Starting the first race on Wednesday from a second row grid position the Mitchells of Mansfield supported riders got a good start to the six lap Ace Hire and Sales F2 Sidecar event to nip through into second place. As they crossed the line to start lap two there was less than a second separating the first four outfits with all four running inside the existing lap record.

As the race progressed Molyneux/Sayle pulled out with a machine problem leaving Reeves/Wilkes and the Birchalls to battle it out. But two laps later Reeves also pulled out with a machine problem leaving Ben and Tom well clear to complete the race some six seconds ahead of Holden/Cain with Lockey/Sayers completing the podium.

Ben commented: “I had no idea how far ahead we were so I just kept pushing on. We had a few problems during practice but we have got the bike set up just right now which showed in our result today.”

As the riders began their warm up lap for Thursday’s eight lap Manx Gas Championship race there was a short sharp shower of rain which caused the start to be delayed and the race to be reduced to seven laps.

Once again Ben and Tom got a clean start and moved into second place behind Reeves/Wilkes. As the approached Four Cross Ways for the first time Ben got his nose ahead but couldn’t make the move stick and the pair moved well clear of the pursuing pack. Throughout the next five laps the two outfits were separated by just 0.2s and both crews were running under lap record pace.

On lap four Ben and Tom set the fastest lap of the race with a 101.545mph – 2m 30.672s. But as they approached Four Cross Ways on lap six the two leaders clashed resulting in the red flag bringing the race to an early end. Neither crew was badly injured in the incident but as they were unable to continue, the result went the way of birthday boy John Holden and passenger Lee Cain.

Ben commented: “First and foremost, Tom and I want to wish Tim and Mark a speedy recovery and are thankful no one was seriously injured after the unfortunate incident in our race.

“We had a great battle with them and after studying their every move for the entire race I knew I had to get alongside them before they had the chance to defend the inside line at Cross Four Ways corner as they had done in previous laps. As Tim attempted to move over I was already alongside and was therefore fully committed to my line.

“At this point our machines made unavoidable contact. In an attempt to avoid further contact I locked the brakes to our machine and stopped. We both ran to assist the marshals in freeing Tim from the bike and sacrificed the chance to take any further part in the race.

“We have nothing but utmost respect for Tim and Mark’s ability as racers and wish to thank the race organisers, marshals and medics.

“That’s our opinion of the incident and other people are of course entitled to theirs but speculation on social media can be very damaging for our sport and I would like to discourage this.”

After investigation the organisers deemed it as a racing incident and both teams were excluded from the results.

The Birchall Brothers will now focus their attention on the final two rounds of the FIM World championship in which they hold the series lead. The penultimate round takes place at Assen in the Netherlands on August 6.

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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

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