SuperBike Magazine July 2020

The six-lap 250cc race was a benefit for Dave
Chadwick on Reg Dearden’s Special, leading
from start to finish. A five second advantage at
the end of lap one increased to 39 by the end of
the six laps, over runner-up John Patrick, Velocette.
The remarkable 56-year-old Frank Cope
finished third on his Norton, only 11 seconds
behind Patrick, despite overshooting Alexandra
Bridge on the opening lap.
Castletown man Ennett made a great but
vain attempt to achieve the “double” in the Senior
race, over 24 laps of the rectangular circuit
a distance of 100 miles, from where the meeting
takes its name. His bid failed on the final lap
when a piston on the twin cylinder Matchless
collapsed. At the time he was 100 yards behind
the ultimate winner, Norton mounted Terry Shepherd
who had taken the lead on lap eight.
Second was Alastair King
whilst Derek ‘toured’ in to take
third place. Liverpudlian Shepherd’s
race time was 1 hour 18
minutes 11.8 seconds; an average
speed of 78.26 miles per hour,
whilst on his ninth lap he set the
fastest lap of the race taking 3
minutes 9 seconds to lap the
course, which equates to 80.95
mph.
A further ding-dong contest
between locals George Costain,
Norton, and Jackie Wood, BSA,
lasted ten laps until Costain
missed a gear and was forced to
retire with a protesting engine.
The first Southern 100 Road
Races was described by some
journalists of the time as an
ambitious three race programme,
however not content with organising
the races, the Southern (IOM)
Motorcycle Club put on a Motorcycle
Gymkhana at Castletown
Stadium to round off the day!
Such was the success of the
first meeting that plans were put
in place for the following year
with a similar programme of three
races, which continued through
to 1960.
Four races on the programme &
a Dead Heat!
1961 saw the introduction of a fourth race to
the programme for 125cc machines. This race
was to introduce diminutive Gary Dickinson, the
smallest man in road racing, to the Southern
‘100’ spectators who naturally took him to their
hearts.
During that first 125cc race, try as he might
Dickinson could not catch winner Dan Shorey
from Banbury, on a Bultaco. Dickinson led a
host of pursuing Ducati’s to take second place
ahead of Fron Purslow, Alan Dugdale and Arthur
Wheeler.
1955 Terry Shepherd (Norton) Winner 500cc Race
1961 - John Hartle on the 250cc ‘works’ Honda 4-cylinder
machine, looking where the opposition is!