1975 Southern 100

1975 Southern 100 Road Races

8th & 9th July

1974 | 1976

Lightweight Southern 100 - 250cc

Race Report

Neil Tuxworth led every lap to win the 250 race on his water-cooled Yamaha. After a jet like start from the front row of the grid, he dominated the race and eventually won at a comfortable pace, 10 seconds ahead of 2nd place man Trevor Steele (Yamaha), a motorcycle mechanic from Dromara, Northern Ireland, who ran the race of his life.

The Irishman was in a lowly 13th place after lap 1, 8th on lap 2, 5th on lap 3, 4th on lap 4, 3rd on lap 7 and 2nd on lap 8 of the 12 lap race. He set the fastest lap in the race, 86.14 mph.

Race Report

					12 Laps

Position	Rider	Machine
1	Neil Tuxworth	Henstocks of Mansfield Yamaha
2	Trevor Steele	Yamaha
3	Roger Nott	Vin Duckett Motor Cycles Yamaha
4	John Holmes	Rea Yamaha
5	James Scott	Billy Nutt Motor Cycles Yamaha
6	Richard Burrows	Riley Crisp's Yamaha
7	Tony Dawson	Yamaha
8	John Hart	Yamaha
9	John Norris	Brockliss Motor Cycles Yamaha
10	Tom Loughridge	Yamaha



	Date	Rider	Machine	Time	Average Speed
Fastest Lap		Trevor Steele	Yamaha	2 min 57.60 secs	86.14 mph

Lap Record	1974	Ray McCullough	Irish Racing Motor Cycles Yamaha	2 min 55.00 secs	87.42 mph

Junior Southern 100 - 350cc

Race Report

Ray McCullough became the first rider to smash through the 90mph barrier at The Southern 100 road races in the Isle of Man last week. He won the 350cc race, breaking the lap record nine times and set a new lap record by blasting his 350cc Yamaha round the 4.25 mile closed road Billown circuit at Castletown, in 91.20mph, more than 2 mph faster than the current record set last year by Steve Tonkin. The 34-year-old Irishman also set a new 12 lap race record at 89.64 mph.

Although Ray McCullough reported a trouble free ride in the championship race, he was not so lucky in this one. He lost his clutch 2 laps from the end and his engine was running rich, but he still won by 21 seconds from Mervyn Robinson, a fitter from Ballymoney, County Antrim.

He also beat the old race record. In 3rd place was Tuxworth who lost his brakes on lap 1 and only just got around Cross Fourwinds corner.

Race Report

					12 Laps

Position	Rider	Machine
1	Ray McCullough	Irish Racing Motor Cycles Yamsel
2	Mervyn Robinson	O' Kane Yamaha
3	Neil Tuxworth	Henstocks of Mansfield Yamaha
4	David Williams	Yamaha
5	Richard Burrows	Riley Crisp's Yamaha
6	James Scott	Billy Nutt Motor Cycles Yamaha
7	Roger Sutcliffe	Wilson & Collins Yamaha
8	Gordon Pantall	Yamaha
9	John Norris	Brockliss Motor Cycles Yamaha
10	Richard Swallow	Yamaha



	Date	Rider	Machine	Time	Average Speed
Fastest Lap	New Lap Record	Ray McCullough	Irish Racing Motor Cycles Yamsel	2 min 47.80 secs	91.17 mph

Lap Record	1974	Steve Tonkin	Dennis Pratt Yamaha	2 min 51.40 secs	89.26 mph

Senior Southern 100 - 750cc

Race Report

Bill Smith (700cc Yamaha) won the 750cc race convincingly. Although not on the front row of the grid Smith soon hit the front and stayed there for the whole race, recording a record race speed and the fastest lap.

Race Report

					12 Laps

Position	Rider	Machine
1	Bill Smith	700cc Bill Smith Motors Yamaha
2	Les Trotter	492cc Eddie Crooks Suzuki
3	Roger Sutcliffe	492cc Eddie Crooks Suzuki
4	Alan Jones	Seeley
5	Norman Dunn	354cc Yamaha
6	David Ashton	Triumph
7	Bill Fulton	Staffordshire Motor Cycles BSA
8	Roger Wilson	492cc Eddie Crooks Suzuki
9	George Ridgeon	496cc Cheltenham Motor Club Matchless
10	Peter Swallow	499cc Norton



	Date	Rider	Machine	Time	Average Speed
Fastest Lap		Bill Smith	700cc Bill Smith Motors Yamaha	2 min 53.00 secs	88.43 mph

Lap Record	1974	Pete McKinley	354cc Padgetts of Batley Yamaha	2 min 15.16 secs	89.16 mph

Senior Southern 100 Championship - 750cc

Race Report

After the first lap of the 21st Southern 100 championship race Ray McCullough was in 3rd place behind fellow countryman Mervyn Robinson (350cc Yamsel), newcomer Neil Tuxworth (350cc Yamaha) and the first of the big bikes, Bill Smith’s 700cc Yamaha.

By lap 2, however, McCullough took the lead, which he never relinquished. He eventually won the race by 19.6 seconds.

Veteran Smith ran his usual steady race on the bumpy roads, but his big Yamaha was no match for the two lighter 350s in front of him.

Welshman Gordon Pantall (350 Yamaha) who had terrible starts in all his races was in 27th place on the first lap, but sliced his way through the field to eventually finish equal 5th with James Scott (350cc Yamaha).

First non-Yamaha bikes home were the 500cc Crooks Suzuki’s of Les Trotter and Roger Sutcliffe, who finished in 8th and 9th places respectively.

John Holmes, another of the Irish racers who had made the crossing to the Isle of Man snatched a very good 11th place on a 250cc Yamaha.

Race Report

					12 Laps

Position	Rider	Machine
1	Ray McCullough	348cc Irish Racing Motor Cycles Yamaha
2	Mervyn Robinson	348cc O' Kane Yamaha
3	Bill Smith	700cc Bill Smith Motors Yamaha
4	David Williams	350cc Yamaha
5	Gordon Pantall	Two Wheel Services Suzuki
	James Scott	348cc Billy Nutt Motor Cycles Yamaha
7	Richard Swallow	348cc Yamaha
8	Les Trotter	492cc Eddie Crooks Suzuki
9	Roger Sutcliffe	492cc Eddie Crooks Suzuki
10	Richard Burrows	347cc Riley Crisp's Yamaha



	Date	Rider	Machine	Time	Average Speed
Fastest Lap	New Lap Record	Ray McCullough	348cc Irish Racing Motor Cycles Yamaha	2 min 47.60 secs	91.20 mph

Lap Record	1974	Pete McKinley	354cc Padgetts of Batley Yamaha	2 min 15.16 secs	89.16 mph

Southern 100 - 1000cc

						12 Laps

Position	Rider	CC	Machine
1	Danny Shimmin	700	Yamaha
2	Malcolm Moffatt	351	Yamaha
3	Stephen Davies	246	Yamaha
4	Colin Bevan	498	Kawasaki
5	D. Davies	354	Yamaha
6	G. Kelly	745	Norton
7	Bill Swallow	499	Swallow Velocette
8	David Ashton	750	Triumph
9	J. Greene	750	Triumph
10	John Cousins	492	Suzuki



	Date	Rider	CC	Machine	Time	Average Speed
Fastest Lap		Gordon Pantall	500	Sparton	2 min 50.40 secs	89.78 mph

Lap Record	1975	Ray McCullough	348	Irish Racing Motor Cycles Yamaha	2 min 47.80 secs	91.17 mph

Sidecar Southern 100 - 1000cc

Race Report

The race program started with an extended 9 lap sidecar race instead of the usual 6 lapper and most of the crews must have wished it had not been lengthened.

Graham Hilditch and Kevin Littlemore (998cc Grangeside Imp) dominated the race and on lap 7 of 12, they led by 1 minute from Malcolm White (850cc Weslake).

Out of the 24 starters, only 9 finished and only 7 completed all the laps.

Race Report

						9 Laps

Position	Rider	Passenger	CC	Machine
1	David Houghton	Bob Page	760	Konig
2	Bill Hall	Peter Minion	745	Wilemans Norton
3	Larry Walker	Paul Saunders	680	Konig
4	Steve Grainger	Graham Bettison	900	Honda
5	Keith Griffin	Malcolm Sharrocks	850	Weslake
6	John Phillips	David Miller	740	Weslake
7	Arhtur Oates	Edward Oates	744	BSA
8	M. Smith	D. Hindmarsh	740	Windrick BSA



	Date	Rider	Passenger	CC	Machine	Time	Average Speed
Fastest Lap		Graham Hilditch	Kevin Littlemore	998	Grangeside Imp	3 min 12.00 secs	79.68 mph

Lap Record

Sidecar Southern 100 Championship - 1000cc

Race Report

Drama began on the warm up lap in the Sidecar Championship race, with last year’s winners Steve Rowe and Alan Jones (850cc RJS JAP) cruising around to the start, but being unable to start the race due to trouble with the electrics.

Even more drama came a second after the flag dropped. The winner of the opening sidecar race Dave Houghton (760cc Konig) stopped 6 yards from the start line to rip off his fairing. Brian Kelsey (Kawasaki) was right behind him and in getting around he knocked Houghton over into the sidecar. The bad start kept him well down the field and he finished in 13th place.

Then drama struck again. Hilditch stopped with a burnt out clutch. This blew the whole race wide open.

2nd place Malcolm White (850cc Weslake) was forced to slow down with a sick motor and with 3rd placed Larry Walker (680cc Konig) crashing without injury at Ballakeighan at half distance, Bill Hall and Peter Minion (Norton) from Mickleover, Derby, took over the lead on lap 9.

Bill Hall and Peter Minion won by a comfortable 18 seconds from Robert Philpott (Weslake), who took 2nd place on the last lap from Mick Wortley (956 MDW).

White kept his ailing plot going and eventually finished in 7th place.

The best dice in the race was between Keith Griffin (Weslake) and Arthur Oates (BSA) which ended when Griffin grabbed 4th place by just 1 yard.

Race Report

						9 Laps

Position	Rider	Passenger	CC	Machine
1	Bill Hall	Peter Minion	745	Wilemans Norton
2	Robert Philpott	Michael Buxton	740	Weslake
3	Mick Wortley	Ralph Crellin	956	MDW
4	Keith Griffin	Malcolm Sharrocks	850	Weslake
5	Arhtur Oates	Edward Oates	744	BSA
6	George Oates	John Molyneux	680	Konig
7	Malcolm White	Philip Oliver	850	Tri-Fly Weslake
8	D. Hemstock	William Innocent	750	Terry Windle BSA
9	Brian Rostron	Ian Gemmell	998	Chrysler Imp
10	John Phillips	David Miller	740	Weslake



	Date	Rider	Passenger	CC	Machine	Time	Average Speed
Fastest Lap		Graham Hilditch	Kevin Littlemore	998	Grangeside Imp	3 min 10.20 secs	80.44 mph

Lap Record