At the recent Southern 100 Annual Dinner, which kick-started the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of the Southern 100 the Clerk of the Course Phil Taubman was rendered speechless after being presented with a decanter set in recognition of his 60 years service to the races on the Billown Course which were first run in 1955.
In 1955, as it is today road race organisers rely heavily on volunteers to help set up the course and amongst the many vol-unteers in early 1955 were two young teenagers who were jumping on and off his wagon humping bales to get the course ready.
These two young teenage friends became life-long best of friends, they were no less than the late Gordon ‘Hoss’ Clague and Phil Taubman .
At this time the races were run by the Southern Motorcycle Club Committee which Philip joined in 1961 and followed on by becoming a member of the Southern MCC Race Committee in 1964.
In 1968 he became the Club Catering Officer and he still cooks a good bacon and egg breakfast as he can still be seen in the Club HQ Kitchen in a morning during race periods.
Other positions held by Philip were in 1970 he was Paddock Marshal and in 1975 became Chairman of the Race Committee and then in 1978 he was made Clerk of the Course for the Billown Course.
In 1981 Southern 100 Motorcycle Racing Club took over the organising of the July races with Philip still as Clerk of the Course.
In 2002 Philip was made Chairman of Southern 100 Racing a position he still holds today, as well as Clerk of the Course.
Southern 100 Club President Derek Nicholson said: ‘My involvement is only from 1974 and I know, as lots of others do that Philip Taubman lives and breathes Southern 100 and he is the only Committee member who has been involved continuously since 1955 and as this is the Southern 100 Road Races Diamond Jubilee it is also Philip’s Diamond Jubilee and as a token of our appreciation for all that he has done and continues to do for motorcycle road racing on the Billown Circuit the Committee thought it was very appropriate to acknowledge his involvement with ‘the friendly races’ as the Southern 100 has become known over the years.’
