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Carolynn Sells

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Carolynn Sells
Sells on the top step of the 2009 Ultra-Lightweight Manx Grand Prix Podium
NationalityBritish
Born (1973-05-06) 6 May 1973 (age 51)
Preston, Lancashire
Current teamRetired
Bike number13 (Manx Grand Prix), 113 (Irish Roads)
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Manx Grand Prix career
Manx GPs contested13
Active years2003-2009
Manx GP wins1

Carolynn Sells (born 6 May 1973 in Preston, Lancashire) is an English former road racer. The highlight of her racing career was winning the 2009 Ultralightweight Manx Grand Prix, making her the first and as of 2024, the only woman to win a solo race on the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, an achievement that earned her a Guinness World Record,[1] and made her the Isle of Man Sportswoman of the Year 2009.[2] She grew up around motorcycle racing, a sport her father Dave Sells took up when she was five years old. He began racing in the Manx Grand Prix when she was 12. She has stated that her sole purpose, when she began short circuit racing herself at the age of 27, was to obtain a National Race licence so she could race on the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course.{{[1]}}

Racing

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Sells raced numerous times on the roads of the Isle of Man, including 13 Manx Grand Prix starts between 2003 and 2009.[3]

She also raced on the roads mostly in Ireland (between 2004 & 2008).[4][failed verification][better source needed]

However, she started her racing career by participating in short circuit club racing, mostly in mainland Britain (between 2000 & 2009);[citation needed] her first race was at Jurby Airfield on the Isle of Man on her father's TZ250 race bike.[5]

Race Teams
Date range Team
2000-2004 Trikbitz Racing
2003-2009 Martin Bullock Raceteam
2004 KS Performance Racing
2009 Paul Morrisey Racing

Awards

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Short Circuits:

  • Andreas Racing Association (Isle of Man) Champion of Champions [400cc class], 2002 [6]

Manx Grand Prix:

  • Guinness World Record, first female to win a solo motorcycle race on the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course at the Manx Grand Prix in 2009 [1]
  • Les Williams Memorial Trophy for Best Performance by A Newcomer from the North West, 2003
  • Lesley Ann Trophy for the Best Performance by a Female Competitor at the Manx Grand Prix - 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2009

Southern 100:

  • First woman to have an overall win of a solo race at this event, during the 50th Anniversary meeting in 2005.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Carolynn Sells Guinness World Record". Guinness World Records.
  2. ^ "2009 IoM Sports Awards". IoM Sports Awards.
  3. ^ "Carolynn Sells Race Results". TT Database.
  4. ^ "Race Results (2004-2006), Racing Blog (2007-2008)". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  5. ^ ""Queen of the Mountain"……Carolynn Sells". Peel Heritage Trust. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  6. ^ Watterson, John (16 August 2003). "The Sells trio". Manx Grand Prix official programme. No. 2003. Isle of Man: Manx Motorcycle Club. p. 39. ISSN 1471-7905.
  7. ^ "2005 Classic/Junior Support B Race Result" (PDF). Southern 100.
  8. ^ Edge, Phil (27 May 2005). Fifty Years of the Friendly Races: The Story of the Southern 100 Motorcycle Races. Duke Marketing Ltd. p. 90. ISBN 0952932520.