SuperBike Magazine July 2020

SOUTHERN100
HISTORY OF Prior to the 1954 Manx Grand Prix success of Derek Ennett, George Costain and Sid Mizen, the Southern Motorcycle
Club held their race meetings at Andreas Airfield.
Article by
George Costain, Derek Ennett and Sid Mizen
carried shoulder high in Castletown Square
with the Mayor of the town
As a result of double win at
the Manx, the Southern club
decided there should be a race
in the south of the Island and to
hold a meeting on what was to
become known as the Billown circuit.
In the early 1950s, the Isle of Man
Government decided to build a by-pass to
avoid the town centre of Castletown, and
whilst traffic was minimal compared to
today’s motorised Island, the by-pass provided
an integral part of the new course.
The first meetings to set up the organisation
were held in the Station Hotel, now
the Viking, in Castletown, which is where
the Ennett family lived. This band of gentlemen
with foresight also used to meet on
a Sunday morning in the Control Tower at
Ronaldsway Airport, with Theo Watterson.
In between landing planes, the time was
taken up planning the Southern ‘100’!
Amongst the first committee were,
George Costain and Joe Mylchreest, who
officially measured the circuit, using the
official ‘chain’ measure (22 yards) and
walked around the course measuring down
the centre line of the road. The total official
distance was, and still is 4.25-miles.
Tynwald and the Southern ‘100’
The organisers of the proposed new event
approached Tynwald, the Island’s Government
for assistance in running this first
venture in the south of the Island. The reply,
after consideration by the Tynwald Race
Committee was surprising to say the least,
the report is shown below:
The Tynwald Races Committee Report
on the 1954 major sporting events was
presented to the April sitting of Tynwald on
19th April 1955.
The Southern Motor Cycling Club
had also approached the Committee for
financial support for a Motorcycle Race to
be held in the South of the Island on 14th
July 1955. The Committee, however, was
not prepared to recommend Government
financial assistance to the race.
Despite this set back, the club persevered
with organising the first Southern
‘100’ and local business man T H Colebourn,
stepped in and put up £100 to secure the
races on 14th July 1955.
Happily, since that initial rebuff, the Isle
of Man Government, via the Department
of Tourism have given their full approval of
the Southern ‘100’, along with tremendous
support over the years and continue to do
so.