2014 Southern 100 Results
Guy Martin has said many times that the Southern 100 on the Isle of Man’s Billown Circuit is his favorite road race.
Besides the sheer excitement of the 4.25-mile circuit that utilizes public roads like the Isle of Man TT, the Southern 100 also has a mass start – no staggered starts like the TT.
This often leads to first-corner crashes, as it did this year (Conor Cummins broke his forearm Wednesday evening in the 600cc race).
And of course, Martin’s favorite race of the Southern 100 is the big one – the Manx Gas Solo Championship that pits dozens of 1000cc and 600cc machines together for nine laps.
The 15-time Isle of Man TT podium finisher Martin arrived at the 2014 Southern 100 as the Solo title holder, and left the race in the same position. This was after winning his third Southern 100 Solo Championship Thursday.
But it didn’t come easy for the Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 pilot amid a 29-rider grid. Martin battled intensely with RC Express Kawasaki’s Dean Harrison for the entire race.
The 25-year-old Bradford native Harrison led most of the race, but was bet to the checkered flag by a mere 0.616 of a second. En route aboard his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Harrison also set a new lap record at the Southern 100 – a 114.601mph.
Taking the final podium position behind Harrison and the Lincolnshire pilot Martin was Suzuki’s Dan Keen.
As for 11-time Isle of Man TT rider Michael Dunlop, he was forced to retire in both the 600cc and Solo Championship races.
Speaking after the race, Martin said: “The boys have had late nights tweaking this and that for me with the bikes, so full credit to them for a big effort this week, but what a race.
“To retain my Solo Championship title is just mint. We dipped inside my old outright lap record, the pace was that hot, but fair play to Dean; he ended-up going that little bit quicker. It’s not a bad trade-off though losing the lap record for the Solo Championship, is it? But to win this again is just mega; absolutely mega. The bike worked well today and the Metzeler tires were faultless. All good.”
Martin’s Team Manager, Philip Neill, also discussed the win: “What can we say about Guy Martin? When the chips are down he can pull one out of the bag. The Solo Championship is the one they all want to win, so I can understand why Guy is so pleased.
“The pace was hot throughout and both Guy and Dean dipped inside the old outright lap record today, showing the continued pedigree of the Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike. He really had to fight for that one today, which hopefully shows his critics how much he wants to win the big races. It sets him up well now for the Ulster Grand Prix next month, where he will again be looking to defend his title.”
Manx Gas Solo Championship Results:
1. Guy Martin (Tyco Suzuki)
2. Dean Harrison (Kawasaki)
3. Dan Kneen (Suzuki)
4. James Cowton (Honda)
5. Russ Mountford (Honda)
6. Ryan Kneen (Kawasaki)
7. Seamus Elliot (Kawasaki)
8. Davy Morgan (Honda)
9. Mark Goodings (Kawasaki)
10. Mark Parrett (BMW)
Photography by Wayne Freestone
