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

The post Birchall Racing Clinch World Title at Oschersleben appeared first on Birchall Racing.

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

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

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

The post Assen Awaits for Birchall Racing appeared first on Birchall Racing.

Once again Ben and Tom Birchall scored maximum points in the British 600 Cup when they travelled to their local track of Mallory Park for an extra round of the championship on Sunday.

Image Credit: Alan Lygo

Although they were using their LCR 600cc Honda and were therefore at a disadvantage against the 1000cc machines in the F1 class Ben and Tom were in their element and beat all the F1 outfits to secure pole position for first 12 lap race.

As the race got underway the Mitchells of Mansfield supported riders were running in third place but on lap two they overtook Holland/Watson to move into second place overall and although they were very close to the leaders they remained in second place to the chequered flag.

They took their class win by a large margin from Bennett/Cain to further extend their lead at the top of the rider standings in the 600 Cup.

Starting once again from the front row Ben and Tom didn’t get such a good start and settled into fourth place on the first lap. Try as they may, they were unable to make a pass on Walker/Hawes until at last on lap seven they made their way past and made the move stick.

Image Credit: Alan Lygo

They then proceeded to chase Holland/Watson for second place but the red flag brought the race to an early end after 11 of 18 laps and they had to settle for third place overall and another decisive win in the 600 Cup class.

Ben said:

“it was another great weekend of racing for us and we continued to find success in our class with two good wins.

Most importantly we secured pole position and two podium placed results against the faster and bigger engine capacity F1 machines which, for our 600cc is a great set of results.

“Many thanks to Stuart Hicken and his team for putting on such a good meeting; it was a really good weekend of racing.”

Ben and Tom now turn their attention back to the world championship as they prepare to set off for Assen in the Netherlands for the next round of the championship which takes place on Sunday, August 7.
Main image credit: Wally Walters

Words: Helen Pask

The post Birchalls Bonnanza at 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 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.

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

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