Southern 100: Davey Todd retains Solo Championship crown in record-breaking feature race with Dean Harrison - Michael Dunlop third
Davey Todd won the blue riband Ellan Vannin Fuels Solo Championship race at the 70th anniversary Steam Packet Southern 100 on Thursday for the third consecutive time.
In scorching conditions around the Billown course on the Isle of Man, Todd (8TEN Racing BMW) lifted the silverware after a record-breaking race from Dean Harrison (Honda) and Michael Dunlop (MD Racing BMW).
The 29-year-old was celebrating a Thursday double after winning the Steam Packet Senior race to make it a four-timer at the 2025 meeting, with Todd also sealing a Supersport and Superbike brace on Wednesday.
Todd and Harrison recorded the first 117mph laps around the 4.25-mile course as Harrison’s previous lap record of 116.941mph set in 2022 was obliterated.
Todd clocked 117.414mph on the penultimate lap of nine as he attempted to make a break for it, but it was Harrison who reclaimed the absolute record on the last lap with a speed of 117.541mph (2m 10.167s).
However, it wasn’t enough as Todd took the win by 0.413s from Harrison, with Dunlop six seconds down in third.
Todd set a new race record for the nine-lap finale in 19m 55.381s.
Manx rider Nathan Harrison had been holding fourth on the H&H Motorcycles Honda but retired on the eighth lap.
Yorkshireman Jamie Coward (KTS Racing BMW) finished fourth, 25.4s behind Dunlop, with Mike Browne (Honda) and Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Honda) the top six.
Todd has now matched Dunlop and Harrison, who have also won the Solo Championship crown three times.
Joey Dunlop holds the record for six victories in the prestigious race.
Todd clinched his first win in 2022 and retained the number one plate last year after the 2023 meeting was abandoned following a fatal accident that claimed the life of Irish rider Alan Connor and a race marshal.
“I didn’t want to show all my cards and I think everybody was the same, and kept something in hand for the last race,” Todd said.
“It’s the one everybody wants to win and Dean was right behind me, so I let him past with a couple of laps left because I wanted to sit in behind him for a bit.
“He tried to slow the pace up and get others involved, as he just said there, but I wasn’t keen on that so I put my head down and did some decent laps.
“I knew if I hit all my marks and didn’t make any mistakes then we should be good.”
Runner-up Harrison said he was losing out against Todd’s BMW on the straights but was satisfied with second place.
“I led for a bit but he has the edge on me down the big straights here,” said Harrison.
“The Superstock Honda has done well and thanks to everyone for helping me out.
“I’m happy to be on the podium and of course I wanted to win, but you can’t win them all.”
Dunlop said he didn’t have the pace he needed on his Superstock machine to challenge for the win.
“I ended up over-riding because I’m on a ’stocker and with Davey on the Superbike I could see him just blowing by Dean and it made it easier for him.
“I was losing too much time out of the turns and down the straights but for a ’stocker the pace was alright.
“I had to run a ’stocker with the circumstances and the pace was good for a ’stocker, but I was losing too much down the straights. It was never going to be easy around here.”
In the Sidecar Championship race, Ryan and Callum Crowe lifted the title with a new 103mph lap record.