We're ready for day two action at the Billown circuit on the Isle of Man, and the fourth and final day of the Southern 100 international road races.
Guy Martin wants his second Southern 100 championship. But, Michael Dunlop will be one of his biggest competitors. We've seen the track, and all the major corners. The first race of the day is the championship race for the Superbikes. This is Honda vs. Suzuki. Michael Dunlop vs. Guy Martin. The big boys and the big toys are coming out to play. We are ready, for the Manx Gas Solo Championship Superbike race! Go! At the start, Dean Harrison immediately jumps into the race lead.
Michael Dunlop also gets a decent start and doesn't bog down off the line. Ian Lougher is up there, but here comes Dunlop, taking the fight to Martin. Michael Dunlop is making a move into Iron Gate. It's Suzuki vs. Honda vs. Kawasaki. Dunlop takes the lead. Not far behind are names like Jamie Hamilton, Michael Pearson and Russ Mountford. We've seen Hamilton and Mountford in some of the other divisions racing, and they were featured prominently, in part one of this race report.
They cleanly race through Ballabeg hairpin and are well on their way. Guy Martin may be third, but he's had better race starts during his Superbike career in the Bike Road Racing Series. Ian Lougher is going to have to book it to keep up with the top three. The bikes ease into Cross Four-Ways for the first time. The big 1000cc four cylinder engines, are roaring, announcing their presence on the Isle of Man. Lougher, Pearson, and Hamilton, are also in a race of their own.
Whoever mashes the throttle hardest and soonest, will have the advantage down the front straight. Ian Lougher moves to the outside of Jamie Hamilton. What can he do? Ooh! Lougher almost hits the wall! Woohoo! That was close! Phew! Dunlop leads, but Dean Harrison is right along with him. Not to be outdone, Martin is right up the tailpipe of Dean Harrison's motorcycle. Seamus Elliott runs at the back of the pack on bike #97, trying to make his way around Ballabeg hairpin.
Martin pops a wheelie as he's going after Harrison around one of the sloped curves. Michael Dunlop is ahead for Honda TT Legends, (a name recognizable from the coverage of the FIM World Endurance Championship, here on this blog). Two laps complete. Seven remain. We've got a couple of 600 Supersport bikes mixed in with the Superbikes for good measure, in this race. They make their way back towards Ballabeg another time.
Hamilton, Lougher, and Pearson, are still in their own battle, behind the leaders. As for Martin, he's still finding difficulty in passing Harrison. Martin won't give up. But, he gets a bonus. Dean Harrison, runs wide, off the racing line. Ian Lougher still fends off Michael Pearson. Harrison and Martin are going to be the ones to fight it out for second. There's still six laps left. Jamie Hamilton runs by himself, with Michael Pearson and Ian Lougher in pursuit. Dean Harrison has his feet off the foot pegs into Cross Four Ways! Hang it on the edge!
Ian Lougher pops another wheelie! Dunlop is still ahead of Martin. But, Martin has broken the 2:14 lap barrier, running a 2:13.9. This might be a new lap record for the Billown course. Martin continues to close on Dunlop. Dean Harrison has faded. It's a two man race for the win. Russ Mountford flies past Roy Gallagh's farm, approaching the Bomb Hole. Dunlop slides his way into the last corner, coming up to complete another lap.
The Suzuki is fast in a straight line, but doesn't quite have the oomph of the Honda out of the corners. Russ Mountford catches Michael Pearson, and Pearson, makes his way down the escape road. Martin, also catches Dunlop. Guy Martin is skating all over, while Michael Dunlop's bike is on rails. It has nothing to do with technique. It's more about bike setup. Remember from part one... the bike isn't control of you as a rider. You, the rider, control the bike.
Both of them slide towards the wall, and emerge unscathed. Guy Martin has a run on Michael Dunlop. He's flying, folks. Martin nabs the lead. Martin is in P1! How will Dunlop respond to this challenge? Dunlop wants to get him back, going into Ballekeighan. Tim Poole overtakes slower rider Mike James on bike #39. Dean Harrison holds third. Both Martin and Dunlop wheelie, coming up out of the Bomb Hole. This is intense!
Jamie Hamilton and Dean Harrison are still out there, but neither is in contention to win this race. Martin flies into Stadium, and Dunlop is still pushing. It's the final lap of the Superbike race. Dean Harrison is still third. Watch out for backmarkers. Russ Mountford is running with James Cownton behind him. Through Ballabeg, Cross Four Ways, and Great Meadow. There is still time for decisive moves. This is it. Will it be Tyco Suzuki, or Honda TT Legends? They've gone through Church Bends. Great Meadow, Stadium, and Castletown corner are all that remains.
Martin wins it! He's the Southern 100 champ!
#4 Guy Martin Suzuki 1000
Here's the top five.
1. #4 Guy Martin Suzuki 1000
2. #1 Michael Dunlop Honda 1000
3. #2 Dean Harrison Kawasaki 1000
4. #44 Jamie Hamilton Kawasaki 1000
5. #9 Ian Lougher Honda 1000
Let's resume the action, and go three wheelin'. It's time for the sidecars on the Isle of Man. In the first race for sidecars, a battle ensued between Wayne Lockey and Greg Lambert. It was a race between three teams. Colin Harrison made his way past Greg Lambert. Roy Hanks was also in the wars in the first sidecar race. The race was stopped after a vicious crash where one of the passengers was tossed from the sidecar! Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle, won it.
#77 Reeves/Sayle Honda 600
Here's the top five.
1. #77 Reeves/Sayle Honda 600
2. #26 Bryan/Winn Honda 600
3. #3 Harrison/Chauhan Honda 600
4. #4 Lockey/Capewell Honda 600
5. #5 Lambert/Cole Honda 600
Gary Bryan, is confident. Roy Hanks, has many memories of racing on the Isle of Man, as he's done so for years. Hanks' dad raced on this course, against another racer named Charlie Freeman. Back then, the bikes were made by companies like BSA, Triumph, and Norton... legendary names in motorcycle racing history. We come to the sidecar championship race at Billown.
Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle are the top runners, and we'll also pay attention to the team of Harrison and Chauhan. The Bell team (father and son), are also in this race. Ben and Tom Birchall start from pole and will be ones to watch. Bring up the revs, and here we go! Ben Birchall makes a good start going into the lead of the race immediately. It's a side-by-side duel between the Bell's and the Reeves/Sayle team. Tim Reeves has the edge.
How do you tiptoe around Ballekeighan on a sidecar? It's tough. But, you have to. Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle are going for it right away. The Birchall team holds onto P1. The Lockie and Capewell team is doing well, too. Gary Bryant and Jamie Winn are running well. They want to pass Ian and Carl Bell. Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle are watching all this. We watch sidecar #15 in the hands of Stuart Stubbel and Robert Munt. Keep all three wheels down. No curb hopping in a sidecar cycle.
The 600cc Honda sidecar seems to have a throatier, sharper, nastier exhaust note than the rest of the bikes out there in this division. This team is reeling in the Birchall brothers. So, it's Ben and Tom Birchall followed by Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle. Next, it's Ian and Carl Bell. Gary Bryan and Jamie Winn are fourth. Reeves looks to be closing up on the Birchall's and they let that team go past.
Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle have it all their own way in the sidecar championship race at the moment. Conrad Harrison, Greg Lambert, and Wayne Lockie, are a ways down the order. Dean Lindley is also in there. Through Cross Four-Ways, nice and quick. Ian and Carl Bell seem like they might have an opportunity to challenge for the win here, too. They've won these races, and championships. They know what it takes to run a sidecar racer on the Isle of Man.
Dean Lindley bumps another competitor, trying to pass. Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle open their margin little by little. These sidecars with the 600cc motors sound really sweet. Keep the revs high and the speed up. Tim Reeves wants a Southern 100 win to add to his CV. He's won the Isle of Mann TT, the British Superbike Championship, and has World Championship sidecar wins. With the sidecar racers, the bumps through these corners, present a real shock to the system.
Darren Hope is also in this race. He used to be a passenger, but now, drives a sidecar cycle. Watch out into Cross Four-Ways. That's tricky even on a regular motorcycle, as we've already seen. Roy Hanks... the legend, is running great, along with passenger, Kevin Perry. Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle are flying into Stadium. It seems that Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle have a definite advantage. The Birchall's and the other competitors are not keeping up as well as they'd like to. The intervals are regular and steady. But, there's still a race on our hands here, blokes.
The Birchall's are getting quicker. This is a six lap race. It should have been eight. But, two laps were subtracted from the distance. Dean Lindley is running well, with passenger, Jason O'Connor. Cole Bennett and Lee Kane are also running in top form on sidecar #13. 125 miles an hour maximum speed, lying on your tummy? Jeez! Serious case of road rash! Thank goodness for leathers, chest and back protectors, and helmets.
Dan Sayle has won many races at Billown in the past. He is as successful as riders like Dave Molyneux and Klaus Glafboch. Greg Lambert and Wayne Lockie are in a battle for position. Reeves and Sayle still lead over the Birchall's and the Bell's. Gary Bryant has dropped behind. Colin Harrison is fifth. The Bell's are pushing and want to try for second. Roy Hanks is still bringing up the rear of the pack. The Birchall's might be closing in on the very strong Honda of Reeves and Sayle.
Everyone seems to run in the 2:37 range in terms of lap times. John Chandler pushes Horst Valsack out of the way. The margins between the top three continue to tighten up. This is the last lap of the sidecar race. Ben and Tom Birchall reset fast lap at 2:35.8. John Chandler pulls to the side of the road. Could it be game over for Chandler? Yes. Dean Lindley and Jason O'Connor, meanwhile, have been running their own race so far.
The top three run through the Bomb Hole for the last time. We are into the last mile of this race for the sidecars. Headed to Castletown corner, it looks like Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle will indeed be the winners. The Birchall's were close. But not close enough. Reeves and Sayle, win! The Birchall's still score fastest lap. Ian and Carl Bell, round out the podium.
#77 Reeves/Sayle Honda 600
Here's the top five for the sidecars.
1. #77 Reeves/Sayle Honda 600
2. #1 Birchall/Birchall Honda 600
3. #2 Bell/Bell Honda 600
4. #26 Bryan/Winn Honda 600
5. #3 Harrison/Chauhan Honda 600
The next race that will be highlighted is the Armoy Race of Legends in Armoy, Northern Ireland. Stay tuned for that. There will be a race report, coming soon.
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