The Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers secured third place in qualifying in a mixed grid of F1 and 600cc outfits and were fastest in their class and as the first of two races got underway the six times TT winners slotted into fourth place overall before moving up to third at the half way stage of the 12 lap affair.

The Birchalls maintained third place throughout the remainder of the race to take the chequered flag as comfortable winners in the 600 class with Ellis/Richardson finishing in second place some distance behind.

The first four rows of the grid are reversed for the second race with the Birchall brothers starting the 10 lap race from the fourth row.

As the lights went out Ben and Tom made up ground to sixth on the first lap and spent the next two laps battling with Bell/Hyde until they finally made the pass stick and secure fifth position. They then set their sights on Holland/Ramsay and one lap later reeled them in to move into fourth place.

Ben and Tom began to close down James/Tritton who were circulating some distance ahead but although they gave it their best shot they ran out of time and had to be content with fourth place in the overall listings and another decisive win in the 600 class.

Ben said:

“We had a great weekend at Snetterton; we thought we may struggle due to the nature of the circuit as we were giving away 400cc to the F1 outfits but we were pleasantly surprised to find we held our own against the 1000cc engines.

“Next week will be busy for us as we have just a few days to prepare the F2 outfit for the Southern 100 and also the long chassis 600 for the British round at Mallory Park which is the day before we go to the Isle of Man.

“Thanks to our loyal sponsors and supporters, many of whom were at Snetterton for the racing on Sunday. We hope you enjoyed your day with us.”

After contesting just three of the eight races because of a clash of dates with the World championship Ben and Tom currently lie in fourth place on 30 points but they are only 11 points away from the series lead.

Busy week ahead

The next round of the British championship is on Sunday, July 9 at Mallory Park when the Birchall Brothers will contest the two races before heading to the Isle of Man for the Southern 100 races.

The post Birchalls clear up in the 600 Cup appeared first on Birchall Racing.

Practice week was all but a washout with the weather curtailing the action around the 37.73-mile Mountain road circuit and Saturday’s race action was replaced by a day of practice so that the riders could at least get their machines up to speed.

The Birchall Brothers went on to set the fastest lap of practice on Saturday with a 116.675mph and were the first riders to set off on Monday down Glencrutchery Road on their way around the first of three laps of the course.

The Mitchells of Mansfield supported riders soon proved their dominance in the race and recorded a first lap of 115.965mph before heading off on an even faster lap where they scorched around the course and shattered the existing lap record set by themselves last year with an amazing 117.119mph lap. On the final lap Ben eased the pace as the weather began to close in and spots of rain were seen over the Mountain mile. Even so they recorded a time of 115.017mph on the final lap to take the chequered flag for an untroubled victory, their fifth at the TT races, over 25 seconds ahead of second placed riders Holden and Winkle.

Ben was amazed when he discovered how fast they had been and said: “I didn’t really go out to try to do that fast a lap it just happened. We always ride as hard as we can and whatever we get is good. I need to thank the guys that do the boards for us; they have done them for a few years now and they were spot on.You really need the boards around here. It just emphasises how much help is given to us around the circuit and it’s really appreciated.

Thanks to all our sponsors and supporters who have stood by us over the past few years of coming to the TT we are really grateful for the support you are giving us.”

Tom added: “The conditions over the mountain were a bit tricky especially on the last lap when it was drizzling with rain. But Ben judged the conditions perfectly and we were able to bring the bike home safely. You never know what the TT course will throw at you; everything was perfect until we got to Ramsey Hairpin on the first lap and we locked the front wheel up!”

“The marshals were doing a great job with the flags and it’s just an awesome event to take part in. Coming down the mountain I had a little peek and saw the crowds cheering us, we had so much support which was fantastic. It’s an honour and a privilege to be here and we have loved every minute of it.”

The second race takes place on Friday when the Birchall brothers will be hoping to record another victory around the Isle of Man TT course.

The post A WIN AND LAP RECORD FOR BIRCHALL BROTHERS appeared first on Birchall Racing.

The new rules for the world championship meant that all Sidecar teams had to change from 1000cc to 600cc engines.

Having switched to the smaller engine last year Ben and Tom Birchall secured the FIM F2 World Sidecar title, securing pole positions and lap records on their way to the title.

The Mitchell’s of Mansfield supported riders have made the change to Yamaha this season and have taken part in some intensive pre-race testing in France prior to the race at Le Mans.

The brothers dominated practice and qualifying and began the 18 lap race from pole position. But they didn’t get the hole shot as John Holden was the first to reach the chicane but Ben and Tom were hot on their heels and took the lead on the exit to the chicane to accelerate away extending their lead with every lap.

The race came to an early end when another competitor crashed heavily with three laps to go and a result was declared at 15 laps distance with Ben and Tom recording the win well ahead of Paivarinta/Kainulainer (2nd) and Streuer/Raisseau (3rd). The Mansfield pair also set a new lap record with a 1m 44.685s lap – 143.9kmph set on lap nine.

Ben said:

“That was a perfect start to our championship; it couldn’t have gone any better for us. All the hard work and preparation we put in over the closed season is paying off nicely.”

“Le Mans is a fantastic venue and it was great for us to take pole position, the win and the lap record. We now look forward to getting our British Championship campaign underway at Oulton Park on May 1.”

The next round is at Oschersleben in Germany over the weekend of May 20/21. Prior to that the Birchall brothers will contest the second round of the British Sidecar Championship at Oulton park on Monday May 1st

The post BIRCHALL BROTHERS TAKE DECISIVE WIN AT LE MANS appeared first on Birchall Racing.