Carolynn Sells
Carolynn Sells (born 6 May 1973 in Preston, Lancashire) is an English former road racer. 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. The highlight of her racing career was winning the 2009 Ultralightweight Manx Grand Prix, making her the first and as of 2022, 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]
Carolynn Sells | |||||||||||
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Nationality | British | ||||||||||
Born | Preston, Lancashire | 6 May 1973||||||||||
Current team | Retired | ||||||||||
Bike number | 13 (Manx Grand Prix), 113 (Irish Roads) | ||||||||||
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Racing
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]
However, she started her racing career by participating in short circuit club racing, mostly in mainland Britain (between 2000 & 2009); her first race was at Jurby Airfield on the Isle of Man on her father's TZ250 race bike.[5]
Date range | Team |
---|---|
2000-2004 | Trikbitz Racing |
2003-2009 | Martin Bullock Raceteam |
2004 | KS Performance Racing |
2009 | Paul Morrisey Racing |
Awards
Short Circuits:
- Andreas Racing Association (Isle of Man) Champion of Champions [400cc class], 2002 [6]
- Guinness World Record, first female Manx GP or Mountain Course winner [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
References
- "Carolynn Sells Guinness World Record". Guinness World Records.
- "2009 IoM Sports Awards". IoM Sports Awards.
- "Carolynn Sells Race Results". TT Database.
- "Race Results (2004-2006), Racing Blog (2007-2008)". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ""Queen of the Mountain"……Carolynn Sells". Peel Heritage Trust. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- 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.
- "2005 Classic/Junior Support B Race Result" (PDF). Southern 100.
- 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.