The 2010 Southern 100 Races were launched last weekend, with a media gathering on Friday evening (12th February) and a dinner the following night.
The media launch, held at Ronaldsway Social Club, was attended by riders past and present, sponsors, marshals, film crews and people involved in all aspects of organising the Races.
One very special guest was star rider Ryan Farquhar (pictured), who described the 2009 Southern 100 as "one of the hardest weekds I've ever had".
The Dungannon racer enjoyed a fantastic season in 2009, taking more than 60 wins, earning his fourth Duke Road Rankings title and breaking Joey Dunlop's record for the most Irish road race wins.
Reflecting on the year, he described the Southern 100 – which is held around the 4.25 mile Billown circuit in the south of the Isle of Man – as his toughest test.
Farquhar narrowly missed out on the prestigious Solo Championship when he was baulked by a backmarker, the victory going instead to Guy Martin.
He said, "The Southern stands out in my mind as a really good one. It was one of the hardest weeks I’ve ever had, every race was a dogfight."
Asked whether he could improve on his record-breaking year, Farquhar said, "It’s going to be very difficult, but in 2009 there were a whole load of races I was leading and silly things happened, so it could have been an even better year."
The event also saw the launch of two more road racing events promoted by the Southern 100 Club - the Blackford's Pre-TT Classic (which takes place from 28th-31st May) and the Post-TT Road Races, scheduled for 12th June.
The staging of the Post-TT Races looked to be in doubt at one stage when, in November 2009, the Department of Tourism and Leisure announced that it was pulling its sponsorship. Fortunately, Manx Telecom stepped into the breach. Representing the company, Head of Marketing Voirrey Barron gave a short speech in which she said that Manx Telecom was proud to be associated with the Races and looked forward to helping to make them a success.
Minister for Tourism Martyn Quayle MHK had been invited to the event but was not in attendence. Also invited but unable to attend were Chief Minister Tony Brown MHK, David Cretney MHK and Juan Turner MHK.
The 2009 Southern 100 is credited as one of the most dramatic in the event’s history. There was fierce competition in all 16 races, with just tenths of a second deciding the outcome of the mass-start contests.
The launch event was silenced when excerpts of the Official DVD Review of the 2009 event were played, the incredible drama captured by the 40 cameras deployed by Greenlight Television drawing everyone’s attention.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of the first racing held at Billown, and Farquhar paid tribute to the volunteers and backers who ensure the events go ahead.
He said, "The Southern really is a friendly event. What makes it special is the communication between the club and the riders. Everyone is treated fairly, everyone is made to feel so welcome – I cannot wait to come back this year."
The Southern 100 takes place from 12th-15th July and will once more be sponsored by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.
