Taubman honoured

Southern 100 Stalwart Phil Taubman has been awarded an MBE in the 2017 Newyear’s Honours List for services to Motorcycle sport and to the Manx Community. Philtaubman got involved with the first running of the Southern 100 in 1955, assisting in setting out the now famous Billown Course for what the media called an ambitious three-race programme, which was successfully run on Thursday, July 14. At that time the races were run by the Southern Motorcycle Club Committee, which Phil joined in 1961 and he followed this by becoming a member of the Southern MCC Race Committee in 1964. In 1968 he became the Club Catering Officer and, apparently, he still cooks a good bacon and egg breakfast! In 1970 Phil was Paddock Marshal, in 1975 he became Chairman of the Race Committee and then in 1978 he was made the Clerk of the Course for the Billown Course. 1981 saw the Southern 100 Motorcycle Racing Club take over the organising of the July races, with Phil still in position as the Clerk of the Course, a role he eventually stepped down from at the end of 2015 after 38 years. In 2002 Phil was made Chairman of Southern 100 Racing, a position he still holds today. Since 1955 and up to and including 2015, Phil has seen the Southern 100 grow from a fledgling club meeting to a fully Fim-authorised International Road Race – one of just four that are held in the British Isles annually. Away from the Southside Billown Course, Phil has been involved with thett Races, the Manx Grand Prix and latterly the Classic TT for many years, including being Clerk of the Course for the Manx Grand Prix (now the Festival of Motorcycling) from 2008 - 2015. He is also involved with the short circuit road races organised by the Andrea Racing Association at Jurby Autodrome. Phil has dedicated over 60 years of his life to the sport of motorcycle road racing and is just as passionate about ‘his’ sport today, if not more so, as he was when he first got involved back in 1955 with his best mate, the late Gordon Clague. Southern 100 Racing congratulates Philtaubman MBE on his well-deserved award, but he will not have much time to rest on his laurels, as the three races being run on the Billown Course in 2017 need to be organised and the course needs to be set-up once again for the ‘Friendly Races’.