Kelly Carruthers – 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

For many, many years some members of Somerset Section have been making annual visits to the Manx Grand Prix and the Section regularly makes a contribution to the Rescue Helicopter Fund and Injured Riders Fund via the Manx Grand Prix Supporters Club.

While one of the regular attendees was checking the MGP Supporters Club website earlier in 2022 the ‘sponsor a new rider’ campaign web-page was noticed and the idea of sponsoring a young aspiring rider in the Senior Classic Manx GP race was born. The candidate with the oldest-looking bike was duly selected!

This was  28 year old Kelly Carruthers from Kinross, the senior workshop engineer at Kirkcaldy Kawasaki, having arrived there via a motorcycle mechanic apprenticeship at suspension and Ducati specialist ERS Knockhill, and after that, employment as a technician at Cuper Motorcycles.

During the early days he used a 250 Kawasaki and an 888 Ducati road bike for track days at Knockhill.

Then in 2018 he had a go at racing a 600 Kawasaki outfit, but this was short lived as he and his co owner decided to pursue their own solo careers. The following year he campaigned his own 600 ZXR Kawasaki at Knockhill and East Fortune to obtain his race licence.

2020 saw him taking part in just a few races, owing to Covid restrictions. These were at Cadwell, Scarborough, and Cookstown, all as a newcomer on his Suzuki GSXR 600, with a best place of 10th at Scarborough.

In  2021 he was loaned a 400 Kawasaki for Junior Support and Lightweight races and also loaned a 350 K4 Honda for Junior Classic races with these results.

Cadwell CRMC – back of the field with gearbox issues on the K4 Honda.

Armoy – Newcomer – qualified 5th in Junior Classic, slid off at first bend ! Middle of pack in Lightweight and Junior Support races

Cookstown – 9th place in Senior support, middle of pack in Lightweight and Junior Support. Catastrophic engine failure in Junior Classic B race,

Then in 2022 FXT (his parents’ firm) bought a 350 K4 Drixton Honda for him for Junior Classic races and he was again loaned the 400 Kawasaki for Junior Support and Lightweight races. When he was accepted for the Senior Classic at the Manx GP, FXT also bought a 500/4 Davies Honda – his first ride on it was Manx GP practice.

This year (2022), so far (September):

Cookstown – 11th in Junior Classic race.

Tandragee – Newcomer – Engine failure in Junior Classic. Middle of pack in Lightweight.

Kells – Newcomer – 5th in Junior 350 Classic, 5th in Lightweight, back marker in Junior Support.

Armoy – 7th in Junior Classic, 11th in Lightweight, 13th in Junior Support.

Bob McIntyre Memorial (East Fortune) – 11th in Junior Classic race. Race win and 3rd in Post Classic Junior races on the 400 Kawasaki.

Pre-TT Classic – 18th in Junior Classic, best Newcomer.

Senior Classic Manx GP – 18th on 350 Honda, (fastest 350 through the speed trap, spare engine used by another rider who finished 19th). Norrie White Award for Best Performance by Scottish rider. He rode 3 practice laps on the 500/4 but wear on the camshaft meant he wouldn’t compete on it, despite being third fastest through the speed trap.

2023 plans.

As well as riding, Kelly does all the maintenance on the race bikes himself. Now happy with the reliability of the Drixton 350, both engines (the race engine and the spare) will be refreshed for 2023 and the bike will be used for Junior Classic races in Ireland, the Manx GP and the Pre-TT Classic as well as a few UK circuits.

For the 500/4 Davies Honda , the camshaft and clutch issues highlighted at the Manx GP will be worked on over the winter with the aim of using the bike for Senior Classic races in Ireland, the Manx GP and the Pre-TT Classic.

Kelly is also building his own Kawasaki ER6 Supertwin and may continue to use the loaned the 400 Kawasaki, both to maximise track time in Irish events.

(Limiting factors are holidays and cost of ferries to Ireland and IoM!)

2022 Gallery

2023 season: mid-June update

Over the winter, the spare 350 engine was refreshed with new liners and pistons and has found another 2hp on the dyno from last year. The main engine has also had new liners and pistons and has been fitted with a thinner head gasket to bring the compression ratio up a little bit. The oilways have been slightly changed to see if the oil circulation can be improved as well. This motor is now in the bike and waiting to go on the dyno.

The 500/4 engine was also stripped down completely, measured and checked and then partially rebuilt, awaiting a replacement camshaft from Kent cams (as were 3 other riders who suffered the same wear pattern on these camshafts).

By late spring, 350 was running well – Kelly managed a best ever 4th place on it at Cookstown, with a big entry of around 25 bikes.

A replacement camshaft from Kent Cams finally appeared at the end of April and the 500 was set up. By mid-May the bike had been through a few heat cycles to check for oil leaks and was due to go on the dyno, with fingers crossed that it would be okay in the pre-TT event. (Pre-TT dates May 27/28)

(Kelly finished 9th on the 350 in the Pre-TT Classic meeting. The 500 stopped on the last lap in the Senior race, when he was comfortably in 10th place)

Kelly has had a couple of run outs on the 400. In the Bob Smith Cup at Oliver’s Mount (April 15/16), he managed 2 third places and a second and won the trophy for most points scored over the meeting in that class. The planned outing on the CB500 didn’t happen, as the CB500’s were included in the same races as the 400’s.

He also ran the 400 at Cookstown (April 21/22). He was near the back of the field in a wet lightweight race and in the Junior support, in even wetter conditions, he withdrew when there were fallers on the sighting lap. A wise move as the meeting was abandoned 2 laps into that race after another red flag.

Finally, Kelly raced the 400 in the Scottish Championship meeting at East Fortune (May 13/14). As a Sunday only competitor, he had no qualifying time, so started from the back of the grid. A third place first time out was followed by a win in his second race. A push right to the line on the last lap gave him the win by 0.029 of a second!

At mid-June the next races Kelly has scheduled are the Bob Mac Classic meeting at East Fortune (June 24/25) and then the Cock o’ the North at Scarborough (July 1st/2nd) and Armoy (July 28/29).

June 2023 Gallery

Manx GP August 2023

Kelly took 3 bikes to the Isle of Man for the GP in August – the two Hondas (500 and 350) and the Kawasaki 400. The Hondas were too troublesome, the 500 developing electrical problems and forcing a retirement from the Classic Senior after making up several places. However the Kawasaki, in the Ultra-lightwight class, produced an 8th place finish and a trophy replica.
Later in the week at Jurby festival Kelly won ‘a really good race in which Kelly was dicing with the leader right from the off and seized the opportunity to overtake on the last lap when coming up against a backmarker and then lead in a cat and mouse lap to the flag to much praise from the commentator and spectators alike’. (Eye-witness report from one of ‘our men on the spot’!)

Manx GP gallery

Season finale, Scarborough

The season finished with Kelly competing with the Kawasaki at Scarborough on the last week-end in September. Despite a breakdown in the first race (the first DNF for the Kawasaki) there was a 3rd place on Sunday for 3rd overall. Together with 2 wins and a 2nd from previous meetings this was enough to finish as overall series champion for the class.

 Overall series class champion !

2024 Season – spring update

By early May Kelly has opened the season with a couple of track days at East Fortune and Knockhill before the Scarborough Spring Cup and the Cookstown 100.

There have been a couple of outings on the 350, including another 4th place at the Cookstown  100 Junior Classic. (The top 5 riders in this race were same as the top 5 last year.)  Kelly had to renumber from 19 to 191 when it was realised there were two riders with number 19 in the qualifying sessions!

The 500 hasn’t been cured of electrical gremlins – a broken connector block looked like it was the reason for all previous failures but another total power loss at Cookstown after qualifying 3rd means Kelly has decided to change every electrical component – plugs, coils, ignition, loom, speedo, battery and charger, in an attempt to solve its problems.

There is now also an Aprilia 660 twin in the stable. Kelly is getting increasingly comfortable on this, dropping his lap time by a second every time he was out at the Spring Cup, then getting a 10th place at Cookstown in the Supertwin A race and his first Irish podium in the Junior Support ‘A’ race.

Also, completely out of the blue, a Kawasaki ZX7R has arrived – owned by Brian Chalmers, a friend of Kelly’s boss, who asked Kelly to ride it. The bike has been sitting in a garage for ten years, but Brian paid Kelly to refresh it and Kelly raced it for the first time at the Spring Cup in the Classic Superbike category, where he  improved his lap times every race. He also rode it in Ireland, in the Senior Support class. It’s the biggest and heaviest bike Kelly has raced but already he looks comfortable on it. Entries have been closed for a while, but Kelly has asked for a late entry at both the Pre-TT Classic and the ManxGP in the Classic Superbike races on it. 

Plans at the moment are:-  

May        Pre-TT on 350, 500 and possibly ZX7R.
June       Barry Sheene Classic at Scarborough on the Aprilia, ZX7R and either the 350 or 500.
  Bob Mac Classic meeting at East Fortune on  350, 500 and  ZX7R.
July       Southern 100 on Aprilia Supertwin.
          Either Cock O’ the North at Oliver’s Mount or Armoy.
Aug        ManxGP – 4 races entered Junior Classic, Senior Classic, Classic Superbike and Junior Manx GP.
Sep        Scarborough Gold Cup.

2024 season conclusion

After the Scarborough Spring Cup and Cookstown, the next meeting was the Pre-TT Classic at the Isle of Man Billown circuit.

Now with a whole new electrical system, the 500/4 finally saw it’s first ever chequered flag. A 5th place was the highlight of a good meeting. The 350 ran as well as ever, coming in 7th and the last minute entry on the ZXR7 for the Classic Superbike race gave a 14th place finish. Probably the best set of results of the season.

Next up was the Barry Sheene Classic at Scarborough – a wet meeting with just the ZXR7 and Aprilia.
Highlights were a 4th place on the Aprilia in the first Supertwin race, a 4th in last Classic Superbike race (ZXR7) and a 7th in the Barry Sheene Feature race (also on the ZXR7).
Unfortunately, pushing too hard on the last lap of the second Supertwin race, Kelly had a fall approaching Farm Bends in fifth gear. Thankfully the only injury was a blistered thumb, whilst the Aprilia really only had cosmetic damage.

The Bob MacIntyre meeting at East Fortune on a beautiful weekend gave Kelly two 7ths, two 6ths and a 5th place finish on the 350.
The 500 ran really well and gave him a 4th and four 3rd places in its five races.
He also had the ZXR7 which although it qualifies for Classic Superbike races in the Isle of Man, Scarborough and club racing in Scotland – it doesn’t get to race in that class at the Bob Mac meeting (for now ).

Before the next meeting (the Southern 100 at Billown) another surprise machine arrived. Kelly was offered various boxes of parts to assemble a Yamaha R6 from Lewis at Two Wheel Developments, on the basis that Kelly could race it and then Lewis would sell it when it came back. A frantic couple of weeks was spent getting both the Aprilia repaired and the R6 together.

The R6 only fired up for the first time a couple of hours before qualifying started. Riding it for the first time in qualifying, Kelly made it into the Supersport A race but it wasn’t easy to ride and he trailed in at the back of the field in the only race completed. The Aprilia performed better in the Supertwin races, with a 14th and 11th in its two races.

The finale was a very windy and wet Manx GP. Kelly had the 500 in the Senior Classic, the 350 in the Junior Classic and the Aprilia in the Manx GP Junior. Things didn’t get off to a good start with the 500 losing a bolt from the clutch on the second lap of the only dry sunny day, leaving Kelly stranded at Glen Helen until the roads were re-opened. No action on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday meant a busy Thursday session. Fortunately, the Junior qualifying session was run with the faster bikes allowing 3 laps on it, all within the qualifying time. Then in the second session Kelly had 2 good laps on the 350 and a lap on the 500, again all within the qualifying time, meaning all bikes had qualified for their races. The Junior Manx GP was first up. Red flagged on the second lap, the restart was stopped by rain and they ran out of time for a re-run. The race was called as a 1 lap race which meant that Kelly was classified 24th. With the cuts to the schedule both the Senior Classic and Junior Classic were held together, so Kelly rode the 500 in the Senior event. With a lot of yellow flags at damp parts of the track, he managed 13th place. Although he was given a bronze at the awards night at the end of a very busy day, when the dust had settled it was realised that he should have had a silver replica, which has since been forwarded on to him.

Although it was planned to finish the season at the Gold Cup, a prior commitment ruled that out. As it turned out, rain and fog curtailed the meeting, so luckily not a wasted trip.

2025 Season

Cookstown was first up. Qualifying was a very wet day so all riders were allowed to do as many or as few untimed laps as they wanted, as long as the rider completed a total of 5 laps. Raceday grids were made up from previous year’s times.

The Aprilia did okay in the Supertwin race but started overheating on the last lap. With a hectic schedule, Kelly was unable to resolve the problem, so missed out on the Junior Support race where he had a podium last year. The 350 ran as well as ever and he finished in his usual 4th place in the Junior Classic at Cookstown. A little bit disappointing as he held 3rd for most of the race until he was passed on the final lap.

The ZX7R was next up, finishing in the middle of the field in the new Classic Superbike class. As the organisers were pushing on to get all races completed, the Senior Classic race was rescheduled at short notice, to be immediately after the Superbike race. Kelly was unaware of this and while he parked up the ZX7R, the Classic Senior competitors were on the grid and away without him. This was the race he was most looking forward to as well.

On to the Southern 100 Pre – TT Classic event in the IOM at Billown. The usual mix of Manx weather meant qualifying sessions were wet on Friday and dry on Saturday. Saturday races however were in very wet conditions and Sunday races for Kelly, in the dry. After a hectic session on Friday evening he decided to put the Classic Superbike in the van. The work involved continually changing from wet to dry tyres and the fact there were a lot of very trick Classic Superbikes on the grid, meant there was more than enough to do on the more competitive 350 and 500.

The unlimited Open race was first, on Saturday evening, in very wet conditions. Despite not making a great start from second row on the grid, he eventually pipped Hefyn Owen right on the line to claim 6th place. On Sunday the first race was the 500 Senior. In a close battle with 2 others for third, fourth and fifth for the first 5 laps, a couple of late retirements secured him third spot, nursing home a bike with only fumes in the fuel tank. His first podium at the Pre – TT Classic. Last up was the 350 Junior race. Having missed the dry practice session, his best qualifying time put him on the back row of the grid but a good start helped him to an eventual eighth place.
Overall a very satisfying weekend.

Plans for the rest of the season have been dictated by work holiday entitlement. Having to hold 10 days for festive holidays, Kelly only has 18 days to juggle in a year for racing and family days. With no unpaid time off possible The Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT were a non starter this year. He hoped to do another 3 Irish road events but couldn’t get time off for Tandragee or Armoy. It might be he has to settle for a few Saturday/Sunday circuit meetings to keep his hand in this season.