Southern 100: Sunshine, Sidecars & Too much Ice Cream…

Well… that’s the 2026 Southern 100 done and I’m already on a downer that it’s over.

We kicked things off by taking the bikes over on the ferry from Heysham and honestly, there’s no better feeling than rolling off that boat onto the Isle of Man.

The evening practice sessions were absolutely spot on and the weather actually decided to behave itself! Sunshine, great company and road racing - honestly there and then cemented in my mind exactly why I fell in love with Motorbikes in the first place. We spent some time at Joey’s Gate, soaking up the sunshine and watching the Bikes fly past. Although I did UNWILLINGLY provide a bit of entertainment myself… managed to stall the bike trying to park in the world’s bumpiest field and very nearly dropped it and hit the deck. If anyone was wondering, no, I won’t be entering any enduro events anytime soon. Think I’ll be sticking to roads. 🤣

We also headed over to Church Bends, if you’ve never been there during S100 week, get it on your list! The atmosphere there is great (a little busy) but it’s brilliant. There’s just something about standing that close to the action. 

One of the best things of the week though, was getting to explore even more of the Island on the Bikes. Every time you think you’ve found your favourite bit, you end up finding somewhere even better. It’s impossible not to fall in love with the place...

Now then… my favourite part… THE CLASSIC SIDECARS!

Anyone who knows me knows I’m an absolute SUCKER for a sidecar, so getting to watch the classic sidecar outfits was honestly one of the highlights of the whole trip. They’re absolutely bonkers but in the best possible way. I could happily stand and watch them all day long.

We were also absolutely made up to see Dan Sayle bag himself 2 x P1’s. Absolutely mega! 👏🏻

Somewhere between all of that, we managed to consume what can only be described as a concerning amount of ice-cream, my Bike definitely felt a bit slower on the way home… 👀🤣

Now we’ve been back to reality for almost a week. Bikes unpacked, flies washed off everything and still wondering how a week can disappear so quickly. Absolutely gutted it’s over, but what a week it’s been!

Roll on next year… although hopefully we won’t be waiting that long and can get over for the Manx/Classic!