The headline is a glowing endorsement of the IMGold Manx Grand Prix from local lad Billy Redmayne who not only won last year’s Newcomers A, came second in the Junior but also achieved the fastest overall lap.

Redmayne -who hails from Laxey - started riding bikes aged 11. He began competing in local schoolboy motocross, first in the 85cc class, then on a 125.

At 16 he graduated to the adult class, but then found that his new career in the Army didn’t allow much time for motocross racing.

‘I had bought a road bike for casual use but when I got back from my first tour in Afghanistan in 2011 I decided to have a go at road racing – with the aim of eventually competing in the Manx,’ says Billy.

‘It all sounds so easy, but apart from a couple of turns at Jurby and a trip to Anglesey it was only after another Afghanistan tour in 2012 that I actually had enough time to devote to racing.’

Billy knew that he was going to be back in the UK for the whole of 2013 so he decided to commit to the full Derby Phoenix Championship on his own - as rider, mechanic, chef and driver.

Even without the undoubted benefits of a full team behind him, he had good finishes so was able to enter and ultimately compete at the IMGold MGP in 2014.

‘I was fortunate that despite being deployed back to Afghanistan in May 2014, I was able to tie my R&R in with racing dates,’ adds Billy, who made the most of his limited time off with four wins and three seconds in the F600 and 675 allcomers classes at Cadwell Park before his next, highly successful, outing at the IMGold MGP last August.

‘Wherever you race, absolutely nothing compares to coming home first, and fastest, on your home turf.’

Redmayne’s 2015 season began in earnest with a fifth place in the senior open at the Tandragee 100 in the wet. For the first time in five years he was back on the island – as a spectator – for TT, and had two bikes ready for the post-TT races at Billown when he made his way through the field to fourth place in the 600cc class and fifth on the 750 in the 1000cc class behind some classy competition.

He then finished fourth in his opening 600 race at the Barry Sheene Festival at Oliver’s Mount, followed by fifth in the second Supersport race.

Back at Billown for the Southern 100 – his first time at this event – Billy impressed with his performances in the two Supersport races and the Senior race, where he was eighth behind some of the biggest names in road racing. It’s hardly surprising that he is one of the pre-race favourites for victory in the IMGold Senior MGP on September 4.

Like many road racers, Billy – who is still only 24 – dreams of competing in the TT, but the Manx will always have a special place in his heart: ‘Since last year I’ve been fortunate enough to attract sponsors and backers but my results then show that it’s not essential to have a big team behind you,’ says Billy. ‘The Manx is unique in its friendly, encouraging and yet fiercely competitive atmosphere which means that if you have the drive and ambition, you can, like me, do it on your own. If you’re good enough, you can enter, and you can win.’

But you’ll have Billy Redmayne to beat.

Billy Redmayne will be competing in the Junior and Senior IMGold MGP races with the support of Marc Fagan, backed by Martin Bullock’s Full Factory Winnerswear and sponsored by Wrightways Motorcycles, Capitol Tile Group, Jaybeebikerbits, Laxey Glen Mills, Manx Control Systems Ltd and Synapsys Solutions.

He is racing at Cadwell Park this weekend.


Suzy Holland