Popular Southern 100 Motorcycle Racing Club chairman Philip Taubman of Castletown has been made a Member of the British Empire.
The announcement was made in the New Year’s Honours List in recognition of his services to motorcycle sport and the Manx community.
Phil was involved with the first running of the Southern 100 in 1955, assisting in setting out the Billown Course for what had been announced by the media as an ambitious three-race programme on Thursday, July 14.
At that time the races were run by the Southern Motor Cycle Club committee, which he initially 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!
Other positions held by Phil with the Southern 100 include, in 1970, paddock marshal and in 1975 chairman of the race committee. In 1978 he was made clerk of the course at Billown.
The newly-founded Southern 100 Motorcycle Racing Club took over the organising of the July races in 1981, with Phil remaining as clerk of the course until he stepped down after 38 years at the end of 2015.
He has been club chairman since 2002.
Phil has also been involved with the TT, Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT for many years, including being clerk of the course for the MGP (Festival of Motorcycling) from 2008 to 2015. He has also officiated at Andreas Racing Association meetings staged at Jurby.
He has dedicated more than 60 years of his life to motorcycle road racing, and remains as passionate and dedicated as ever.