Just weeks following their record-breaking run of success at the Isle of Man TT Races, Birchall Racing were back to their winning ways at round two of the FIM world championship. An outing at Brands Hatch earlier in the month had unfortunately ended in incident with Ben and Tom thankfully ok, but their LCR Yamaha outfit sustained damage in the crash and needed some maintenance before its next race.

As always, the team came through, and with hours of hard work leading up to the Hungary event the Mitchells of Mansfield backed One Call Insurance machine was ready to take to the track for Friday’s opening session.

Practice went perfectly and as the teams completed the first qualifying session it was Birchall Racing who came out on top with a superb time of 1:59.885. For Q2, the sweltering temperatures at the circuit had risen even higher and it was unlikely that lap times from the morning could be beaten. With their outfit performing impeccably however, Ben and Tom went on to knock a further few tenths off their existing time and earn themselves pole position for the afternoon’s sprint race.

The nine-lap sprint race saw a closely-fought battle with series front-runners Reeves/Wilkes and Paivarinta/Veravainen. As the race progressed the Birchall brothers and Reeves/Wilkes gapped the third-placed outfit and took the fight right to the line. Ultimately, with a strong final overtake, it was Ben and Tom that took the chequered flag by just three tenths of a second.

The 15-lap ‘Gold Race’ saw another strong start by Birchall Racing and once again the three top teams jostled for position throughout the early laps. With the high temperatures and abrasive track conditions, tyre conservation was a concern for all teams. Ben, driving as smooth as he could, aimed to maintain the condition of his Avon rubber and keep some pace in reserve for the final few laps. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be – rather than risk a mistake, the Mansfield-based brothers settled for second place and with it, some well-earned championship points.

Ben Birchall: “The team and bike have worked perfectly all weekend and we ended up with a really good set up at the end of the event. I’m thrilled to take our first win of the season in race one. We did all we could in race two, but after a great battle we couldn’t quite make the top step again. We’ve moved up to second place in the championship now which is good, and things are looking really positive for the next round at Oschersleben – it’s another double-race weekend so hopefully we can come away with more solid championship points. Thanks to all the team as usual for all their hard work, looking forward to the next one now.”

Tom Birchall: “Overall I’m really pleased with how the weekend has gone. Pannonia is really hard on tyres, so it’s always tricky to find the perfect set up. It was great to have a good fight with Reeves and Wilkes in both races – we did enough in the first race to take the win, but perhaps just got held up a little too long in the second to hunt them down and challenge for the win. Congratulations to them for their result but with the TT done now we can really focus on the world championship 100% and hope to take more wins at the next round.”

Round three of the 2019 FIM Sidecar World Championship will be held at Oschersleben, Germany from 20-21 July.

Results: 2019 FIM Sidecar World Championship – Round two, Pannonia Ring, Hungary

Sprint Race
1. Birchall/Birchall, LCR Yamaha, 18:14.116
2. Reeves/Wilkes, Adolf RS Yamaha, 18:14.452 +0.336
3. Paivarinta/Veravainen, LCR Yamaha, 18:17.475 +3.309

Gold Race
1. Reeves/Wilkes, Adolf RS Yamaha, 30:41.947
2. Birchall/Birchall, LCR Yamaha, 30:45.657 +3.710
3. Paivarinta/Veravainen, LCR Yamaha, 30:48.811 +6.864

Photo credit: Mark Walters

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The race started well for the One Call Insurance supported team with Ben taking the holeshot into the first chicane. Heading onwards, under the Dunlop Bridge, the Birchall’s momentum was halted when an impetuous attempt at a pass by the second-placed outfit caused the two teams to collide, forcing the Birchall’s into a near-spin. Using his extensive skill and experience, Ben was able to quickly regain control of his LCR Yamaha but the incident had dropped the team down to fifth place.

Immediately setting off to retake the lead, Birchall Racing broke the lap record on two consecutive laps as they fought their way back to the front. Unfortunately, a clutch issue had arisen, slowing the outfit and restricting the team’s pace on the second half of the race. Despite the handicap, Ben and Tom enjoyed a fierce battle with Paivarinta and Veravainen right until the final lap.

In their final attack for the lead, the two outfits came together, which resulted in Ben and Tom falling behind, their clutch issue becoming worse. The team were able to nurse their outfit across the line to claim fourth, salvaging 13 valuable championship points. Not the win they had been hoping for, but with their machine otherwise performing superbly, the brothers could only take positives from the weekend.

Ben Birchall:“Of course it’s a little frustrating not to have come away with the win, especially as we had a pace advantage all weekend. We had a great battle with Pekka, which was really good fun. Obviously if that first-lap collision hadn’t happened the race would probably have been a bit different but it’s a shame not to finish on the podium as I felt we performed superbly and deserved it. Nevertheless, we came away with some solid points and put on a good show for the fans. The upgrades to the bike we have made over the winter break seem to be working really well and I really enjoyed myself out there. I’m looking forward to Hungary now and hopefully a top result and more championship points.”

Tom Birchall:“All-in-all we’ve had a fantastic start to the year – to go fastest in every session and claim pole position on the new bike is great. The race didn’t quite go to plan, but we had a great battle that went right down to the last lap, it’s just a shame we couldn’t convert it into a podium. Congratulations to the winners, it was a great fight so thank you to the FIM for giving us the opportunity to race at Le Mans once again in front of such a great crowd. We’ll look on to round two now and hopefully take that top step of the podium.”

Birchall Racing’s next event will be the first round of the British Sidecar Championship at Oulton Park on 4-6 May, before heading over to the Isle of Man for the 2019 TT Races towards the end of the month.

Results – 2019 FIM Sidecar World Championship – Round 1, Le Mans, France

1. Päivärinta/Vervainen, LCR Yamaha, 31:46.526
2. Reeves/Wilkes, Adolf RS Yamaha, 31:57.466 +10.940
3. Schlosser/Fries, LCR Yamaha, 31:58.595 +12.069
4.Birchall/Birchall, LCR Yamaha, 31:59.756 +13.230

Photo credit: Mark Walters

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Off the pace in the first qualifying session, the team worked overnight to set up the Mitchells of Mansfield supported outfit to suit the new Slovakian track. Finding two-and-a-half seconds, the Birchalls claimed pole position in the second qualifying session, setting a new lap record in the process.

Unfortunately, an electrical issue caused the machine to stop soon after the start of the sprint race. After re-joining, a coming together with another competitor ended up damaging the Yamaha LCR outfit and the pair had no option but to pit and make repairs. Back out on track the Birchalls finished in 13th position and claimed three championship points.

Saturday’s Gold Race brought different fortunes as Ben and Tom enjoyed great pace in a four-way battle for the win. With the lead changing multiple times throughout the course of the 13-lap event the Birchalls did everything they could to take the lead while defending from the outfits behind. At the line the brothers were just pipped by the eventual winners by just point-four of a second.

The 20 points keep the Mansfield team firmly in the title hunt going into the next world round at the Sachsenring, Germany at the end of June.

Ben Birchall: “It feels really good, after such a tricky weekend to get second place and claim some strong championship points. I want to say thank you to Craig Fitzpatrick for all the help he gave us over the course of the event with the technical issues we had. Hopefully at the next round in Germany we’ll be able to go one better and take the top step of the podium. Until then our focus is now on the TT where we hope to repeat our performance of last year and come out with a couple more wins.”

Tom Birchall: “After a really tough start to the weekend it felt great to be able to fight for the win on Saturday. It was a shame we just got pipped at the line but it was a great battle with the other guys. We really enjoyed the new circuit – the Slovakia Ring is a great place to race at and provided some good competitive action for the fans. I’m looking forward to the TT now and hopefully we can get some more good results.”

Birchall Racing’s next outing will be the Isle of Man TT races held May 26 – June 8.

Results – 2018 FIM Sidecar World Championship – Round 2, Slovakia Ring, Slovakia

Sprint Race
1. Päivärinta/Vervainen, LCR Honda, 15:45.731
2. Reeves/Wilkes, Adolf RS Yamaha, 15:59.536 +13.805 seconds
3. Founds/Christie, LCR Yamaha, 16:01.261 +15.890 secs
13. Birchall/Birchall, LCR Yamaha, 16:23.322 +1 lap

Gold Race
1. Reeves/Wilkes, Adolf RS Yamaha, 29:07.918
2. Birchall/Birchall, LCR Yamaha, 29:08.319 +0.401 seconds
3. Streuer/Rousseau, LCR Kawasaki, 29:09.257 +1.369 secs

Photo credit: Mark Walters

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The Mitchells of Mansfield supported riders dominated the two qualifying sessions setting a fastest time of 1m 33.918s in the first session to take pole position for the short, 10 lap Sprint race on Saturday.

As the lights went out to start the race Paivarinta and Kainulainen got the hole shot and led the field around the first series of corners but the Birchall Brothers were hot on their heels on the LCR Yamaha R6 with Streuer/Rousseau plus Holden/Wilks in close formation a few yards behind.

By the end of lap one Ben and Tom had the lead and began to steadily pull away from the pack to cross the finish line 10.375s ahead of Holden/Wilks who had got past Paivarinta/Kainulainen to take second place.

This win put the title out of reach of their rivals resulting in the Birchall Brothers being crowned 2017 World Champions leaving them free to enjoy their second race on Sunday as champions elect with no pressure.

But there was a dramatic change of events prior to the start of the 18 lap Gold race on Sunday when spots of rain began to fall leaving the sidecar crews with the dilemma of tyre choice.

As the teams set off on the warm up lap Ben and Tom slid out of control on the exit to the first corner which threw Tom off the machine which turned on its side as it slid down the track. The reason for this was a rear tyre puncture and although the two brothers were unhurt the fairing was damaged and they were forced to sit out the race.

Having won every race until then the crash denied them the full house of wins in the world championship which was disappointing. The Birchall brothers have had a good season with a clean sweep at the Isle of Man TT races and the win in every round of the British 600 Cup they have contested and now the jewel in the crown with the World championship title means they have plenty to celebrate.

Ben said: “Tom and I are elated to be crowned world champions; we have had a fantastic season in the World Series this year and can’t thank everyone involved enough. Without our sponsors, friends and family we would have been unable to achieve this.

“The decision to go to the 600cc class early has certainly paid off for us and it’s proved the 600cc engine is the perfect choice. The decision by the FIM to make the championship 600cc was correct and the best way forward for our sport.

“We now look forward to returning home and bringing another world championship back to Mansfield.”

Ben and Tom are hoping to contest the final two rounds of the British 600cc Cup at Assen and Brands Hatch plus make their usual appearance at Darley Moor for the Stars at Darley meeting in October.

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The Mitchells of Mansfield supported riders dominated free practice and qualifying to claim pole position at the Cathedral of Speed on Saturday to start Sunday’s 17 lap Gold race from the head of the grid.

The brothers went on to take a lights to flag victory on their LCR/Yamaha. However they didn’t have it all their own way as they were chased from the off by Paivarinta and Kainulainen and the two outfits were in close formation for the first seven of 17 laps.

But Ben decided it was time to pull the plug and shake off the attention of the Finnish pair and began to steadily pull clear. By lap 10 they were into the backmarkers and remained in control of the race to cross the finish line some seven seconds ahead of their rivals with fellow British pair of John Holden and Mark Wilks bringing their LCR/Kawasaki home in third place.

Ben said: “we had a fantastic result at Assen in the world championship in front of a massive 90,000 strong crowd and take one step closer to the world title. Thanks to our sponsors for their continued support and also to the organisers for such a great event.”

The final round of the series is at the Grobnik Automotodrom in Croatia over the weekend of September 8/9 when the Birchall brothers will contest a Sprint race on Saturday and then the Gold race on Sunday. With an advantage of 30 points over Paivarinta and 50 championship points up for grabs in Croatia Ben and Tom need to just finish the first race ahead of their nearest rivals to claim their third world title and their second in the 600cc class.

Prior to that Ben and Tom will be at Cadwell Park on August 20 to take part in the British championship sidecar races which run as a support to the British Superbike championship.

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Following on from their double win at the Isle of Man TT races last week where they set a new lap record of 117. 119mph the Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers headed straight to Hungary for a round of the World championship where they were to contest two races in the current World championship campaign.

The Mansfield pair secured pole position during qualifying with a lap of 1m 58.679s which is a faster time than the fastest lap time from last year during the race with the larger 1000cc engine. 

Ben said: “The bike is perfect, we will see how the race goes, it has been a good weekend so far.”

As the lights went out for the start of the sprint race it was Paivarinta and Kainulainen who got the hole shot into the first corner but they ran wide allowing the Birchall brothers to get ahead. But a fellow competitor suffered a crash further downfield and the red flag brought proceedings to a halt. At the restart it was Paivarinta once again to get away in the lead but by the end of lap one Birchall had taken the lead and continued to forge ahead extending their lead to take the chequered flag a full nine seconds ahead of their rivals with Holden/Wilkes finishing in third place.

Ben and Tom were over the moon with their win plus the added bonus of setting a new lap record of 1m 59.532s.

After spending the evening preparing the LCR Honda for the Gold race on Sunday the teams took their gird positions for the start of the 15 lap affair. This time The Birchall brothers scorched away to complete the 15 laps for another win over 18 seconds ahead of Paivarinta with Holden once again taking third place.

Ben said:

“we are delighted to have taken the double win here this weekend. It’s been a long month with us having two world championship rounds with the two TT races sandwiched in between so we were thrilled to have come out on top after such a tiring month. It’s good that the rest of the competitors are now getting to grips with their 600cc outfits and the racing is a lot closer.

“We have to thank our team for their sterling work again this weekend plus our loyal sponsors for their continued support. With over a month before the next World championship race we have time to contest a round of the British championship and are looking forward to Snetterton at the end of the month.”

The Birchall brothers remain unbeaten in the world championship this year and are settled at the head of the rider standings on 125 points with the next round at Assen on August 6.

Meanwhile Ben and Tom will take in a round of the British 600cc sidecar championship at Snetterton over the weekend of June 30/July 2.

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Starting the Sprint race from pole position it was the Birchall Brothers who got the perfect start into the first series of bends on their Birchall Racing LCR Yamaha. Paivarinta/Kainulainen slotted into second place and gave chase to the Birchall Brothers with Streuer/De-Haas following just a fraction of a second behind.

As the race wore on the Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers began to pull away and crossed the finish line well ahead of Paivarinta who followed them home in second place. Holden/Wilks reeled in and passed Streuer to finish the race in third place.

In the gold race on Sunday Ben and Tom didnt get a clean getaway at the start but once into their stride took the lead by the end of the first lap. They soon pulled clear of the pursuing pack and extended their lead throughout the 20 lap affair to take the chequered flag over 27 seconds ahead of Paivarinta/Kainulainen with Holden/Wilkes again finishing in third place.

Ben said:

“We have enjoyed our time in Germany and are delighted to have secured the win in both races.

The outfit is running really well and things 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.

Ben continued:

“Oschersleben is a great circuit and we were really pleased we were able to take pole position, both wins and the lap record.

Thanks go to our hard working crew members who have pulled out all the stops again this weekend. Thanks also to our sponsors and supporters; we are delighted to have been able to reward them for their loyalty with a brace of wins this weekend.

“We’re off to the TT now so we cant wait for that”

The next round of the World Sidecar championship is in Hungary over the weekend of June 17-18 when once again there are two races for the brothers to contest.

The TT gets underway with practice starting on Saturday, May 27 to Friday, June 2. The first three lap sidecar race takes place on Saturday, June 3 with a provisional start time of 2pm. The second race is on Friday, June 9 at 10.15am.

We’ll be putting together an IOM TT race page so you can find all the latest IOM TT news and results as soon as they happen. Check back on the website later for details.

The post Birchall Brothers At The Double appeared first on Birchall Racing.

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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The Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers had a perfect run setting a time of 1m 33.769s during qualifying to secure a third row start in the mixed grid of riders for the start of the 12 lap Sprint race. Ben said: “It has all gone perfectly for us today and once again we are the top F2 Trophy team on the grid.”

In blazing hot sunshine Ben and Tom set off in the Sprint race and soon overtook F1 team Dechamp/Peugeot but as they closed down on Gray/Christie the red flag brought the race to a halt. At the restart, now run over nine laps, Ben and Tom got a fantastic start and were soon locked in a fierce, race long battle with the two F1 outfits of Streuer/Daalguison and Holden Wilkes with the Mansfield pair eventually bringing the LCR Honda 600 home in seventh place overall but a decisive victory in the F2 class.

Another good start in the 20 lap Gold race saw Ben and Tom fight their way through to sixth place overall and to finally cross the finish line in fifth at the end of the 20 lap affair to claim another maximum points result in the F2 class. Having won all the races to date and with 200 points now on the board no one can catch them and they were pronounced champions.

Ben said:

“It has been a fantastic weekend for us and we are really pleased with the way it’s gone.

The team has worked hard throughout the weekend and we have made more progress with the bike. We are all thrilled to bits to have won both races and sealed the world championship.

We are both looking forward to our home round at Donington Park when we are to be presented with the world championship trophy, what a nice way to end our world championship season.”

The final round is at Donington Park with the British Superbike championship on September 17 and the Mansfield pair will celebrate their world title on home Tarmac.

pic credit Wally Walters

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