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MAIDEN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY FOR BEN AND TOM BIRCHALL AT RIJEKA, CROATIA

Mansfield’s FIM World Sidecar Championship contenders, Ben and Tom Birchall, rode to a magnificent victory, at Rijeka in Croatia at the weekend, aboard their Mitchells of Mansfield sponsored LCR Suzuki. The brothers collected maximum points in the main race of the day, which was the 20-lap Gold Race and added to their 16 points accrued the previous day in the sprint race, gives them a total of 112 points, moving them up into third place in the World Championship, with just one race remaining.
After Friday’s free practice and first qualifying, Ben and Tom were in provisional third place, with only 0.8 of a second separating the top three teams. Their lap times improved during the second qualifying session and being only 0.14 of a second off pole, moved them up to second place for a front row start.
After finishing third in the Match Race final and picking up a valuable 16 points, Ben said, “We didn’t get off to a very good start but managed to work our way through to finish third. With only four points between us and Dellanoy, we have to beat him tomorrow if we are to move up to third in the Championship and Tom and I are now feeling quite confident for Sunday’s race.”
Ben and Tom made a good start in Sunday’s 20-lap Gold Race but it was Dellanoy and Cluze who held on to the lead for the first few laps, with positions rapidly changing behind them during the fast and furious race. The Mansfield brothers managed to pass Dellanoy and held the lead for eight laps until current world champions Reeves and Farrance made a brief visit to the front of the pack, but it was short-lived, as Reeves dropped back, leaving the Birchalls and Päivärinta fighting for the lead, with the Birchalls getting ahead!
Lap 13 saw the exit of Dellanoy and Cluze after their engine blew, leaving the Birchalls, Reeves and Päivärinta having a tremendous battle, driving through the corners three abreast! Päivärinta then passed Reeves but couldn’t catch the Birchalls, who were first to the chequered flag, gaining their well-deserved first World Championship victory, a maximum 25 points and a move up to third place in the Championship table.
After the trophy presentation, an elated Ben said, “This is our first Grand Prix victory and we will never forget this day. We thank all of our sponsors and friends who have supported us ever since we started racing.
“Tom and I now look forward to the final Superside round on September 19-21 at Le Mans, France, where last year we set a new lap record.”

Picture is courtesy of Mika Hahn.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PODIUM FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT A RAIN-SOAKED SACHSENRING

Ben and Tom Birchall, Mansfield's sidecar racing brothers, raced their Mitchell’s of Mansfield sponsored LCR Suzuki through the pouring rain to earn a well-deserved podium place in Sunday’s FIM Superside World Championship race.
   For the second time this season, the brothers made the long journey to the 2.281 miles circuit at Sachsenring, Germany, for round four of the World sidecar championship, which was run alongside the German MotoGP.
   Friday’s practice was held in warm conditions on a patchy damp track and Ben said “We held pole for most of the time and were quickest in two of the four sectors, but we were pipped to second place in the final part of the session. We have another practice tomorrow, followed by qualifying in the afternoon.”
   The qualifying session on Saturday went well for the brothers and they finished up on the front row of the grid, for a third place start, alongside the current world champions.
   Commenting afterwards, Ben had this to say “Tom and I are happy with qualifying; there were some pretty close times and we were only a fraction of a second behind the leaders. Everything seems to be working well and we’re both looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
   Sunday’s 20-lap race took place after the MotoGP events, in very wet conditions and Ben remarked afterwards, "Despite the soaking wet slippery track, we got a reasonable start and we remained in third place from the lights to the chequered flag. As the track surface was drying, our tyres started to burn up, so I drove a safe race in order to conserve the tyres and finish the race safely!
   "Tom and I collected another 16 valuable points for the team, so we retain our fourth place in the World championship and are just seven points behind the French pairing of Delannoy and Cluze."
   Ben and Tom's next World championship challenge is on August 17 at Rijeka, Croatia, when hopefully they will pick up some more points and further consolidate their position in the championship!

Picture is courtesy of Mika Hahn

ANOTHER TOP FOUR FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT ASSEN

Round three of the 2008 FIM World Sidecar Championship moved on to the Netherlands, where the 2.83 miles Assen circuit was the venue for Mansfield’s sidecar racing brothers, Ben and Tom Birchall, who picked up a further 13 points with another good fourth place finish.
   The first qualifying session saw Ben and Tom lying fourth, after which they made some set-up alterations to their Mitchell's of Mansfield sponsored Suzuki, bringing about a good improvement in their lap times during the afternoon.
   After making some adjustments to the bike, Ben said, “We managed over a second a lap quicker during the second qualifying session; we hung on to fourth place and we were comfortably on the pace of the top three and Tom and I are looking forward to Saturday’s race."
   Watched by around 130,000 spectators, the brothers got off to a good start for the 18-lap race and managed to cross the finishing line in fourth place for another solid result, gaining a further 13 points for the team.
   “Tom and I were comfortably running in third place for a while and pushing hard for second, until we encountered brake problems which gradually became worse as the race progressed," said Ben after the race. "Unfortunately this curtailed any further advancement for us but we held on for a hard-fought fourth place.”
   The lead in the championship continues to be held by the Finnish team of Pekka Päivärinta and Timo Karttiala with Birchall Racing retaining fourth place, 17 points ahead of the pairing of Josef Moser and Ueli Wäfler.
   The brothers now look forward to the next round of the championship, when they make the lengthy return journey to Sachsenring, Germany from July 11-13, when once again they will race alongside the MotoGP.
   Ben and Tom are very grateful to their sponsors, family and friends for their much valued, ongoing support.

Picture is courtesy of Anderl

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PODIUM FOR BIRCHALL RACING

Ben and Tom Birchall, the Mansfield sidecar racing brothers, claimed their first World Championship podium this season aboard their Mitchell’s of Mansfield LCR Suzuki. They gained third and fourth places in their two races at the 2.281 miles Sachsenring circuit in Germany, during round two of the FIM Superside World Sidecar Championship.
    Two qualifying sessions took place in very hot conditions; the first one saw the Mansfield brothers leading for much of the time, finishing up in third place. After session two, the Birchalls were in fourth place overall with very close times. The first four bikes were separated by less than a second with Ben and Tom starting their races on row two of the grid.
    The 11-lap sprint race was run in two parts because of heavy rain and after five laps the riders came in to change from slicks to wet tyres. Afterwards Ben said “It was close throughout the race but we had to battle to get third place for our first World Championship podium this season and we’re now preparing for tomorrow’s race.”
    Sunday’s 22-lap Gold Race was held in completely contrasting conditions to the sprint race as it was extremely hot, dry and sunny, so tyre conservation became an issue due to the intense heat.
    Unfortunately, the brothers didn’t get off to a very good start and got boxed in on the first corner, leaving them in seventh place. They soon moved into fifth position, continuing to make steady progress and by lap 17 had moved up into third place behind Sebastien Dellanoy and Gregory Cluze, until encountering back markers which held them up and put them back to fourth.
    Ben and Tom remained in their finishing position of fourth place, gaining a valuable 13 points for the team and Ben said afterwards, “We had a constant battle to keep fourth place and only just missed out on another podium and we’re now getting the bike set up and ready for Assen. Tom and I would like to thank all of our sponsors, friends and family for their continuing support of the team.”
    Birchall Racing is lying fourth in the World Championship and Ben and Tom are now looking forward to their next challenge this coming weekend, when the sidecars are being run as a support race in the Moto GP Championship at Assen.

Link to FIM World Sidecar website http://www.superside.com/index.html

Pictures courtesy of Mika Hahn.

TOP FOUR FINISH FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT DONINGTON

Ben and Tom Birchall, Mansfield based sidecar racing brothers, came away from a saturated Donington Park at the weekend with a top four finish, just missing out on a podium place. Unfortunately, whilst lying in third place, they spun off the track on their Mitchells of Mansfield LCR Suzuki, during the opening round of the FIM Superside World Championship.
   Saturday's first qualifying session was dry and went well for the brothers, moving them into second place for a while, but during the second session they experienced an electrical problem which slowed their progress. Ben and Tom completed their qualifying in fifth place, for a second row start in Sunday's race, alongside Richard Gatt and Paul Randall.
    Ben said afterwards, “Qualifying was going well for us until an electrical fault developed, causing a misfire. We now have some adjustments to make before tomorrow’s race, which Tom and I are looking forward to, when hopefully we’ll be in contention.”
   Sunday’s race got underway in extremely cold, wet and windy conditions with the Mansfield brothers lying in fourth place for the first few laps, gradually closing in on the Hegartys, until passing them and moving into third place.
    Unfortunately, due to the atrocious conditions and a greasy wet surface, the brothers spun off the track whilst lying in third position, losing them a crucial eighteen seconds. This allowed both the Hegarty brothers and Gatt and Randall to pass them, after which time, the Birchalls dropped back into fifth place for the next four laps.
   Ben and Tom managed to pass Gatt and Randall during the penultimate lap, where they remained until the chequered flag, finishing in fourth place and gaining thirteen hard-earned points for the team.
   Afterwards, Ben said, “The weather played havoc with everyone during Sunday’s race, the track was very wet and slippery and the electrical problem hindered our progress, but we were pleased to come away with thirteen valuable points.
   "We would like to thank our sponsors and also our friends and family for coming along to our local circuit to support us in such atrocious conditions! Tom and I now look forward to our next round on June 20-22 at the 3.67-mile Sachsenring circuit in Germany."
Pictures taken during qualifying, are courtesy of Mark 'Wally' Walters.

FOUR RACE WINS AND NEW OUTRIGHT LAP RECORD FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT CADWELL PARK

Mansfield’s Sidecar racing brothers, Ben and Tom Birchall, made an excellent start in preparation for their 2008 race season, by winning all four of their races at Cadwell Park last weekend, aboard their Mitchells of Mansfield LCR Suzuki.

   The brothers led all of their races from start to finish, taking the chequered flag at the end of their last race by a massive margin of almost fifty-two seconds!

   After their final race win, Ben and Tom learned that they had broken the existing sidecar lap record of 1:32.96 set last year during the F1 British Championship meeting, by the current British and World champions Tim Reeves and Patrick Farrance.

   The Birchall brothers’ fastest lap time of 1:32.68 set a new outright lap record at Cadwell Park, for the Derby Phoenix club, after they had beaten Darron Bellworthy’s fastest solo lap time of 1:33.71 also set at the weekend.

   Afterwards Ben said, “It's been a really good weekend and to win all four races and take the outright lap record is obviously a great way to start our race season. Tom and I would like to thank all of our sponsors and the Derby Phoenix Club, who hosted the Cadwell race weekend.”

   Ben and Tom begin their 2008 FIM World Sidecar race season at Donington Park on May 24/25, when they are determined to put in a strong challenge for the Championship title.

Photographs by Mark ‘Wally’ Walters



A WIN AND SECOND PLACE FOR BIRCHALL BROTHERS AT SIDECAR FESTIVAL

Ben and Tom Birchall, the World Championship sidecar racing brothers from Mansfield, raced their Theaker Recycling LCR Suzuki at the annual Festival of Sidecars at Mallory Park on Sunday, when they came away with a decisive win in one race and a second place in the Dave Roberts Memorial Trophy race.

   The qualifying session for the 15-lap Dave Roberts race saw the Birchalls secure pole position ahead of the second placed Hegarty brothers, with Pedder and Steadman third on the grid and the current World Champion Tim Reeves in fourth position.

   After getting away to a good start, Ben and Tom soon became involved in a three-way battle with Reeves and Long and the Hegarty brothers. After completing 12 of the 15 laps, the Hegartys developed a wheel-arch problem and had to pull in, so Reeves and Long went on to win by one second over runners-up Ben and Tom Birchall, with Peddar and Steadman finishing almost 18 seconds behind the Birchalls in third place.
   The next race saw Ben and Tom move quickly off the grid, making great headway over the eight laps and going on to a very decisive win by over six seconds from the World Champion Tim Reeves with his temporary partner for the weekend Rick Long. Finishing in third place and a further 19 seconds behind Ben and Tom were Pedder and Steadman. Ben and Tom also climbed aboard a very old outfit and took part in the parade laps.

   Speaking afterwards Ben said, “Tom and I enjoyed taking part in the annual Festival of Speed this weekend and we were pleased to come away with a win and a second place. We are now looking forward to the Sunflower Trophy Races over the weekend of October 20-21 when Tom and I travel to Bishopscourt in Northern Ireland”

Photographs by Mark ‘Wally’ Walters

BIRCHALL BROTHERS WIN 25th ANNIVERSARY JOCK TAYLOR MEMORIAL TROPHY

Knockhill in Scotland played host to the annual Jock Taylor memorial race on Sunday with World championship contenders Ben and Tom Birchall recording a resounding victory from runners-up Philip Bell and James Neave and third placed Bill and Graham Davie the newly crowned Scottish Champions.

   This year marks the 25th anniversary of the passing of former world champion Jock Taylor who also won at the Isle of Man TT races and was a former British and Scottish champion sidecar racer. He was killed in a racing accident during the Finnish Grand Prix at Imatra in 1982 at 27 years of age and is still sadly missed by all who knew him.

   Qualifying took place during the Sunday morning with the quickest team being the Birchall brothers aboard their Theaker Recycling LCR Suzuki, followed by 2006 Scottish Champions Philip Bell and James Neave from the North East of England, who were over a second behind the Birchalls. Qualifying in third place were Stuart Muldoon and Stuart Graham on their Jock Taylor liveried outfit, painted especially for the weekend.

   The first sidecar race of the day, the Jim Silver Memorial Trophy was run over eight laps, but unfortunately Muldoon and Graham had an opening lap collision with Gordon Shand and Mark Howard, resulting in Graham being taken to hospital with an injured arm so that halted the weekend proceedings for the Muldoon team! After the re-start, the race was led from start to finish by the Birchalls, with an average lap speed of 88.514mph. The brothers finished over 13 seconds ahead of the Davies, whose average lap speed was 86.140mph and following on in third place was the pairing of Shand and Howard.

   The finale of the weekend was the Jock Taylor Memorial Trophy race that was to be run over 12 laps, but due to the accumulation of hold ups and having to complete the racing by 6pm, several races had their laps reduced, three solo races were abandoned and the Jock Taylor race was reduced to just 10 laps.
   The race got underway in very cold conditions with Ben and Tom Birchall, who had only ever completed two races at the Knockhill circuit at an MRO round in 2005, immediately shooting to the front of the pack, once again leading the race from start to finish. Quite a way back the teams of Davie/Davie and Shand/Howard enjoyed a good battle as they were fighting for third place.

   The Mansfield brothers were soon to encounter back markers, but managed to pass them without any problems, going on to decisively win by almost nine seconds from runners-up Philip Bell and James Neave, with this year’s Scottish Champions Bill and Graeme Davie finishing a further three seconds behind in third place.

After the race, Jock’s sister Sheila and his niece Yvonne said they were really happy to see such a huge crowd of race fans and very proud that Ben and Tom Birchall had travelled such a long distance for the race and Yvonne remarked that the quality of their World Championship outfit was outstanding.
Following the trophy presentation, Ben said “Tom and I feel very proud and honoured to have our name inscribed on the 25th Anniversary Jock Taylor Trophy alongside riders such as 10 times FIM World Champion Steve Webster, who won it four times between 1984 and 2002. We were pleased that so many enthusiastic race fans had turned out and really happy to have received such a warm Scottish welcome from the spectators and everyone we have met or raced with this weekend.”

ANOTHER 2ND PLACE AND NEW LAP RECORD FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT LE MANS

The final round of the FIM Superside World Sidecar Championship took place at Le Mans in France, when Mansfield’s racing brothers, Ben and Tom Birchall took another World Championship podium, set the fastest lap of the race and created a new lap record for the French circuit aboard their 1000cc LCR Suzuki outfit.

   With first and second places already secured in the Championship and 25 points still up for grabs from the weekend, the brothers, currently sitting in fifth place, needed a good grid position during qualifying and could theoretically move up to third place in the Championship.

   “Tom and I are happy with the way things have gone so far this weekend,” Ben said, “the times are very close and we’re looking forward to the Gold Race on Sunday and if we can make a good start and finish well up in the points, we could improve on the team’s fifth place in the Championship.”

   The Birchall brothers made a good confident start in Sunday’s 20-lap Gold race. They were fourth into the first corner and soon to be the fastest lapping team out on track. Ben and Tom were fast closing in on the French pairing of Sebastien Delannoy and Gregory Cluze who were racing on their home track and they soon were able to make a move on them during the third lap. The brothers then reeled in and got past the Finnish team of Pekka Päivärinta and Timo Karttiala.

During the final few laps, there was a three-way battle going on for the lead between Reeves and Farrance, the Birchall brothers and Fins Päivärinta and Karttiala. Ben and Tom were quickly closing in on race leaders Reeves and Farrance until encountering back-markers Adam Treasure and Endeveled Kees who held up the brothers’ progress, causing them to run out of time just as they were fast approaching the finish line.

Nevertheless the brothers rode to a very well-deserved second place finish, less than a second behind Reeves and Farrance and almost three seconds ahead of third placed Päivärinta and Karttiala. Ben and Tom recorded the fastest lap of the race and created a new lap record for the Le Mans circuit.

Ben and Tom would like to thank all of their sponsors for their continued support during the 2007 season and they are now looking forward to their next race meeting at Knockhill in Scotland on September 29-30, when they will be competing in the Jock Taylor Memorial Trophy race.

SECOND PLACE FOR BIRCHALL BROTHERS IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AT RIJEKA

Mansfield's racing brothers Ben and Tom Birchall travelled to Rijeka, Croatia, for the sixth and penultimate round of the FIM Superside World Sidecar Championships, where they achieved their third podium of the season with a well deserved second place finish on their 1000cc LCR-Suzuki.

   The weather was extremely hot for the two qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday with the air temperature thirty-three degrees and the track temperature in excess of fifty degrees.
“Despite the intense heat and a slippery track, both qualifying sessions went well” remarked Ben, “we ended up in fourth place for a second row grid start having been only .08 of a second off pole. Our lap times this year on this circuit are quicker than last year and the team are looking forward to the 20-lap race tomorrow.”

   In Saturday’s Sprint race semi-final, Ben and Tom finished as worthy runners-up. Later in the day they got off to a slowish start in the Match race final, but soon got on the pace, went on a charge and finished the race in a creditable fourth place.

   The 20-lap Gold race on Sunday saw a repeat of the extremely high air and track temperature of the previous day, so tyre choice would prove to be crucial because of the combination of intense heat and the abrasive track surface.

   The brothers got off to a reasonable start, then got held up in the opening lap and were lying in fifth place until they made a pass on the Austrian team of Moser and Wafler. For the next few laps the front three were locked together with Ben and Tom in a very safe fourth position ahead of Norbury and Knapton, where they remained until the last lap when they began catching the French pair Delannoy and Cluze.

   Ben and Tom crossed the finish line in third place behind the current World Champions and were close behind Sebastian Delannoy and Gregory Cluze, who finished up in second place. After a protest was lodged concerning a last lap manoeuvre by Reeves over Päivärinta, film footage was examined and Reeves was penalised with a 20-second time penalty, elevating Ben and Tom to a well-deserved second place and relegating Reeves and Farrance to third place.

   Ben and Tom would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support of the team throughout the 2007 season.

   The final round of the FIM Superside World Sidecar Championships will be held from September 7-9 at Le Mans, France, alongside the Truck GP series, when Ben and Tom hope to continue their current form and will be aiming for a strong finish to complete the series, enabling them to move further up the World Championship league table from where they are currently sitting in fifth place!

SECOND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PODIUM FOR MANSFIELD'S BEN AND TOM BIRCHALL

Ben and Tom Birchall, the Mansfield World sidecar racing brothers, moved on from Germany to the Salzburgring circuit in Austria for round five of the FIM Superside World Sidecar Championship last weekend, where they were rewarded with an impressive second place and their second World Championship podium this season.

   The brothers qualified in fourth place for a second row grid position alongside the Swiss team of Schlosser and Hänni. Saturday’s 10-lap sprint race was held in quite hot conditions and the brothers got their LCR-Suzuki quickly off the start line into second position but later slipped back into fourth. After very close racing throughout, and having improved on their qualifying time by 0.4 of a second, Ben and Tom finally finished ahead of Delannoy and Gatt, in a creditable fourth place.

   "A few minor changes need to be made to the bike for tomorrow’s race" Ben said after the Sprint race "but otherwise everything’s fine and we're looking forward to it".

   The weather was good for Sunday’s 20-lap gold race, in which they got off to an excellent start, lapping in second place for the first three circuits before getting into a battle with Delannoy and later, Schlosser. After dispatching with both of these, they set about chasing down Reeves who was leading by some distance by then.
    After consistently lapping under last year’s lap record, Ben and Tom managed to catch Reeves and push him all the way to the finish line, ending under a second behind the reigning World Champion to earn second place on the podium.

   Following the weekend’s excellent results, Birchall Racing have further consolidated fifth place in the championship and they are now closing in on fourth placed Delannoy. The next round is on August 17–19 at Rijeka, Croatia, where they will be looking to continue their current form and further close in on their championship rivals.

Photographs by Mark ‘Wally’ Walters

TOP FOUR FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT DUTCH TT, ASSEN

The 2.830 miles circuit at Assen in Holland was the venue for round three of the 2007 FIM World Sidecar Championship for Mansfield’s Sidecar racing brothers Ben and Tom Birchall, held alongside the MotoGP World Championship series.

   Ben and Tom were in fifth place after the first qualifying session, just a fraction of a second off pole. Ben said afterwards that the team was happy with the way things had gone so far and were looking forward to the next qualifying session on Friday.

   The second session was trouble-free and held in very damp conditions but unfortunately the brothers were unable to improve on their fifth qualifying place from the previous day. Ben said the weather for race day was forecast to be better with the team aiming to finish well up in the points and improve on the fifth place at Brands Hatch earlier in the month.

   Ben and Tom felt comfortable and made a good confident start to the race, but after an incident in the fourth lap, the race was red-flagged, so after clearing the circuit, a restart was made.

   Once the race got underway again, Ben and Tom made good progress, gradually moving through the field, overtaking the teams of Schlosser and Hänni and Gatt and Randall. Ben said “We were steadily gaining on third place by a second a lap but we ran out of time so had to settle with a fourth place finish.”

   Birchall Racing are now lying fifth in the FIM World Sidecar Championship and are looking forward to the next round at Sachsenring, Germany from July 13-15 where they will race alongside the MotoGP. This coming weekend July 7-8 Ben and Tom will be racing at Donington Park in the Derby Phoenix race series.

Photographs by Mark ‘Wally’ Walters

TOP FIVE FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT BRANDS HATCH.

The 2.830 miles circuit at Assen in Holland was the venue for round three of the 2007 FIM World Sidecar Championship for Mansfield’s Sidecar racing brothers Ben and Tom Birchall, held alongside the MotoGP World Championship series.

   Ben and Tom were in fifth place after the first qualifying session, just a fraction of a second off pole. Ben said afterwards that the team was happy with the way things had gone so far and were looking forward to the next qualifying session on Friday.

   The second session was trouble-free and held in very damp conditions but unfortunately the brothers were unable to improve on their fifth qualifying place from the previous day. Ben said the weather for race day was forecast to be better with the team aiming to finish well up in the points and improve on the fifth place at Brands Hatch earlier in the month.

   Ben and Tom felt comfortable and made a good confident start to the race, but after an incident in the fourth lap, the race was red-flagged, so after clearing the circuit, a restart was made.

   Once the race got underway again, Ben and Tom made good progress, gradually moving through the field, overtaking the teams of Schlosser and Hänni and Gatt and Randall. Ben said “We were steadily gaining on third place by a second a lap but we ran out of time so had to settle with a fourth place finish.”

   Birchall Racing are now lying fifth in the FIM World Sidecar Championship and are looking forward to the next round at Sachsenring, Germany from July 13-15 where they will race alongside the MotoGP. This coming weekend July 7-8 Ben and Tom will be racing at Donington Park in the Derby Phoenix race series.

Photographs by Mark ‘Wally’ Walters

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