Southern 100 Racing held a meeting of its senior race officials on Wednesday evening 18th March to discuss the running of the 2020 Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Southern 100 Road Races either on the scheduled dates of 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th July or possibly postpone them until later in the year.
It was decided after discussion regarding the present and on-going situation regarding the Coronavirus 19 crisis and the announcement by the Isle of Man Government’s Chief Minister earlier today that the current situation could continue for at least a further six months and after consultation with the club’s Chief Medical Officer regarding the availability of Doctors and Paramedics to cover the races, many of whom travel from the UK, that it is unlikely that they will able to leave their respective positions, we would have insufficient cover to run the races on the scheduled dates or any other.
The Doctors, Paramedics and other medical people who live on the Island will be similarly occupied at Nobles & Ramsey Cottage Hospital and other Medical practices and will like their UK counterparts will be involved with the COVID-19 cover and unlikely to be allowed to take leave.
Added to the lack of medical cover there is also the likelihood of a shortage of Race Marshals due to travel restrictions presently in place which may well be increased between now and July and could result in less than the required number of marshals available to man the 4.25-mile Colas Billown Course.
It was therefore decided by the Race Committee, very reluctantly to announce the cancellation of the 2020 Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Southern 100 Road Races.
The Committee left it was better to take this decision now, rather than defer on a monthly basis in the hope that Medical cover would become available at the ‘last minute’.
Whilst it is major disappointment for the race organisers, we know that the announcement will be met with a similar response from competitors and race fans who enjoy attending the ‘friendly races’ year on year and Southern 100 Racing look forward to welcoming you all back to the Billown Course in 2021.
This also means that the postponement of the Blackford’s Pre-TT Classic Road Races announced in a Media Release on Monday 16th March are now also cancelled. Competitors who have entered will be contacted by the Race or Club Secretary in the next few days.
The dates of the 2021 Road Races on the Billown Course are:
Blackford’s Pre-TT Classic Road Races
Friday, Saturday & Monday 28th, 29th & 31st May 2021
Silicone Racing Post TT Road Races
Saturday 12th June 2010
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Southern 100 Road Races
Due to Government advice regarding the avoidance of mass gatherings, slowing the spread of the virus and not tying up essential NHS resource during the current situation, we have taken the unavoidable decision to postpone the Spring Cup from 18th / 19th April and we will be seeking approval from The ACU and Scarborough Borough Council to run the event as The Summer Cup over the weekend of the 15th / 16th August 2020.
All Spring Cup and Season tickets will be valid for the new dates and if anyone purchasing advanced or season tickets cannot or does not wish to attend the Summer Cup, they will be able to receive a refund.
At present, the Oliver’s Mount Festival, Barry Sheene Classic and Gold Cup events remain in the calendar as planned, but will be subject to further review as the situation progresses.
A further post will be released to update how those wishing to obtain a refund on tickets already purchased should progress once we have established a refund process with our ticketing partners, Duke Marketing Ltd.
We are very sorry for the inconvenience, especially for those that have booked accommodation etc. but hopefully it is apparent that we have tried our best to go ahead with The Spring Cup until postponement became inevitable.
Those who disobey new quarantine rules on Island around Coronavirus would face prosecution.
Chief Minister, Howard Quayle MHK, has announced this afternoon anyone arriving on Island by sea or air will have to self-isolate for 14 days as of tomorrow in efforts to prevent the global spread of COVID-19.
Health Minister, David Ashford MHK, confirmed it will be classed as an offence if those required to self-isolate are found not to be adhering to those restrictions.
Government officials have confirmed there are still no cases of the illness on Island.
As organisers of the Isle of Man TT Races, it is with deep regret that we must cancel the 2020 event. We share in the disappointment of having no TT in this year, but whole heartedly support any decision that helps to ensure the continued health and wellbeing of all residents, riders and visitors.
Staging the TT is no small undertaking and it simply wouldn’t be possible without the assistance, support and goodwill of countless businesses, organisations and volunteers. We will be talking to each and every one of you over the coming days and weeks about our next steps, but would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience and understanding.
Both the Isle of Man and the TT Races have a long, incredible history, and have time and again proved to be as strong and resilient as they are unique. With the continued love and support of all TT fans, we can be confident that the greatest road race in the world will soon return and light up our lives once more.
As previously announced, the first big news of the starting season is Santander Salt Ltd & RKB Motorsport, Roger Body’s companies are joining FIM’ s force to promote and develop the FIM Sidecar World Championship.
Despite some recent changes due to Coronavirus, and subject to further developments, the 2020 FIM Sidecar Word Championship Calendar with some exciting changes and additions is now confirmed.
The first round of the Sidecar World Championship was due to run with the World Endurance at Le Mans on 18/19 April, which has been postponed to 5/6 September. We wait to hear if the Sidecar round will be moved to the same date with it.
Entry form International F1 & F2 sidecar races TT-circuit Assen May 22-24 2020 available!
Register now! The entree fee can be payed later.
Join these International races at the Cathedral of Speed and race for the F1 or F2 podium (*Belgian teams will race for the Belgian championship as well)
Event: Ducati Club Race 2020
Schedule:
Friday May 22 Free practice (25 min) and Qualifying 1
Saturday May 23 Qualifying 2 and Race 1
Sunday May 24 Race 2 (early afternoon)
Entry fee € 375
For more info or the entry form please send an email to sidecar.racing.international@gmail.com
Isle of Man Sidecar TT legend Dan Sayle has today (Monday) announced his retirement from all forms of motorcycle racing with immediate effect.
The 38-year old, an eight-time TT winner as passenger for Dave Molyneux, Klaus Klaffenbock and Tim Reeves, suffered life-changing injuries after an accident at Ballaspur during the 2018 Lightweight Classic TT race and although doctors feared he may never walk again, he remarkably fought back to race at last year’s event. However, the legacy of his injuries mean he is no longer able to compete at the level he’s become accustomed to, either on two wheels or three, and unable to withstand another crash, so has decided the time has now come to call time on his illustrious career.
Hailing from Sulby, Sayle started his career on two wheels but in 2002 he competed in the TT for the first time, lapping at more than 104mph on his way to 12th place with Glyn Jones in the second Sidecar race, and just a year later he took his first podium after finishing third with Greg Lambert. His reputation rapidly soared and he linked up with Dave Molyneux the following year, going on to not only win both TT races but also set a new outright lap record.
A year later, the duo took another win and increased their lap record to 116.04mph, shattering their previous record of 113.17mph. In 2007, he joined forces with another Manxman, Nick Crowe, and although they were forced to retire from both races, they raised the outright lap record to 116.667mph, a mark that would remain unbroken for eight years.
The next two years saw him reunited with Molyneux with another victory coming in 2009 whilst a move to the chair of Klaffenbock in 2010 saw him enjoy more success with three victories at the TT coming in the next four races.
Reeves then recruited him for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, with Sayle’s eighth victory coming in the first race of 2013. Two further podiums followed in 2015, this time with John Holden, with his 14th and final sidecar TT podium coming in the opening race of 2017 when he took third place with Molyneux.
His record of eight sidecar TT wins as a passenger is the joint second highest of all time alongside Rick Long, second only to Tom Birchall’s ten victories, whilst his 14 podiums is the most in the history of the event, a record he shares with German legend Wolfgang Kalauch.
Remarkably, at the conclusion of the 2015 TT, Sayle held four of the top six fastest laps ever seen on the Mountain Course with Crowe, Holden, Klaffenbock and Reeves and had also lapped at more than 116mph with three drivers – Crowe, Molyneux and Holden.
Having taken wins with Molyneux (4), Klaffenbock (3), Reeves (1) and additional podiums with Holden and Lambert, it’s clear to see why he’s rightly recognised as one of the greatest TT sidecar passengers of all time.
Four Southern 100 Championship wins were also taken but as well as his three-wheel exploits, Sayle was also extremely successful on two wheels and took second in the 2006 Manx Grand Prix Lightweight Newcomers race finishing behind Michael Dunlop. He also won the Isle of Man 125cc Championship that year. In 2008, he took second place behind Ian Lougher in the 125cc Ultra Lightweight TT race, held on the Billown circuit, and then took an excellent win on a 250cc Honda in the Lightweight Manx Grand Prix. He repeated the victory the following year when, lapping at more than 114mph, he defeated Neil Kent by just 0.23s in one of the closest races ever witnessed on the Mountain Course.
Rostrums continued to flow at the Southern 100 and he showed he could also master the four-strokes with third place coming in the 2011 Senior Manx Grand Prix on a 600cc Yamaha. Seventh place in the inaugural Formula One Classic TT on Bob Jackson’s RC30 Honda continued to show his amazing versatility. A third Manx Grand Prix victory came in 2016 when he won the Lightweight race once more, this time riding a 250cc Moto 3 machine, whilst another 125cc Isle of Man Championship was added in 2017. A lap of almost 118mph on a 250cc Yamaha saw him lie in second place to Bruce Anstey in the 2017 Lightweight Classic TT race before he was forced to retire on the third lap and although the crash at the same meeting the following year left him fighting for his life, he made an emotional return last September and took sixth and seventh in the Junior and Lightweight races.
Speaking about his decision, Sayle said; “I’ve had a real good run, better than most, but sadly due to a few factors like my ongoing injuries from the crash at the 2018 Classic TT, I cannot withstand another tumble. I always said that when I felt concerned or wasn’t enjoying it the same I would stop and whilst this has been a long decision over the winter and one I’ve taken with lots of advice from the doctors, my decision is final. If I were to carry on, it would be selfish and I don’t want the feeling of leaving a hole in the lives of my loved ones.”“After the injuries I received in 2018, my finest moment in racing is probably last year’s Classic TT after lying in hospital not even knowing if I would even be able to walk again. I rode as hard as I could and sat in my van for a good while afterwards in pain. It was my hardest race ever and I pretty much knew then it was over so I’m happy to bow out on a high. I’ve had so many people help me over the years and it would take me another year to count all of them but I’d like to thank everybody that has helped me in any form over my time in racing. I have other avenues I want to go down now and enjoy my life doing what I like doing and my other interests. I’ve had a good run and it’s time to slow down.”
Pictures by Stephen Davison (SD), Mark Walters (MW) and Phil Wain (PW)
Marin Motorsports & Leeds Parcel Company Join Forces With Team A.R.C. For 2020 Campaign
Lee Crawford and Scott Hardie are aiming to build on their impressive foundations on the short circuits and at the “real road” courses over the last few years in the coming season. The highlight of 2020 looks set to be the Isle of Man TT Races, where Lee will make his debut as a driver, although Scott has already put two successful visits under his belt, with a best finishing position to date of ninth place in Race B in 2019.
Multiple champions, Ben and Tom Birchall will be taking some time away from racing in the “FIM World Championship”. At the last round of 2019 in “Estoril” Portugal, “Birchall Racing” sold their former championship-winning “LCR” Yamaha to Dutch sidecar driver Kees Endeveld. This left some people wondering would the Birchall Brothers, Ben and Tom start the 2020 season with a new “LCR” chassis, powered with Yamaha engines.
Unfortunately, this is not to be. It was decided by the team that it was time to take a break from racing on the world scene to spend more time with their young families, continue to develop their LCR chassis and focus their racing efforts closer to home on the smaller F2 machine.
Driver Ben said, “It was a very hard decision to make, but if I was totally honest, I was not really enjoying my racing at the world level. A lot of things have happened over the last couple of years. By spending more time in the UK, we can focus on racing the F2 outfit as well as having longer to enjoy family life and develop the LCR bikes even more. There’s definitely more development that we can do to the F2 machine, but as for the F1 chassis, we would like to develop and try to improve that too, but it will be hard, as it’s nearly perfect as it is.”
Ben and Tom have been racing together every year since 2004.
But remember people, this is not retirement; this is taking some time out racing the F1 Chassis. Let’s hope the Birchall Brothers, Ben and Tom, will be back in the world championship paddock very soon.
Simon Gilbert is trying to get a list together of sidecar teams who would take part in a 2 day test at Blyton Park (near Gainsborough) end of February/early March.
Simon would have to hire the circuit and get everyone to share the cost – so is looking for at least 10 teams for both days to get the cost down to 300 for the weekend, the more people go the cheaper it will get. This is comparable to a club meeting entry price but of course a load more track time, basically open circuit.
The date is not set yet, this is to gauge interest so speak to Si and when he has a few people interested he will work everything out. You can find more details of Blyton Park on their website, click the logo below.
For Simon’s contact details please click read more!
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