Roads: 1963 Southern 100 Solo champion Chris Conn dies

The 1963 Southern 100 solo champion Chris Conn has died following a heart attack on Friday February 12, 2021.

Conn’s Southern 100 career was a short one, comprising of four races between 1961 and 1963. He made his debut in the 500cc race in 1961 and finished 23rd. Conn returned the following year and made a huge improvement, ending the 500cc event in sixth place.

1963 proved to be Conn’s best year at the Billown Course. A double entry brought him a second place in the 350cc event, followed by victory in the 500cc race –at a speed of 83.630mph for the 18-lap, 76.50-mile event.

Alongside his efforts at the Southern 100, Conn also made his Snaefell Mountain Course debut in the 1961 Senior Manx Grand Prix and competed in the Isle of Man TT between 1961 and 1967.

His best results at the TT came at the 1966 event, with Conn securing third in the Junior and Senior races. He finished fifth in his final TT race, the Junior, in 1967.

Conn also competed on the world stage, making sporadic appearances in the 500cc and 350cc world championships between 1964 and 1967 – finishing 10th overall in 1966 on his 500cc single cylinder Norton.

“A quiet unassuming man, some would say shy, Chris let his results do his talking for him,” today’s Southern 100 statement reads. “Whilst his Southern 100 ‘career’ spanned just three years, Chris certainly left his mark on ‘the friendly races’ with his stylish riding, racing prowess and his Championship win in 1963.”

Our thoughts are with Chris’ family and friends at this difficult time.