Southern 100 Stats

Southern 100 Statistics and Race Records 

These are the impressive records and stats that have been set over the past 60 years at the Southern 100 road race.

The first Southern 100 road races took place in 1955 with the race winners being Terry Shepherd (500cc), Derek Ennett (350cc) and Dave Chadwick (250cc) and it was Shepherd who took the fastest lap of the meeting at 80.95mph, a time of 3m9s.

Exactly 20 years later, the first ever 90mph lap of the 4.25-mile course was recorded and it was Ulster legend Ray McCullough that put his name in the record books forever, achieving the mark in the 350cc race, the first event of race week.

We didn’t have to wait anywhere near as long for the first ever 100mph lap of the Billown Course and it came just eight years later. Again it was an Ulsterman, on this occasion Brian Reid and in 1983 he lapped in a time of 2m33.0s on his RG500 Suzuki to give a speed of exactly 100mph. A total of 189 riders have now achieved the feat with the first 110mph lap being set by Ian Lougher in 2005.

Dean Harrison set a new lap record of 114.601mph in the 2014 Solo Championship race and this stood for three years before the 115mph was broken by the Bradford rider along with local ace Dan Kneen and Michael Dunlop, the latter claiming a new outright lap record of 115.707mph.

After a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw no action in either 2020 or 2021, racing resumed in 2022 with Harrison reclaiming the outright lap record at 116.941mph. Davey Todd also broke the old mark and was just a tenth of a second slower than Harrison.

Thirty riders have now broken the 110mph barrier with Nathan Harrison and Paul Jordan the two latest riders to achieve the feat in 2022. Todd’s lap of 112.571mph in the 2018 Solo Championship race is the quickest ever by a circuit newcomer.

Fastest 25 solo riders

	Rider	Machine	Year	Time	Speed
1.	Dean Harrison	1000 Kawasaki	2022Ch	2m10.835s	116.941mph
2.	Davey Todd	1000 Honda	2022Ch	2m10.987s	116.805mph
3.	Michael Dunlop	1000 Suzuki	2017Ch	2m12.231s	115.707mph
4.	Daniel Kneen	1000 BMW	2017Ch	2m12.335s	115.616mph
5.	Guy Martin	1000 Suzuki	2014 Ch	2m13.667s	114.464mph
6.	Jamie Coward	1000 Yamaha	2022 Ch	2m14.602s	113.668mph
7.	Ivan Lintin	1000 Kawasaki	2018Ch	2m14.863s	113.448mph
8.	Nathan Harrison	1000 Honda	2022Ch	2m14.925s	113.396mph
9.	James Cowton	1000 Kawasaki	2018Ch	2m15.493s	112.921mph
10.	Michael Evans	1000 BMW	2018Ch	2m15.933s	112.555mph
11.	Rob Hodson	1000 BMW	2018Ch	2m15.946s	112.545mph
12.	Conor Cummins	1000 Suzuki	2012Ch	2m16.295s	112.257mph
13.	Ryan Farquhar	1000 Kawasaki	2011Ch	2m16.365s	112.199mph
14.	William Dunlop	1000 Honda	2011Ch	2m16.441s	112.136mph
15.	Ian Lougher	1000 Honda	2005S	2m16.750s	111.883mph
16.	Sam West	1000 BMW	2019Ch	2m16.823s	111.823mph
17.	Michael Sweeney	1000 BMW	2022Ch	2m16.999s	111.680mph
18.	Ryan Kneen	1000 BMW	2019Ch	2m17.138s	111.566mph
19.	Derek McGee	1000 BMW	2017S	2m17.452s	111.312mph
20.	Cameron Donald	1000 Honda	2006Ch	2m17.510s	111.265mph
21.	Joe Ackroyd	1000 Kawasaki	2019Ch	2m18.276s	110.648mph
22.	Paul Jordan	1000 Yamaha	2022S	2m18.428s	110.527mph
23.	Jamie Hamilton	1000 Kawasaki	2013S	2m18.446s	110.512mph
24.	Seamus Elliott	1000 Kawasaki	2016Ch	2m18.458s	110.503mph
25.	Dominic Herbertson	1000 Kawasaki	2019S	2m18.474s	110.490mph

Fastest 25 Sidecars 

It wasn’t until 1962 that the first Sidecar race took place at the Southern 100 and it was Charlie Freeman who took the honours with victory over Fred Wallis. Indeed, Freeman took four wins in five years before the 70s saw a lot more varied drivers take the victories.

However, it was in 1981 when history was made with the Irish pairing of Lowry Burton/ Martin Murphy, setting the first ever 90mph lap of the Billown Course. They knocked over three seconds off their existing lap record and recorded a lap of 2m47.6s, 91.28mph.

Unlike the solos, speeds didn’t increase as rapidly for the three-wheelers (although the removal of the Open class played a significant part) but Nick/Crowe/Daniel Sayle came oh so close to setting the first ever 100mph lap in 2007. Their lap of 99.778mph came under serious threat from Tim Reeves, Ian Bell and John Holden in 2015 but we only had to wait one more year before the magical 100mph barrier – and Crowe’s nine-year old lap record – was finally broken.

In a thrilling Championship race in 2016, Reeves, Holden and Ben Birchall all lapped at more than 100mph on the sixth lap with Reeves, and passenger Patrick Farrance, eventually claiming a new outright lap record at 100.749mph.

Reeves, with Mark Wilkes in the chair, went quicker in the first race of 2017 with their new lap record being 100.751mph and they, along with the Birchalls, broke the 101mph barrier for the first time in the Championship. However, their laps of 101.418 and 101.545 ultimately didn’t count as they both crashed out and were subsequently disqualified for causing a red flag.

We only had to wait one more year for the first, official 101mph lap though as both Reeves/Wilkes and John Holden/ Lee Cain achieved the landmark in 2018, the latter eventually claiming the new outright lap record.

Both Alan Founds/Jake Lowther and Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley broke the 100mph barrier in 2019 to become the fifth and sixth drivers and passengers to achieve the feat but it was all change in 2022 with Manx brothers Ryan and Callum Crowe wrestling the outright lap record away from Holden/Cain with a lap of 102.308mph on their 675cc Triumph..

	Driver/Passenger	Machine	Year	Time	Speed
1.	Ryan Crowe/Callum Crowe	675 Triumph	2022	2m29.417s	102.308mph
2.	Peter Founds/Jevan Walmsley	600 Honda	2022	2m29.880s	102.082mph
3.	John Holden/Lee Cain	600 Honda	2018	2m31.057s	101.286mph
4.	Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes	600 Honda	2018	2m31.138s	101.232mph
5.	Ben Birchall/Tom Birchall	600 Honda	2016	2m31.964s	100.682mph
6.	Alan Founds/Jake Lowther	600 Yamaha	2019	2m32.567s	100.284mph
7.	Dave Molyneux/Dan Sayle	600 Yamaha	2017	2m34.958s	100.027mph
8.	Lee Crawford/Scott Hardie	600 Suzuki	2019	2m34.279s	99.808mph
9.	Nick Crowe/Dan Sayle	600 Honda	2007	2m33.341s	99.778mph
10.	Ian Bell/Carl Bell	600 Yamaha	2015	2m33.605s	99.606mph
11.	Conrad Harrison/Mike Aylott	600 Honda	2015	2m34.143s	99.258mph
12.	Klaus Klaffenbock/Dan Sayle	600 Honda	2011	2m34.821s	98.824mph
13.	Simon Neary/Jason Crowe	600 Honda	2011	2m34.836s	98.814mph
14.	Lewis Blackstock/Patrick Rosney	600 Honda	2018	2m35.816s	98.193mph
15.	Darren Hope/Paul Bumfrey	600 Suzuki	2018	2m35.998s	98.078mph
16.	Karl Bennett/Lee Cain	600 Suzuki	2016	2m36.746s	97.610mph
17.	Gary Bryan/Jamie Winn	600 Honda	2013	2m36.847s	97.547mph
18.	Wayne Lockey/Mark Sayers	600 Honda	2016	2m36.921s	97.501mph
19.	Greg Lambert/Kenny Cole	600 Honda	2013	2m37.446s	97.179mph
20.	Steven Coombes/Paul Knapton	600 Honda	2009	2m38.553s	96.498mph
21.	Glyn Jones/Richard Murphy	600 Suzuki	2011	2m38.575s	96.484mph
22.	Dean Lindley/Dean Kilkenny	600 Suzuki	2014	2m38.619s	96.458mph
23.	Steve Ramsden/Matty Ramsden	600 Honda	2017	2m38.715s	96.399mph
24.	Roy Hanks/Dave Wells	600 Yamaha	2002	2m38.80s	96.347mph
25.	Tony Baker/Shellie Smithies	600 Suzuki	2016	2m39.047s	96.198mph

Leading winners – Solos (10 or more)

Having made his debut in 1956, Cheshire’s Bill Smith had become the most successful rider ever at Billown by the 1970s with 13 wins to his credit including the Solo Championship of 1971.

However, it’s Welshman Ian Lougher who now holds the record with 32 wins between 1987 and 2013. He made his S100 debut in 1983 with his first win coming four years later in the 350cc race. He finally became the most successful rider in 2013, his final year in racing.

His win in that year’s Junior Solo Founders race saw him edge out Joey Dunlop whose 31 wins had long seen him out front. Making his debut in 1976, Joey was immediately successful winning that year’s Solo Championship and with his sixth win in the same race coming in 1999, some 23 years later, that total remains the best.

Dean Harrison has jumped up to third overall now having dominated in both the 2018 and 2019 meetings with five and six wins respectively. Just a solitary victory came his way in 2022 but, now sitting on 25 wins, he has a great chance of taking the top step if he maintains his form over the next few seasons.

Michael Dunlop lies in fourth overall but was out of luck at the 2019 meetings before taking another victory in 2022 and he’s two ahead of local rider Kenny Harrison. He was incredibly successful throughout the 1980s, throughout the classes, whilst he added more wins in the 1990s with the introduction of the Classic race.

Meanwhile, Dave Leach was another rider to enjoy success during the late 1980s and early 1990s especially in 1989 and 1990 and he has 17 wins to his name where he’s joined by recently retired Ryan Farquhar.

Chris Palmer, whose first win at the Southern, surprisingly didn’t come until 2005 is just behind them on 14 along with veteran David Madsen-Mygdal with the enigmatic Guy Martin one place further back on 13 alongside Bill Smith and William Dunlop.

	Rider	Wins
1.	Ian Lougher	32 (1987 – 2013)
2.	Joey Dunlop	31 (1976 – 1999)
3.	Dean Harrison	25 (2013 – 2022)
4.	Michael Dunlop	22 (2010 – 2022)
5.	Kenny Harrison	19 (1983 – 1994)
6.	Dave Leach	17 (1988 – 1995)
=	Ryan Farquhar	17 (2003 – 2012)
8.	David Madsen-Mygdal	14 (1997 – 2009)
=	Chris Palmer	14 (2005 – 2012)
10.	Bill Smith	13 (1956 – 1976)
=	Guy Martin	13 (2004 – 2015)
=	William Dunlop	13 (2007 – 2013)
13.	Bob Jackson	12 (1977 – 1998)
=	Jason Griffiths	12 (1993 – 2002)
15.	Derek Whalley	11 (1989 – 2000)
15.	Robert Dunlop	10 (1997 – 2006)
=	Barry Wood	10 (1991 – 2003)

 

Championship Wins (3 or more)

Some of motorcycling’s greatest names have won the feature Southern 100 Solo Championship including Phil Read, Charlie Williams, Ray McCullough, Tom Herron, Brian Reid and Phillip McCallen but it’s perhaps not surprising to see Joey Dunlop have the greatest tally with the Ballymoney legend winning the title on no less than six times.

He won at his very first attempt in 1976 and promptly won three years in a row and although he missed the meeting for much of the 1980’s, he was back in the 90’s where he added three more titles to his collection.

Regular rival Ian Lougher is next up on 5 titles and that places him one ahead of Guy Martin, who made no secret of the fact the Southern 100 was his favourite meeting.

They’re the only riders to have won four Championships or more but there are four riders who have been victorious on three occasions including the winner of the very first race in 1955, Liverpudlian Terry Shepherd. Bill Smith’s titles spanned twelve years whilst Jason Griffiths was one of the most successful riders at the meeting during the 1990s.

Michael Dunlop’s third championship win in 2016 saw him draw alongside Shepherd, Smith and Griffiths with Dean Harrison joining them in 2019 when he took his third Championship title in a row.

Rider	Wins	Years
Joey Dunlop	6	1976, 1977, 1978, 1991, 1993 and 1999
Ian Lougher	5	2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008
Guy Martin	4	2009, 2013, 2014 and 2015
Terry Shepherd	3	1955, 1956 and 1958
Bill Smith	3	1959, 1967 and 1971
Jason Griffiths	3	1994, 1996 and 1997
Michael Dunlop	3	2011, 2012 and 2016
Dean Harrison	3	2017, 2018 and 2019

Leading Winners – Sidecars (5 or more)

With the Sidecar class joining the Southern 100 programme in 1962, the first dominant force was Charlie Freeman who took six wins between 1962 and 1969 although it was Ken Allen who claimed the first Championship race in 1968.

In the 1970s, it was the likes of John Watson and Allan Steele who were very much the drivers to beat, the duo both taking two Championships each.

However, by the 1980s, there was a new driver on the block and it was Lowry Burton who became the most successful driver in the Southern’s history, a title he held for 15 years. Partnered firstly by Martin Murphy and then Pat Cushnahan, the Ulsterman won five Championships between 1980 and 1988.

2000 Sidecar Races…

The next two decades saw Dave Molyneux, Geoff Bell and Ian Bell all win numerous Championships although Scots ace Bill Davie took three in a row between 1993 and 1995. When the F2 class became the sole class on the schedule though, Molyneux took over and he finally battered Burton’s long-standing total of 12 wins. He currently has 15 although, somewhat surprisingly, his last one was as far back as 2003.

Ian Bell created history in 1999 when he became the first, and only, man to win both Sidecar and Solo Championships, the latter having been won in 1987. Indeed, the Bedlington motorcycle dealer took seven wins on two wheels to add to his six in the sidecar class.

Meanwhile, Nick Crowe took seven wins between 2004 and 2007 and would surely have won more had he not has his career-ending accident at the TT in 2009. He was joined on this total by Tim Reeves after the 2016 meeting but the five-time World Champion added another brace to his tally in 2018 to move to joint third on the list alongside Geoff Bell.

	Rider	Wins
1.	Dave Molyneux	15 (1985 – 2003)
2.	Lowry Burton	12 (1980 – 1988)
3.	Tim Reeves	10 (2013 – 2018)
4.	Geoff Bell	9 (1989 – 1996)
5.	Nick Crowe	7 (2004 – 2007)
=	Tim Reeves	7 (2013 – 2016)
7.	Charlie Freeman	6 (1962 – 1969)
=	Ian Bell	6 (1999 – 2014)
9.	Allan Steele	5 (1977 – 1979)
=	John Watson	5 (1972 – 1978)

Championship Wins (3 or more)

In a career that started over thirty years, not only does Dave Molyneux have the most individual race wins around Billown, he’s also won the most Sidecar championships with six coming his way between 1986 and 2003 – it’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since he last won the Championship although he hasn’t been ever present since then.

Charlie Freeman was the first three-wheel king at the S100 as he took five titles between 1962 and 1969, a total that was matched by Northern Ireland great Lowry Burton in the 1980s.

Nick Crowe took four Championship wins in four years in the 2000s, a figure that surely would have been higher had it not been for his career-ending crash at the TT in 2009. Tim Reeves matched this total in 2018 with his fourth success with the late Ian Bell the only other driver to have won three or more championships.

Riders	Wins	Years
Dave Molyneux	6	1986, 1991, 1992, 198, 2002 and 2003
Charlie Freeman	5	1962, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1969
Lowry Burton	5	1980, 1981, 1983, 1987 and 1988
Nick Crowe	4	2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007
Tim Reeves	4	2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018
Ian Bell	3	1999, 2000 and 2009

Lap Records 

Race	Rider(s)	Time	Speed	Year
Superbike/Outright	Dean Harrison (1000 Kawasaki)	2m10.835s	116.941mph	2022
Supersport 600	Michael Dunlop	2m17.423s	111.335mph	2017
Supertwins	Rob Hodson (650 Kawasaki)	2m24.342s	105.998mph	2022
250cc	Ian Lougher (250 Honda)	2m28.000s	103.378mph	2002
125cc	William Dunlop (125 Jonda)	2m37.107s	97.386mph	2009
Supersport 400cc	Roy Richardson (400 Yamaha)	2m36.224s	97.936mph	2009
Sidecar	Ryan Crowe/Callum Crowe (675 Triumph)	2m29.880s	102.398mph	2022
Classic 1000	Kenny Harrison	2m43.0s	93.865mph	1995
Classic 500	Alan Oversby	2m45.552s	94.418mph	2005
Classic 350	Paul Coward	2m52.54s	88.675mph	2004

Race Records

Race	Rider(s)	Time	Speed	Year
Superbike	Dean Harrison (1000 Kawasaki)	15m36.668s	114.341mph	2022 (7 laps)
Solo Championship	Davey Todd (1000 Honda)	19m50.613s	115.655mph	2022 (9 laps)
Supersport 600	Davey Todd (600 Honda)	16m15.967s	109.737mph	2022 (7 laps)
Supertwins	Rob Hodson (650 Kawasaki)	14m37.356s	104.633mph	2022 (6 laps)
250cc	Ian Lougher (250 Honda)	24m50.000s	102.068mph	2002 (10 laps)
125cc	William Dunlop (125 Honda)	15m57.103s	95.914mph	2009 (6 laps)
Supersport 400	Roy Richardson (400 Yamaha)	15m51.062s	96.524mph	2009 (6 laps)
Sidecar	Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley (600 LCR Honda)	20m24.167s	99.986mph	2022 (8 laps)
Classic 1000	Glen English	22m06.8s	92.252mph	1995 (8 laps)
Classic 500	Alan Oversby	16m49.739s	90.915mph	2005 (6 laps)
Classic 350	Ewan Hamilton	17m45.410s	86.164mph	2005 (6 laps)

Statistical information provided by Phil Wain. 

It’s now time to check out our Southern 100 Hall of Fame!