Roads: Guy Martin out of Southern 100

Guy Martin has withdrawn his entry for this year’s Southern 100, choosing to sit out next week’s race in the Isle of Man as his Honda Racing CBR1000RR undergoes further testing in it’s road racing guise after a disastrous start to the 2017 season with the new Fireblade.

The news comes despite Martin previously admitting that it was one of the high points of his racing calendar, joking in the past that the Isle of Man TT was nothing more than a warm-up for the 4.25-mile race on the Billown Circuit.

Martin was forced to withdraw from the Isle of Man TT last month after ongoing technical problems with the new bike, and race organisers said in a statement that the team have told them that they’ll instead use the time to continue developing the new machine.

The news leaves three-time champion Michael Dunlop the favourite going into race week, looking to take his fourth championship despite opposition from the likes of brother William and TT winner Dean Harrison.

Practice and Qualification takes place on Monday and Tuesday evenings 10th and 11th July, with racing commencing on Tuesday evening with two races. Wednesday the 12th sees a further four races with Championship Day and Thursday 13th July will see no less than nine races being held, including the prestigious Manx Gas Solo & Sidecar Championship Races.