the entry
is local resident Chris Palmer, and he will do battle
with the likes of William Dunlop, Victor Gilmore, Barry
Davidson and newcomer Mick Goodings.
Race 2 – Junior Solo Founders Race
Sponsored by Mann Auto Car Sales
Race 8 – 250cc Race
Sponsored by Clarehill Plastics
In the 250cc races expect to see the old guard of
Lougher Lindsay and Palmer do battle once more around
the Billown Circuit. All three have won this race before
and picking a winner is almost impossible. Local lad
Nigel Beattie is one of the best 250cc riders on the
roads today and will be hoping to get close as will
the ever improving William Dunlop.
Irish road race aces Barry Davidson, Yarno Holland,
Davy Morgan and Victor Gilmore are all capable of top
six finishes, whilst newcomer Michael Dunlop, Benny
Jerzenbeck and Rico Mendel all have proven track records
in this class.
Race 4 – Classic Race 1
Sponsored by Eurocars
Race 9 – Classic Race 2
Sponsored by Eurocars
The two Classic Races are split into three classes
all running concurrently. In the 850cc class, local
ace Dave Madsen Mygdal should be the man to beat although
Ron Soar has enjoyed some good results at Billown in
the past. The 500cc class is particularly competitive
with Manx Grand Prix aces Alan Oversby, Allan Brew and
Tony Cawte all on the entry list along with the much
fancied Mick Moreton and Billy Lyle.
Chris McGahan and Paul Coward go head to head in the
smaller class for 350cc machines and below, but Tony
Cawte also has an entry here along with the 250cc machines
of Ewan Hamilton Pete Wakefield.
Race 5 A – 125cc Race
Sponsored by Station Garage
Race 10 A – 125cc Race
Sponsored by The Steam Packet Company
There is an excellent entry for the 125cc class this
year with the Mannin Collections / Lloyds TSB trip of
Chris Palmer, Ian Lougher and Nigel Beattie set to do
battle against the Dunlop’s – Robert, William
and Michael. Darran Lindsay will also be in contention
along with fellow Irish stars Nigel Moore, Jeff Shaw
and Barry Davidson having a rare 125cc outing.
Other’s to look out for include Tony Cawte, Benny
Jerzenbeck, Pete Wakefield and Chris McGahan.
Race 5 B – 400cc Race
Sponsored by Station Garage
Race 10 B – 400cc Race
Sponsored by The Steam Packet Company
Dave Madsen Mygdal has been the stalwart of this class
at Billown over the years but he faces some stiff competition
if he wants to win this time around. TT aces Mark Parrett,
John Burrows, and Paul Dobbs will push him hard whilst
newcomer Mick Goodings has a good record in this class
at Scarborough. Manx Grand Prix hopefuls Alan Oversby,
Dave Corlett and Mike Crellin should all feature along
with female newcomer and fellow MGP star Maria Costello.
Race 6 – Sidecar Race
Sponsored by Suites Hotel Knowsley
Race 13 – Sidecar Championship Race
Sponsored by Caledonian Group
Reining champions and double TT winners Nick Crowe
and Darren Hope head the Sidecar entry, and bar something
out of the ordinary, will take some stopping in both
three wheeler races. The evergreen Roy Hanks will head
the best of the rest along with passenger Dave Wells,
with the likes of Kenny Howles / Doug Jewell, Greg Lambert
/ Rick Long, Glynn Jones / Jamie Wynn and Ben and Luck
Beckworth all fighting it out with them for a top five
result.
Race 7 – Junior Support Race
The Junior Support Race will be made up of riders
who failed to get a start in race 5 and also any Classic
rider who failed to get a start in race 4. They will
be numbered and announced over the PA during the event.
Race 11 – 600cc Race B (Non Qualifiers)
Sponsored by S&S Motors
Race 12 – 600cc Race A
Sponsored by S&S Motors
Last years 600cc Race was a humdinger and this years
promises to be just as competitive. Ian Lougher and
Guy Martin have the edge on the rest on paper, although
the likes of Martin Finnegan, Cameron Donald and Darran
Lindsay will hope to feature on the podium too.
Tim Poole has been a thorn in the side of the regular
front runners at Billown for years and should feature
again here, along with fellow TT riders Ian Armstrong,
John Burrows, Davy Morgan, Nigel Beattie, Paul Hunt,
Gary Carswell, Chris Palmer and William Dunlop.
Newcomers Conor Cummins, Alan Jackson, Mick Goodings
and Mark Buckley should also feature in the top ten
if they can learn the circuit quick enough.
Race 14 – Senior Support Race
Sponsored by Protours
This race will be made up from riders who failed to
qualify in either race 1 or race 3.
As you can see the Southern 100 Club have done a fantastic
job of attracting a top quality entry, and all for a
bit more luck, could have had Ray Porter and Les Shand
also on the line. The long range weather forecast is
good, and everyone hope that we can be in for a repeat
of last year’s event when the racing was electric
and there were relatively few crashes.
If you can’t make it to the Island for the Southern
100, be sure to tune into RealRoadRacing.Com
for unrivalled coverage throughout the practice and
race periods.
The action commences on Monday evening 10th July with
practising, which continues on Tuesday followed by the
first two races of the 2006 programme, the Senior Solo
Founders Race at 7.55pm, over ten laps of the Billown
course, followed by the Junior Solo Founders, again
over ten laps.
Wednesday evening sees four races, catering for Senior,
Junior 125cc & 400cc, Classic and finally Sidecars.
Then, Championship day will see three races in the
morning with the action commencing at 10.20am.
After a short lunch break the racing restarts at 1.35pm
with the final six races culminating in the Sidecar
Championship, then the blue-riband race, the Solo Championship
bringing the curtain down on an enjoyable event, which
will uphold all the traditions of what has become known
over the past fifty years as the Friendly Races’,
and continues towards the next fifty!
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