It was a hot one at Oschersleben in Germany last weekend, with temperatures reaching well into the 30s. As one of the Birchall’s favourite circuits, the team arrived at the historic track with the goal of winning both races to reclaim the championship lead.

Practice and qualifying went well with the Mitchells of Mansfield supported team setting the pace to ultimately claim pole position with a time 0.3 seconds faster than their rivals. Feeling comfortable on track, Ben and Tom even had chance to make a couple of cooling and bedding in laps during the session such was their pace.

Late Saturday afternoon saw the 11-lap Sprint Race take place on the still hot German tarmac. With the top three teams separated by less than one second after qualifying, all knew it would be a closely-fought battle to take the chequered flag. Ben and Tom grabbed the holeshot from the front of the grid and immediately set about trying to gap the outfits behind. Ben, driving superbly, put in fast lap after fast lap, maintaining his lead over the second and third-placed teams. Unfortunately, with just one lap to go, a late pass by Reeves and Wilkes put them in front and with no time to retaliate, Ben and Tom had to settle for second. A frustrating end to such a dominant performance.

With plans to make up for the Sprint Race result, Birchall Racing made some subtle tweaks to their LCR Yamaha outfit before Sunday’s 21-lap Gold Race. Overnight thunder storms had cleared the air, leaving the track and conditions more favourable for the main event. Ben and Tom once again got the perfect start and led the pack into the first corner. Similarly to the first race, with all the action going on behind them, Ben was able to manage his pace and stretch his lead ahead of the sidecars jostling for position behind. Crossing the line unchallenged by their rivals, Birchall Racing bagged 25 valuable points, keeping their championship hopes very much alive with three rounds of the series remaining.

Ben Birchall: “It was great racing in Germany, the circuit is one of our favourites and there’s always a good atmosphere there. I have to say I’m a little disappointed in finishing as runner-up in the first race. We definitely had the pace to win, I just made a small mistake near the end and Tim got past. I was determined to make up for it on Sunday though and that race went perfectly. Once again, the team have been amazing, conditions were tough in the heat but everything went smoothly as usual. We have a short break from the world championship now then its back on it for the Netherlands and Croatia.”

Tom Birchall: “I’m really happy to have another solid weekend. We got pole again so it’s great to have that sort of pace against the clock, it shows our set up is bang on. We just got pipped in the first race which never feels great, but we got our heads down and found a little extra during the next morning warm-up. In the second race, everything went perfectly – we pushed hard and got a gap early on and from there we just managed it, leaving a little in reserve in case we needed it. Just want to say thanks to David Batty from the Hayley Group and his friends for being there over the weekend – it’s always good to have some home support and I’m glad we were able to reward them with a win.”

Round four of the 2019 FIM Sidecar World Championship will be held at Assen, the Netherlands on August 18.

Results: 2019 FIM Sidecar World Championship – Round three, Oschersleben, Germany

Sprint Race
1. Reeves/Wilkes, Adolf RS Yamaha, 17:08.523
2. Birchall/Birchall, LCR Yamaha, 17:09.137 +0.614
3. Paivarinta/Veravainen, LCR Yamaha, 17:14.593 +6.070

Gold Race
1. Birchall/Birchall, LCR Yamaha, 32:44.254
2. Reeves/Wilkes, Adolf RS Yamaha, 32:47.036 +2.782
3. Paivarinta/Veravainen, LCR Yamaha, 32:48.440 +4.186

Photo credit: Mark Walters

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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

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Following a winter of training, testing and development on their World Championship winning outfit, Ben and Tom Birchall went out to gain valuable race data ahead of their first 2018 FIM World Sidecar Championship event of the year at Le Mans this coming weekend.

After qualifying in pole position Ben made an excellent start and despite losing out on power to the larger 1,000cc machines, the brothers led into the first corner. From there the 2017 World Champions managed to pull away from the field and were never challenged – Ben skilfully controlling the pace from the front.

The race gave the team the perfect opportunity to fully test their outfit under racing conditions. Work carried out by CF Motorsport to the Yamaha R6 600cc engine proved to be a great success with the machine performing flawlessly throughout the weekend. Pole position, a race win and fastest lap would give the Birchalls added confidence ahead of Le Mans.

The team opted to sit out from Sunday’s race due to the wet conditions of the track, Ben and Tom decided it was important for them to stay focused ahead of the first round of the world championship and not risk any mistakes.

Ben Birchall: “I’m really pleased for the result at Brand Hatch – the weekend couldn’t have gone any better. We were able to gain some great data from the CF Motorsport built R6 engine. We are really looking forward to starting our 2018 World Championship campaign now and would like to thank everyone who has supported us for this season.”

Tom Birchall: “That was a cracking start to the year – just what we needed. To get pole position and a race win helps to justify all the hard work we have put in over the off-season. Thanks to Craig Fitzpatrick for his assistance too, the bike and motor were perfect all weekend. I can’t wait to get to Le Mans now and hopefully things will go just as well there and we can get this year’s championship off to a flying start.

Birchall racing now head to Le Mans for round one of the 2018 FIM World Sidecar Championship on the 20-21 April.

2018 British Sidecar Championship Round One – Brands Hatch

Race 1
1. Birchall/Birchall LCR Yamaha, 12:33.368
2. Kershaw/Clark LCR Kawasaki, 12:36.235 +2.867
3. Bryan/Hyde LCR Kawasaki, 12:39.322 +5.594

Photo credit: Double Red

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Ready to go

Fresh from their two week racing break, Ben and Tom are on their European travels once again as they return to the FIM fold.

The Oschersleben circuit which hosts this round, is the third best known German Circuit after the Nürburgring and Hockenheim but it has only been open since 1997. This relatively new circuit has previously seen success for the Birchalls, they took a double win here and broke the lap record 3 times in the same weekend in 2013

Having said that, Oschersleben, in the former East Germany is an unfamiliar hunting ground for team Mansfield as they’ve only raced there a handful of times in the past but Ben and Tom won’t let that stop their march toward another class win. Should the boys continue the form they’ve shown in previous outings it’s difficult to see them making anything other than a huge stride towards Championship glory.

With a full 56 points between the flying Mansfield duo and their nearest rivals, it’s surely just a matter of time now before another Championship is in the bag.  With the 4th place team of Rosinger/Werner racing on home soil, it’s going to be a tough ask for Backmeier and Wechselberger to pull back any points on Ben and Tom.

The Oschersleben Circuit

Motorsport Arena Oschersleben can be found on the eastern outskirts of the town of Oschersleben, around 20 miles southwest of Magdeburg in central Germany. The nearest international airports are at Leipzig/Halle (77 miles/124 kms to the south) or Hanover (88 miles/140 kms to the west).

The circuit can be reached via the A2 Hanover-Berlin autobahn, exit Eilsleben or Wanzleben and follow the signs for the circuit, which is located around 25 kms from the motorway.  Parking is available at the circuit for a small charge.

You can also arrive by train.  The nearest station is at Oschersleben, with connections to Magdeburge and the Berlin-Hannover ICE express train.  The circuit is a short taxi ride from the circuit.

What to expect from the weekends weather

It’s going to be a tricky weekend for the Birchalls and the rest of the teams in Germany. With temperatures forecast in the early to mid thirties Celsius, it’s not only going to be hard on the bikes but it’s going to be stiflingly hot for the competitors in race leathers and helmets.

There’s very little chance of rain for this weekend and only a moderate breeze to cool the spectators so if you’re travelling to Germany to watch the boys, don’t forget your sun protection.

Live timing

At this point we are rather light on information regarding live timing and that sort of thing, so please bare with us.

We will constantly update facebook as soon as we know anything, so be sure to head over there and give the boys a like. Click the pic below of Ben and Tom celebrating a win in Germany to be taken to the facebook page

Ben and Tom celebrate victory in 2012

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The F2 World Trophy race is run within the gird of the F1 World championship and after taking pole in their class the Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers began their campaign from the third row in sixth position overall.

As the lights went out at the start of the 17 lap affair Ben and Tom settled into seventh place behind Holden/Ramsey. When John Holden was forced out after a spin on lap 10 the Mansfield pair were elevated to sixth overall and first in class by a large margin.

Ben and Tom maintained their sixth position and crossed the finish line to take their sixth win in the F2 World Trophy class well ahead of their nearest rivals Guignard/Poux who completed the race in 19th place overall.

Ben commented:

We had another great weekend here at Assen. The event was really well organised and there was a huge crowd to watch the sidecar race.

The bike ran well and we were really happy with its performance; we now look forward to Oschersleben and to hopefully continue our winning ways.

Ben and Tom Birchall have extended their series lead in the F2 World Trophy and having won all six races to date look almost certain to take the World Trophy at the end of the season.

The next round is at Oschersleben in Germany on August 27/28 where the team will have two races to contest. The final round of the championship that will decide the title is on home tarmac at Donington Park when Ben and Tom will be riding in front of their home crowd and sponsors at the British Superbike meeting on September 17.

The post Assen Provides Another Class Win For Team Mansfield appeared first on Birchall Racing.

Familiar surroundings

Fresh from their heroics at Mallory Park, Ben and Tom are on their European travels once again as they return to the FIM fold.

The Assen TT circuit is a familiar hunting ground for team Mansfield and it’s a circuit where they have seen plenty of success! Several good points hauls have been secured by the brothers at Assen in recent years and it’s a circuit that is remembered fondly but also with sadness.

Remembering Sandor

Long time followers of the Birchalls will remember this as the first circuit the brothers raced on following Ben’s hand injury in the 2014 TT (a race in which the Brothers came second)

Another point to remember is that Assen is also the circuit where we tragically lost German sidecar passenger Sandor Pohl almost 3 years ago to the day.

As we look forward to this weekends racing however,  team Mansfield are in a great place at the head of the points classification in the Sidecar F2 World Trophy. You wouldn’t bet against Ben and Tom securing another brace of class wins at this most famous and entertaining Circuit.

The Cathedral Circuit

The current track was built in 1955 and is known as the TT Circuit Assen, it’s the home of the world famous Dutch TT race and popularly referred to as “The Cathedral” by fans of motorcycle racing.

The Circuit boasts a 100,000 capacity that includes 60,000 seats! World Superbikes has been a regular event on the Assen calendar since it’s first appearance there in 1992.

It’s a technical circuit with tight bends and fast straights, making it popular with riders and spectators alike. There have been a lot of changes in the past few years at Assen, the track has been shortened to 2.83 miles and a reported 83 million euro investment has improved facilities at Assen for all visitors.

What to expect from the weekends weather

All the talk leading up to the race weekend is of the wet conditions that possibly lie ahead in Holland. Saturday morning has the highest chance of seeing rain but with temperatures in the low twenties Celsius hopefully any rain that does fall won’t affect the racing too badly.

Birchall Brothers celebrate at Assen in 2014

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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

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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

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The Ace Hire and Sales Race (Wednesday)

Starting the first race on Wednesday evening from the second row, the Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers were third away but soon overtook John Holden and Andy Winkle to move up into second place.

The action was very close with just half a second separating Ben and Tom from race leaders Reeves/ Farrance with Holden/Winkle right in their wheel tracks. Pole sitters Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle recovered from their bad start and joined the top three with all four outfits pulling away from the following pack.

As they approached Cross Fourways on lap four, Moly made a brave move past the Birchalls to move into second place. Ben wasn’t letting him get away and the pair exchanged places throughout the remainder of the lap with Reeves, Moly, Birchall and Holden passing the start line separated by just two seconds.

They all maintained their position into the fifth lap with the gap between first and fourth down to 1.3 seconds, but no sooner had they passed the start line the race was red flagged for an incident further downfield and a result was declared on positions at the end of lap four with Ben and Tom stepping onto the podium in third place.

Image credit: Mark Corlett

Ben commented:

“The conditions were really tricky out there as the track was dry in some parts and wet in others.”

“We all chose a different tyre combination so one was better in some parts than the other three! It was certainly an exciting and entertaining race and that last lap would have been a hum dinger!”

“We would like to pass on our best wishes to the two riders that were injured during the race and wish them a speedy recovery.”

Manx Gas Sidecar Championship (Thursday)

The second race on Thursday afternoon was run in perfect weather conditions and with the highly competitive field it was essential to get away to a good start. As the race began it was Reeves who headed the field with Ben and Tom in their wheel tracks. As they went past the start and finish to begin lap two the top four outfits of Reeves, Birchall, Molyneux and Holden were already pulling clear from the field with less than a second covering the four of them.

Image Credit LAP Concepts

Ben and Tom took the lead as they started lap three with Moly following through, but he was to retire with a technical problem a few seconds later. This left Birchalls in the lead with Reeves and Holden right behind them. In their efforts to retain the race lead Ben and Tom broke the existing lap record only to lose it one lap later when Reeves went a fraction of a second faster and on lap six history was made when all three of the front runners broke the 100mph barrier.

On the penultimate lap they were into the back markers and Reeves snatched the lead on the run to Cross Fourways. Ben was unable to make it back to the front and they finished the race in second place.

Image credit: Clare Freestone and Peter Bull

Ben commented:

“We set out to try to win and that’s when lap records tumble. It was a great race but of course it is difficult to run at the front and not make a mistake. I knew Tim was there waiting and when we ran slightly wide he took the advantage.”

“On that last lap the back markers unsettled me a little bit and I had a bit of a slide and he was alongside me. He wasn’t going to give in and we both only just got round but it was good fun. Thanks a lot to the Southern 100 club and also our sponsors and friends, we really enjoyed it.”

On their return from the Isle of Man Ben and Tom will head to Thruxton for the next round of the British championship over the weekend of July 22-24 where there are three races to contest. Currently the Birchalls top the 600 cup standings and they will be seeking more top results to extend their championship lead.

Main Image courtesy of Clare Freestone and Peter Bull

Words By Helen Pask

The post So close to Southern 100 Glory appeared first on Birchall Racing.