In perfect conditions, the IEG Racing supported pair rode three blinding laps, all of which were inside their previous lap record set in 2017. Following a steady start to the race, driver Ben Birchall began to push and on lap two, the brothers increased their lead over the second-placed outfit to over 15 seconds. Their lap-time of 18 minutes 59.018 seconds – the first sub 19-minute lap for a sidecar – netted the Mansfield-based duo a new record average speed of 119.250mph.

Easing off just a little on the final circuit, the Birchalls still recorded an impressive lap of 118.427mph. The win marks the eighth for Mitchells of Mansfield supported Birchall Racing – their fifth in a row. Tom now equals Manxman Dan Sayle as the most successful sidecar TT passenger, both with eight wins to their credit.

Birchall Racing won the Fred Hanks Award for the fastest aggregate time in both sidecar races and, with three LCR outfits on the podium, were also awarded the Chassis Manufacturers Team Award.

Ben Birchall: “What can I say, it’s been such a fantastic week. I’ve got two great competitors who pushed me all the way today and on the opening lap the first board I saw said we were in second place – two seconds behind. I knew then we had a race on our hands. I have to give full credit to John (Holden), it’s been a tough week for him, and I wish Fiona all the best following her accident.

“Things felt really good with the bike though and the conditions out there were perfect, so I was able to push on a little harder and again the lap times just come when everything is right like that. I didn’t go out there to break the record, my aim was to stay as clean and consistent as possible, but we were rewarded with an amazing lap time and the win. I can’t begin to try and explain what it feels like or takes to win around here, there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes that enables us to race and for that I have to thank everyone involved.”

Tom Birchall: “It feels amazing to take another win on the TT course – you can never take anything for granted around here. The first lap felt strong, but John was just that little bit faster – I knew then we would have to press on a little more. We fired out of Quarterbridge on the second lap so well, that it was obvious something special was going to happen, Ben’s driving was amazing – smooth and yet so fast and that’s exactly what you need around the Isle of Man.

“We have to thank everyone that has supported us, especially over the last two weeks. The Isle of Man TT is such a massive challenge to all who race here and we wouldn’t be able to claim the results we do without such a strong and dedicated team behind us.”

Birchall Racing now turn their attention to the FIM World Sidecar Championship and round three at Sachsenring, Germany, June 23-24.

Results: 2018 Locate.im Sidecar TT Race 2

1. Birchall/Birchall, LCR Honda, 57:25.040
2. Holden/Cain, LCR Honda, 57:47.960
3. Reeves/Wilkes, LCR Honda, 58:03.738

 
Photo credit: Mark Walters

The post RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE NETS BIRCHALL RACING EIGHTH TT WIN appeared first on Birchall Racing.

The race started on time but an incident on the first lap caused the red flag to be shown and a full-restart was necessary. With the teams given time to regroup, the starter eventually dropped his flag at 7pm on Saturday evening.

Pushing hard straight from the start, the Birchalls had already opened up a gap of 2.1 seconds over the second-placed pairing of John Holden and Lee Cain by Glen Helen, just over nine miles into the course. They continued to pull away from the field opening up a lead of over 13 seconds at the end of lap one and in doing so, broke their own lap record with an average speed of 117.502mph.

Lap two continued with Ben and Tom setting a sensational pace, doubling their lead over Holden and Cain to a comfortable 26.1 seconds at the end of the lap. Their average speed over the 37.75-mile second lap increased to a stunning 118.694mph in a time of 19m 04.353s.

Posting an average speed of 117.771mph on the third and final lap, the Birchalls continued to increase their lead over the eventual runners-up Holden and Cain. The win is the seventh for the Mansfield-based team and the fourth consecutive victory following their 2016 win and their double a year later in 2017.

Birchall Racing will now concentrate on the Locate.im Sidecar TT race two, held on Friday June 8 – Senior Race day.

Ben Birchall: “I really enjoyed that – what a race. You never really know what pace you can run around the Isle of Man, you just have to take things as smoothly as you can, hit every apex and not make any mistakes. Tom has been faultless and the team have been incredible, supporting us and enabling us to be here so I can’t thank them enough.”

Tom Birchall: “What an incredible race – it’s hard to take it all in really. The pace was so hot after the restart but Ben drove superbly and the whole race was pretty much flawless. After a difficult practice week, the first race can always be a bit tricky. The first lap before the red flag was not so great but, on the restart, Ben got his head down and the speed just comes when everything clicks like that. I have to thank our whole team, sponsors and families as it takes a lot of hard work to get here and be competitive and we couldn’t do it without such a great group of guys and girls behind us.”

Results – 2018 Isle of Man Locate.im Sidecar TT Race 1

1. Birchall/Birchall, LCR Honda, 57:33.635
2. Holden/Cain, LCR Honda, 58:20.767
3. Reeves/Wilkes, LCR Honda, 58:42.668

Photo credit: Mark Walters

The post BIRCHALLS CLAIM SEVENTH TT WIN WITH VICTORY IN 2018 SIDECAR RACE 1 appeared first on Birchall Racing.