First race up was the World championship round where they were racing as champions elect having secured the F2 Trophy in the last round. Ben and Tom qualified for a third row start in the mixed grid of riders, the FIM F1 World championship and the FIM World F2 Trophy. The Mansfield pair were the fastest of the F2 runners and as the lights went out they moved into sixth place overall and first in class. On lap three they overtook Brian Gray on a F1 machine and held station to the chequered flag at the end of a very fast and furious 15 lap affair, taking the win in the World F2 Trophy class.

In the first of three British Sidecar 600 cup races the laps were cut to eight instead of 10 to make up for time lost when a fellow competitor broke down on the warm up lap. At the start they settled into sixth place overall and were elevated to fifth when one outfit was black flagged. They were right on the tail of Archer/Thomas and as they approached the finish line were just about level, crossing the line just two tenths of a second behind in eighth place to secure another victory in the 600 Cup

In the second affair they started from the third row and completed the 10 lap race in seventh place – and a win in the 600 cup. Ben and Tom then started from the fourth row in their final race and after dicing with Walker/Hawes for a few laps they finally passed them to finish the 10 laps in sixth position overall and take their fourth win of the weekend in their own class.

At the end of the day they were presented with their Gold Medals for their outstanding results in the World Trophy where they headed the qualifying charts, won every race and broke the lap record at every circuit in the F2 Trophy class – an amazing achievement for the Mansfield brothers.

Ben said: “Tom and I plus all the team are thrilled to be presented with our world championship Gold Medals on home soil; also to secure the British 600 Sidecar Cup this weekend. It’s a great end to our season. We have to thank our sponsors and supporters for their continued support. We have so much confidence in the bike, it’s been perfect all season and the data we have gained from this season will help us when we challenge for the new format World championship and British title in 2017.

“We have had a fantastic season as we also won at the Isle of Man TT again this year. We are delighted to be able to help Steve Smith at Avon tyres who is auctioning a TT memorabilia poster containing signed photos of some of this year’s riders including us. It is being auctioned by Damon Hill OBE to raise money for Downs Syndrome Association online on Thursday, September 22 a link to place a bid please check out www.DHgolfclassic-auction.com 

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Marvellous Mallory park

The Mallory Park Bike Bonanza is a late but welcome addition to the  RKB F1 sidecar calendar. The date was added to help celebrate 60 years of racing at Mallory park and we can’t think of any better way to spend this coming weekend.

Ben and Tom will once again be challenging for top honours in the 600 Cup and will no doubt be having a go at some of the larger 1000cc machines while they’re at it. It promises to be a fantastic weekends racing and a really great weekends entertainment as the sidecars will be joined by all manner of vintage motorcycles and sidecars for what promises to be one of the nicest weekends on the Motorcycle racing calendar.

Over the weekend, spectators will get the chance to rub shoulders with some of their heroes from the world of Motorcycle racing.  Michael Dunlop (Sunday), Bradley Smith (Saturday), Ian Hutchinson (Sunday), Mick Grant, Alex George, Sammy Miller, Chas Mortimer, Colin Seeley, Ron Chandler, Trevor Nation, Ray McCulloch, Adrian Craig, Stan Woods and Austin Hockley are all lined up to appear this weekend at the Mallory Bike Bonanza.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the friendliness of the people extends to the racing on the Mallory Park track! Mallory is a fast circuit, so fast in fact that a couple of chicanes have had to be added in recent years to slow the bikes down but true to the vintage nature of the weekends events, those chicanes are scheduled not to be in use this weekend.

The 1.3 mile Mallory Park Circuit also features a vicious hairpin that demands respect and the seemingly endless Gerrards bend. It’s an intense circuit that’s a real test of skill and always produces close fought and exciting racing.

This weekend is the ideal opportunity for Ben and Tom to stretch their lead in the 600 Cup competition before they travel over to Assen in Holland to take part in the FIM Sidecar F2 World Trophy.

We spoke to Ben and Tom earlier in the week to get their thoughts on this weekends racing and the Mallroy Bike Bonanza

Ben Birchall:

We love coming down to Mallory Park, it’s such a great place to come and race and we always get a really warm welcome Here.

It’s a real privilege to be celebrating 60 years of racing at the Mallory Park Bike Bonanza, were hoping for a big turn out because  it’s going to be a great weekend

Tom Birchall

We’re really looking forward to returning to Mallory Park, not only for the racing but also to see all the old bikes and sidecars that will be there.

It’s going to be a tough challenge At Mallory but we’re looking to grab some more points before we set off for Assen in a couple of weeks

 

First time at Mallory Park?

If you’ve not been down to Mallory Park in Leicester before you’re in for a real treat.

Nestled in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside, Mallory Park offers spectators a fantastic opportunity to view the racing from all parts of the track. while not as big as some of the UK’s more well known Circuits, what Mallory lacks in size, it certainly makes up for in stature. The infield has pretty lakes and lush, grass covered hills that form a natural amphitheatre, the perfect place to watch the competitors doing battle out on the track.

Mallory is known as the friendly circuit and for good reason, the staff are a joy and the facilities are very pleasant. Pop into the cafe down at Mallory Park and you’re in for another treat! This place has almost legendary status in the world of track side catering and it’s not difficult to see why once you pay them a visit.

Getting to Mallory Park

By Car:

From the M1 junction 21 and M69 junction 3, follow the B4114 towards Narborough. At the first island turn right onto the B582 signposted Enderby and follow this road to the junction with the A47. Turn left at the traffic lights and follow the brown tourist information signs to reach the circuit

By Rail:

The closest train station to Mallory Park is Hinckley, located just 5 miles away from the circuit. Timetable information can be found here.

Mallory Park Circuit,
Church Road, Kirkby Mallory,
Leicestershire, LE9 7QE
Tel: 01455 502214

What’s the weather doing?

This weekend at Mallory looks to be warm and dry with barely a chance of a shower over the 2 days of competition.

With temperatures hovering around the low 20’s Celsius it’s going to be great weather to watch the racing and to help Mallory Park celebrate 60 years of fabulous racing action. Low average wind speeds are also forecast so, it’s looking like a great weekends racing for competitors and spectators alike.

 Live Timing

If you can’t get down to Mallory Park yourself, you can watch live timing for all the days racing by going to the TSL website or clicking this link

You can also see updates as they occur on the Birchall Racing Facebook page HERE

Or you can go to the dedicated Mallory Park page of this website to see all of the race info in one place CLICK HERE

The post Team Mansfield travel to Mallory park appeared first on Birchall Racing.

Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall won all three of their races in the fourth round of the British Sidecar 600 cup at Thruxton over the weekend and now lead the championship by a massive 41 points.

The 600 cup is run within the grid of the British F1 sidecar championship with each set of riders scoring points in their own class. Ben and Tom qualified sixth overall to start the first of three eight lap races from the third row of the mixed grid.

Race One

The Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers didn’t get away to the best of starts and found themselves down in 10th position on the first lap although they were well ahead of their rivals in their own class. They made steady progress through the field of F1 outfits to complete the race in sixth position, first in class.

Race Two

Once again starting from the third row Ben and Tom got away to a better start, being seventh on the opening lap. They powered the LCR Honda through the pack to finish fifth and again won their own class.

Race Three

In the final race of the weekend the Mansfield pair again began their campaign from a third row grid position and were soon mixing it with the F1 class machines. By lap three they were up to fourth place and reeling in the riders ahead, shaving three seconds from the third placed machine on the final lap. But it was just not quite enough for them to make the pass and they crossed the finish line in fourth place taking their third victory in the 600 Cup class.

Ben commented:

“We had a great weekend of racing at Thruxton and a flawless performance from our point of view.

It was the first time we had been to the Hampshire circuit so we had to learn the circuit before making progress.

We got quicker as our circuit knowledge grew and our lap times were on a par with the F1 class machines plus we were closer to the podium in the F1 class than ever before.

“We would like to thank our sponsors and supporters for their continued input. We are pleased to be leading the championship and looking forward to the next round at Mallory Park this weekend.”

Image Credit: Dave Yeomans

The next round is not with the British Superbike championship but is an extra round at Mallory as part of the Mallory Bike Bonanza over the coming weekend, July 30-31.

Pic credit Dave Yeomans

Words by Helen Pask

The post Ben and Tom Claim Three Wins at Thruxton appeared first on Birchall Racing.

Birchalls searching for Thruxton Success

Fresh from their heroic effort at the Southern 100, Ben and Tom Birchall return to Thruxton to see if they can rack up more points in the 600 Cup.

After a double win at the last round at Snetterton the brothers are eager to put some more distance between themselves and the chasing pack at the top of the leader board.

This weekend is the ideal opportunity to do just that as the boys are facing three 8 lap races this coming weekend with 2 races on the Saturday and a final race, late on sunday morning

Once again the brothers are looking to assert their dominance on the 600cc outfit and we spoke to Ben earlier in the week to get his thoughts on this weekends racing.

Ben Birchall:

“We had a fabulous time at the Southern 100 and we can’t thank everyone enough for all the support they’ve given us but now we’re looking forward to getting amongst it at Thruxton.”

“It’s a very fast track, so we’re at a bit of a disadvantage when were up against the more powerful bikes but we’re feeling good and we’ve had a few days to get everything set up so we’re confident we can put on another good show.”

About Thruxton

Like many race circuits Thruxton was originally a wartime airfield. Commissioned in 1941 the airfield was host to both the RAF and USAF and played a major part in the D-Day landings as a base for troop carrying aircraft and gliders. Declared surplus to requirements in 1946, motorsport started in 1950 with motor bikes on a track comprising both the runways and perimeter roads.

Thruxton’s fame grew from the Easter Monday Formula 2 meetings where Formula 1 drivers of the day battled with up and coming talent. Household names like Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt all thrilled the crowds in the early races. Since then Thruxton has seen all our recent Formula 1 drivers race regularly at the track at some time in their career.

In 1993 Damon Hill, Formula 1 World Champion, drove a demonstration run in the Williams FW15C, recording an incredible 57.6 second lap of the 2.4 mile circuit, an average speed of 147.25mph.

It is now the high speed rounds of the British Touring car championship and British Superbikes that regularly bring in capacity crowds.

Image Credit: JCM Motorsport Photography

Getting to Thruxton

(Sat nav users – use postcode SP11 8PN)

Thruxton is readily accessible from both the M3 and M4 – 1.5 hours from London – 2.5 hours from Birmingham

Once on the A303 follow the signs for Thruxton Circuit ONLY; ignore signs for Thruxton village. Upon leaving the A303 follow signs for Thruxton Circuit.

The karting and 4×4 centre have their own entrance (sign posted) 100 meters before the main cicruit entrance. If you are participating in a driving experience proceed through the main entrance and through the tunnel. On exiting the tunnel turn immediately left and follow the signs towards the car park.

TRAINS AND PLANES TO THRUXTON CIRCUIT

There is a main line train station in Andover (10 minutes away), which runs from Waterloo. Plan your route usingNational Rail Enquiries

Southampton Airport is the closest mainstream airport (45 minutes away).

A dry weekend?

This weekend at Thruxton looks to be warm and dry with only a little chance of a shower on the Friday, having said that, with high temperatures forecast throughout the weekend there’s little chance of it having any impact on the racing.

Weekend temperatures are hovering around the low to mid Twenties Celsius with low average wind speeds so, it’s looking like a great weekends racing for competitors and spectators alike.

Don’t miss any action

Friday

Tean Mansfield first take to the Thruxton track early on Friday afternoon at 12:25 in free practice and follow that up later in the day at 16:30 with the first qualifying session.

Saturday

On Saturday afternoon the Birchalls are out again at 12:55 for the first of the weekends races, it’s an 8 lap affair that promises to be super competitive. The boys are out again at 17:00 for the second time as they line up for the second 8 lap race of the day

Sunday

All eyes will once again be on Ben and Tom as they go into the final day of this pivotal weekend. Unusually, it’s going to be an early finish for the sidecar teams with the third and final 8 lap race of the weekend getting underway at 11:30am.

Live Timing

If you can’t get down to Thruxton, you can watch live timing for all the days racing by clicking this link

TV Schedule

It looks as though the only channel you’ll find the weekends racing on is Eurosport. We’ve check the listing for Quest and nothing is showing for British Superbikes.

Main image Credit: https://www.facebook.com/LAPConcepts/

Words: pronto.website

The post Birchalls try for a treble at Thruxton appeared first on Birchall Racing.

The Birchalls now have 50 points and extend their lead to 16 over Nichols/Tilley.

The Mitchells of Mansfield supported riders dominated free practice and qualifying in their class and started the first race from a third row grid position of the mixed grid of outfits.

Saturdays Race

Ben and Tom began their campaign in sixth place overall on lap one but moved up a place to fifth on lap two and held station to lap 10 when they moved up a place to fourth.

In their efforts to catch Walker and Hawes, Ben made a mistake and took to the grass on the back straight. They lost a few seconds on Walker but maintained their fourth place and on the final lap made up nearly six seconds to complete the race in fourth place just 0.8s away from the top three. They won their own class by a huge margin of 16 seconds

Ben Commented:

“That was a good race and it would have been even better if we hadn’t gone grass tracking down the back straight!

“That lost us quite a bit of time but although we managed to make it up we couldn’t quite make it past Walker. It has however placed us in a good position on the second row for the race on Sunday.”

Sundays Race

As race two got underway the Birchall brothers quickly became embroiled in a battle for position with Walker /Hawes with the two outfits exchanging places throughout the first four laps. But Ben spun the LCR Honda at Murrays and lost time as he got the outfit back on track. They dropped down the order to eighth overall but maintained their lead in their own class and gave chase to the outfits ahead.

On lap six they were on the back of Guy/Pilmoor-Brady and one lap later overtook them. Two teams retired therefore Ben and Tom were promoted to fifth place overall before the red flag brought the race to an early end after a F1 outfit spilled oil onto the track after a machine failure.

Ben and Tom head directly over to the Isle of Man to take part in the Southern 100 races which run over the next few days and then return in time to travel to Thruxton for the next round of the British championship on July 24.

The post Birchall Brothers shine at Snetterton appeared first on Birchall Racing.

Birchalls searching for Snetterton Success

After competing in Hungary and Croatia for the last two weekends Ben and Tom can’t wait to get stuck into the domestic competition, once again.

After missing the last round at Knockhill the brothers are eager to put some distance between themselves and the pairing of Shand and Hyde, who are neck and neck on 30 points at the top of the leader board.

Once again the brothers are looking to assert their dominance on the 600cc outfit and we spoke to Ben earlier in the week to get his thoughts on this weekends racing.

Ben Birchall:

“We really enjoy it down at Snetterton, it’s fast and technical in places and that’s the way we like it. Of course, we’re looking to win but, so is everyone else! It’ll not be easy but we’re confident we can do the business.

“We’ve done a lot of travelling, as always but we’ve had some fabulous support from Sponsors and the fans, so yeah, it’s been really good. From Snetterton we go straight to the Southern 100 so we’re really busy just now.

About Snetterton

Norfolk’s Snetterton circuit has been transformed in the last 5 years following a multi million pound redevelopment plan. The improvements have been met with rave reviews from both spectators and competitors alike and the Snetterton 300 track has been designed to bring international levels of racing to the circuit by gaining an FIA Grade 2 Licence.

Snetterton is known as a fast and exciting circuit with long straights and a wide variety of turns that require skill, handling and power to overcome. The circuits designers took inspiration from some of the worlds great circuits when they planned out the 300 track and as such, a weekend at Snetterton is a real treat for both competitors and spectators.

The British Touring Car Championship, BRSCC Fiesta Championship, British Superbike Championship, British Truck Racing Championship and British GT and F4 Championships all visit Snetterton at some point in the racing calendar so there’s always plenty going on, see here for details

Getting to Snetterton

If you’re planning to go down to Snetterton this weekend to watch the Birchalls race, you’ll find the circuit 10 miles north-east of Thetford on the A11 from London to Norwich. Coming from the south, leave the M11 at junction 9 and follow the A11. From the north or west, use the M11/A11 and join the A11 after Newmarket.

Eccles Road, Attleborough and Thetford stations are on the main Cambridge to Norwich line.

 A dry weekend?

This weekend at Snetterton is set fair with only a little broken cloud to mention, at this point it looks like the weather will be dry and bright with temperatures in the low twenties Celsius and with average wind speeds in the low teens. It’s looking like a great weekends racing for competitors and spectators alike.

Don’t miss any action

Friday

Tean Mansfield first take to the Snetterton track early on Friday afternoon at 12:25 in free practice and follow that up later in the day at 17:50 with the first qualifying session

Saturday

On Saturday afternoon the Birchalls are out again at 13:35 for the first of the weekends races, it’s a 12 lap affair that promises to be super competitive now that the leaders points gap has been cut back to nothing.

Sunday

All eyes will once again be on Ben and Tom as they go into the final day of this pivotal weekend. It’s going to be a long day for the Mansfield duo with the second race coming at 17:25.

Live Timing

If you can’t get down to Snetterton, you can watch live timing for all the days racing by clicking this link

TV Schedule

At this early stage we are unsure of the TV schedule but it looks as though the racing will be live on Eurosport but only from 16:00 on Saturday so the Brothers will already have raced unfortunately.

Sundays coverage (on eurosport at least) is again affected by the giant sporting events of Wimbledon and the Tour de France, with coverage not starting until 11am and finishing around 13:45pm again completely missing our guys out of the televised action.

We will have a good search around to see if we can find coverage elsewhere and post that information on the dedicated Snetterton event page that you can visit on this link

The post Team Mansfield travel to Snetterton appeared first on Birchall Racing.

Using a 600cc Honda engine in the LCR chassis the Mitchell’s of Mansfield supported riders were contesting the Cup section of the British championship which runs within the main race for the larger engine capacity F1 outfits.

The Birchall brothers qualified their long wheelbase LCR in an overall position of sixth and began their challenge from a third row grid position. As the lights went out for the start of the 15 lap race Ben (39) and Tom (29) maintained their sixth place within the mixed grid of riders and were leading the Cup by a considerable margin.

They moved upfield to fifth on lap 11 and crossed the finish line in that position to take a well earned win in the cup.

Once again starting from the third row, Ben and Tom began their second race on Sunday in 10th place. They moved up to ninth on lap two but their progress was halted by the pace car which was brought out to allow for the safe removal of a crashed outfit. Once the car left the track they were overtaken by some of the more powerful F1 machines but as the race progressed they got their heads down and began to reel in the outfits ahead. By lap 11 they were in 11th position and on the penultimate lap they passed Walker/Hawes and Archer/Thomas to cross the finish line well ahead of many of the F1 competitors in ninth place and once again took a decisive win in the cup class.

Ben said: “We had another great weekend here at Brands Hatch and we are really pleased to be leading the championship by such a great margin. I have to thank all our supporters and sponsors for their continued support.

“The first race was really good and we were happy with our pace as we were able to find a clear track to get the speed up. The second race was more challenging as we were all bunched up when the pace car left the track. But we had a great fight for position with Chris Walker and Ashley Hawes who we finally managed to pass with one lap remaining.”

With these two wins Ben and Tom Birchall have a commanding lead in the championship with 30 points from nearest rivals Reeves/Christie on 14..

The next round is at Knockhill on June 26 but the Birchalls along with one or two more competitors will be away in Hungary on World championship duty. They will return to the domestic scene at Snetterton on July 10th.

Their attention now switches to the Isle of Man TT races where last year they won both races giving them a total of three wins overall. Practice begins on Monday through to Friday with the first three lap race on Saturday, June 4 at 2pm, this year the programme has been altered and the second race will not be run until the final day, Friday, June 10 at 10.15am.

Main image credit: Dave Yeomans

The post Birchall Brothers secure Double Win at Brands Hatch appeared first on Birchall Racing.

The series takes place within the F1 championship grid and the F2 cup riders race alongside the more powerful F1 machines but are separated on the result sheets to their own respective championships. The team have a 600cc Honda engine housed in their long LCR chassis especially built to contest the world and British F2 cup championships

Throughout free practice and qualifying the Mitchell’s of Mansfield supported brothers dominated proceedings and qualified as fastest F2 by over four seconds and were fifth overall to start the 12 lap race from the third row of the mixed grid of riders.

Image Credit: Dave Yeomans

The weather was abysmal throughout the weekend but the skies cleared in time for the race late on Monday afternoon. As the lights went out Ben and Tom slotted into sixth place overall and were leading the F2 class by a good margin. One lap later they were up to fifth and on lap nine they moved into fourth overall. They held their position throughout the remainder of the race to cross the finish line for a decisive win of over 30 seconds from Founds/Walmsley who were the second Cup riders over the finish line. Amazingly the Birchall brothers finished in fourth place overall beating many of the more powerful F1 machines who were using a 1000cc engine compared to the 600cc of the Birchalls.

It was a busy weekend for the team because as their race at Oulton was late in the day, they took the opportunity of nipping over to Darley Moor which is only an hour away to do some testing with their TT outfit in preparation for the TT festival which takes place at the beginning of June.

Ben commented: “What a great weekend we had at Oulton Park. We are really pleased with the development of our new style bike. It’s really great to be racing within the British Superbike paddock again and we were all made very welcome. Thanks to all our loyal sponsors and supporters who came along to watch us over the weekend.”

The next race for Birchall Racing will be the second round of the British cup championship at Brands Hatch on May 22 and the team then move over to the Isle of Man where last year they recorded a winning double.

The post Birchall Racing Show their class at Oulton Park appeared first on Birchall Racing.

• Former champions return to the world stage for 2016
• Team Mansfield to lead the transition to an all 600cc grid
• Squad gearing up for full season including BSB and TT challenges

Former FIM World Sidecar Champions Ben and Tom Birchall will return to the series under a new banner – Team Mansfield – as they spearhead a period of revolution for the series. The 2016 season will see a combination of 600cc and 1000cc machines, with the Birchall brothers leading the way in the 600cc category which will become the sole format for 2017.

Following discussions with the sport’s governing body –the FIM – Team Mansfield will launch a full campaign in 2016 incorporating all of the World Championship events as well as taking on the British championship and Isle of Man TT.

Team Mansfield will be the main agent preparing the 600cc machines manufactured by LCR. The squad will draw on its extensive experience of the Honda engine to ensure a world-class standard of supply, and with the blessing of the FIM will be at the forefront of the transitional period in international sidecar racing.

Winners of the Final round of the FIM World Championship at Le Mans Photo by Wally Walters

“It’s really exciting!” said Ben. “The FIM approached us to take the lead role in this new 600cc class and it’s really got us fired up for 2016. It’s a new challenge and it’s looking to the future of sidecar racing – it will bring the level of the World Championship which is struggling up to that of the British series which is in a great place.

“We’ve had lots of success in the past and this is going to be a real challenge. With the 1000cc bikes alongside us it provides us with a great opportunity to have a development year in 2016 ready for a full-on assault in 2017. We’ve got some really exciting plans in the pipeline and we can’t wait to get started – from a commercial point of view we really want to make the most of our local ties, and we’re well on our way to putting Team Mansfield on the map.”

Former FIM World Sidecar Champions Ben and Tom Birchall will return to the series under a new banner – Team Mansfield – as they spearhead a period of revolution for the series. The 2016 season will see a combination of 600cc and 1000cc machines, with the Birchall brothers leading the way in the 600cc category which will become the sole format for 2017.

Following discussions with the sport’s governing body –the FIM – Team Mansfield will launch a full campaign in 2016 incorporating all of the World Championship events as well as taking on the British championship and Isle of Man TT.

Team Mansfield will be the main agent preparing the 600cc machines manufactured by LCR. The squad will draw on its extensive experience of the Honda engine to ensure a world-class standard of supply, and with the blessing of the FIM will be at the forefront of the transitional period in international sidecar racing.

“It’s really exciting!” said Ben. “The FIM approached us to take the lead role in this new 600cc class and it’s really got us fired up for 2016. It’s a new challenge and it’s looking to the future of sidecar racing – it will bring the level of the World Championship which is struggling up to that of the British series which is in a great place.

“We’ve had lots of success in the past and this is going to be a real challenge. With the 1000cc bikes alongside us it provides us with a great opportunity to have a development year in 2016 ready for a full-on assault in 2017. We’ve got some really exciting plans in the pipeline and we can’t wait to get started – from a commercial point of view we really want to make the most of our local ties, and we’re well on our way to putting Team Mansfield on the map.”

The post Birchall brothers spearhead sidecar revolution with Team Mansfield Racing appeared first on Birchall Racing.

Starting from a sixth row grid position for the start of the first race the start was delayed to allow for a shower of rain to pass through. Subsequently the race was reduced in distance from the scheduled 10 laps down to six.

It was always going to be difficult to catch the leaders in such a short race but this was made even more so because Ben opted for wet weather tyres which turned out to be the wrong choice. Unable to make much headway the Mitchell’s of Mansfield supported team completed the race down in 20th position.

The weather was fine and dry for race two later in the day and Ben and Tom lined up for a start from the 10th row. This time they made no mistake with tyre choice and finished in 15th place overall but were the fastest 600 machine on the track posting the fastest lap for a 600 with a 1.34.626s – 92.57mph.

Ben commented: “After making further adjustments to the new bike we went to Brands Hatch to see how the bike performed mixed in with the British F1 competitors who were using the bigger engine capacity outfits. Unfortunately we made the wrong tyre choice for the first race which then affected our grid position for the second encounter. But the engine ran well and we were pleased with the times we posted during race two. If we had started from nearer the front of the grid we could have been looking at sixth or seventh place at the flag.

“Our season is now complete but we will spend the winter months developing the bike further in preparation for the 2016 world championship where the new rules come into effect. 2016 is to be a transitional year where the competitors who have already made the change to 600 engines will run alongside riders using the bigger capacity engine for a final year thus allowing teams the time to make the change to the 600cc engines which will be used solely from 2017.

“We were encouraged by the reception we received from the officials and public at Brands Hatch and would like to thank them plus all our sponsors and supporters for their continued input to the team.”

pic credit Dave Yeomans

The post Brands Hatch Report appeared first on Birchall Racing.