BIRCHALL BROTHERS – SACHSENRING Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall saw race action in the penultimate round of the FIM World Sidecar championship at Sachsenring in Germany at the weekend where the sidecar race was a support to the German round of MotoGP. But despite their best efforts they could only secure a fourth place finish to the 22-lap Gold race on Sunday and now are not in a position to retain their world crown. Despite still suffering from the injuries received at the previous round in Croatia Ben decided he would be able to contest the race in Germany and just weeks after a skin graft operation he bravely took his place on the grid for free practice and qualifying. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported pair made it through qualifying and were second fastest just two tenths of a second away from pole and when the race got underway on Sunday Ben and Tom were sitting pretty in third place and catching the two outfits ahead. But as the race progressed the effects of his injuries began to take their toll and he was unable to maintain the pace. The Birchall brothers dropped back and completed their race in a safe fourth place to pick up 13 championship points. Former champion Pekka Paivarinta now leads the title race with an advantage of 28 points over the current champions and with just 25 points up for grabs in the final round at Magny Cours it is not possible for the Mansfield brothers to retain their world crown. But all is not lost as Ben and Tom are only eight points behind Reeves and Cluze who hold the runner up spot and a top result from the final race could see the brothers move up into the runner up spot. “Its disappointing that we have to relinquish our world crown but its all down to the accident we had in Croatia,” said Ben. “Before that happened we were positive we could have gone on to win the title again but its not all bad news as we still have the runner up spot to race for at the final round in September. “We put 110% effort into our race in Germany but the weeks of operations and treatment on my back meant that I was not as fit as I could have been through lack of training and eventually it took its toll on me.” “By half race distance I was feeling so tired but we soldiered on and made sure of the points for fourth place. “I would like to say a big thank you to Steve at AM Leathers as a huge effort has been put in to getting the new leathers made up in time for this race. I have opted for the recommended high density protection suit with extra protection in the back this time instead of the lightweight leathers I used previously and they are just the job. “We are grateful to Oxford Products for the prompt supply of our new HJC helmets. Our old ones were damaged in the crash and it’s thanks to the protection given by the HJC helmets that saved me from further injury. Finally I must also extend my thanks to Pro-Refinishing of Sutton in Ashfield for the superb job they did in revamping the paintwork on the outfit at such short notice.” Ben will now concentrate his efforts into getting himself fully fit in preparation for the final round of the series which will be held as a support race to the 24-hour Bol d’Or race at Magny Cours in France on September 11/12. Prior to that Ben and Tom will be at Cadwell Park over the weekend of August 7/8 where they will contest the next round of the Battle of Britain Sidecar championship. WORLD CHAMPION IN HYPERBARIC CHAMBER World Sidecar champion Ben Birchall has been using the “Heal the Rider” Isle of Man Hyperbaric chamber to assist the healing of his skin grafts and after just six sessions in the chamber has seen a vast improvement in his condition. Hyperbaric chamber therapy delivers oxygen quickly, and in high concentrations, to injured areas systemically. The increased pressure changes the normal cellular respiration process and causes oxygen to dissolve in the plasma. This results in a substantial increase in tissue oxygenation. Hyperbaric oxygen is beneficial because it stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, increases oxygenation that can arrest certain types of infections and enhances wound healing. He explained: “I successfully underwent skin graft surgery on my back last week and was discharged from hospital on the Saturday. I immediately went over to the Isle of Man where I began an intensive course of treatment in the Hyperbaric chamber. I had two sessions a day – six in all and the results are amazing. I could hardly walk when we started but now I am walking and able to sit in comfort. “I returned to the hospital this week to have the staples removed from the operation site – 60 in all – and the consultant couldn’t believe how quickly the wound had healed. “The Hyperbaric facility is fantastic and is only kept going with the help of donations from the public and the riders. I am so grateful to Dave Downie at the facility for his help and I would invite anyone who would like to help keep this facility on track make a donation.” British Superbike star James Ellison's wife Sarah has launched a fundraising campaign called Heal The Rider which aims to help riders get the intensive treatment they require following big crashes like James experienced at Thruxton earlier this year. Here is the link to the Facebook page - Link As everything has gone so smoothly for Ben he will be able to join his brother Tom on the Mitchells of Mansfield supported LCR Yamaha R1as they continue the defence of the world crown at Sachsenring in Germany on July 18. BEN BIRCHALL TO HAVE SKIN GRAFTS Following his high speed crash in Croatia, reigning World sidecar champion Ben Birchall is to have skin grafts to his back and will undergo an operation at Nottingham City hospital on Tuesday. (June 29) Birchall, with younger brother Tom in the chair clipped a kerb in free practice while preparing for the world championship round at Rijeka in Croatia a week last Friday. The outfit turned turtle and skidded down the highly abrasive track with Ben trapped underneath. After initial treatment at the local hospital Ben returned to the circuit and with the aid of some pain killers was able to qualify and complete both of his world championship races, finishing an incredible third in the 20-lap Gold race before flying home for further treatment. He went directly to the King’s Mill hospital in Mansfield where the plastic surgeon told him he would need skin grafts to aid the healing of his back injuries. Further examination also revealed two fractures in his lower back which were classed as stable and would not require further treatment as they would heal on their own. “I realise now that I really was not fit enough to race in Croatia,” said Ben. “But I didn’t want to disappoint my loyal sponsors and team who have been so supportive so I thought I would give it a go. With the aid of a pain killing injection at the circuit I was able to compete and pick up some points but it’s not something I would like to do again in a hurry!” “It’s a shame the crash happened as it took away my chance to take the lead in the world championship. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have won at least one of the two races that weekend but I will be back in action for the next round at Sachsenring in Germany where I hope to be back on form. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported world champions missed the Oulton Park round of the Battle of Britain F1 sidecar championship at the weekend but Ben should be fit to continue the championship at the next round in August at Cadwell Park. Likewise the next round of the world championship in Germany is not until July 18 giving Ben a three week respite in order to recover from his surgery. THIRD PLACE FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT RIJEKA After a dramatic crash in free practice on Friday, Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall rode through the pain of their injuries to record eleventh place in the short 11-lap sprint race and a fine third in the main race of the weekend, the Gold 20-lap event at Rijeka in Croatia where they were contesting round three of the FIM Sidecar world championship. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported reigning world champions were hoping to repeat their performance from last year when they took the win but it wasn’t to be. As free practice got underway the pair had only completed a couple of laps when the outfit hit the high kerb and flipped onto its roof. Tom was thrown clear but Ben was trapped underneath as the outfit slid down the tarmac. Both riders were transported to the local hospital for treatment and it was Ben that came off worse with a badly grazed back. On their return to the circuit they were unsure if they would be fit to race but decided to give it a go. They qualified in sixth place and went on to take 11th in the sprint race to pick up five championship points. Feeling better on Sunday the pair went out to try and pick up as many points as possible – damage limitation. Despite the handicap of his sore back, Ben was determined to complete the gruelling 20 laps and this he did in style. Although the Mansfield pair were well down on the two leading machines they brought the outfit safely home in third place to pick up a further 16 championship points. Although they drop to third in the title race they are only one point away from Reeves in the runner up spot and 25 points adrift from Paivarinta who leads the championship. “The crash was one of those things,” said Ben. “The kerbs are quite high here and they were freshly painted. The outfit clipped the kerb and slid across the track before turning turtle with me sliding along trapped underneath. My back is very sore but I was able to qualify and take part in the races. In race one we chose the wrong tyre which slowed us right down but in the second race we were able to make the podium. I had to borrow some leathers as mine were damaged beyond repair and my helmet is very battered but its testament to the HJC helmet that saved me from further injury – see attached pic)” • Oxford Products Ltd supply Ben and Tom with Ben Spies replica HJC helmets and coincidently Spies finished in third place at Silverstone on Sunday in the British round of MotoGP! Ben and Tom are scheduled to contest the Battle of Britain F1 Sidecar championship round at Oulton Park on Friday and Saturday with race one on Friday and the second and third races on Saturday. WORLD CHAMPIONS TAKE DECISIVE WIN AT ASSEN Current world sidecar champions Ben and Tom Birchall rode to a decisive victory at Assen in Holland after being invited by the Dutch Sidecar Racing Association to race as guest riders. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers dominated proceedings throughout the weekend setting pole with a lap on one minute 48.241 seconds just under three seconds ahead of Janez Remse and Jamie Biggs with Colin Nicholson and Jarno Van Lith just a fraction behind in third place. Ben and Tom took a lights-to-flag victory in the MCA Speed Challenge race crossing the finish line with a massive 48.315 second advantage over Nicholson and Lith with Remse and Biggs a further eight seconds adrift in third place. “We really enjoyed racing at Assen,” said Ben. “I would like to extend my thanks to the Dutch Sidecar Racing Association and also to the Assen circuit for their very warm welcome. We were made to feel very much at home by all the circuit officials etc which is nice. “We covered a fair few laps at Assen and this came in very handy for us as we have a world championship race in Croatia at the weekend and the time spent on track was useful to make sure the bike is set up and there are no problems in preparation for the two races in Saturday and Sunday.” Ben and Tom are now well on their way to Rijeka in Croatia where they will begin their world championship weekend with free practice on Friday followed on Saturday by two qualifying sessions prior to the first race to be run over 11 laps of the course at 4.50pm (CET). The feature race is scheduled to run over 20 laps on Sunday at 12.45pm (CET). Ben and Tom have won there on two occasions in the past and can take the series lead if they can repeat this performance this time around. BIRCHALL BROTHERS WIN AT SCHLEIZ Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall rode to a win and second place in the two world championship races at Schleiz in Germany on Sunday to move within a whisker of the lead in the 2010 FIM Sidecar World Championship. The current world champions were up against former champion Pekka Paivarinta and passenger Adolf Hanni who won the opening round of the new campaign at Le Mans in April. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers were determined to narrow the five point gap separating the two top teams and dominated free practice and qualifying setting a fast lap of 1m 29.542 to claim pole position to the set of two races. As the short sprint race of 11 laps got underway on Saturday the Birchall brothers shot away to establish the lead, swiftly followed by Paivarinta. On lap two the flying Finn was overhauled by Hock/Becker but although the German team got within a couple of seconds to the world champions they were unable to keep up the pace leaving Ben and Tom to romp home to a fine victory some four seconds ahead of Hock. Paivarinta was a further four seconds adrift in third place and the best of the rest was Tim Reeves who crossed the finish line in fourth position, some 17 seconds after the leaders. The 25 points accrued from the sprint race gave the Birchalls a four point advantage at the top of the rider standings and boosted their confidence going into the gold race on Sunday. Run over 22 laps of the 3.805km circuit Ben and Tom once again began their race from pole position. But this time they didn’t get the flying start they needed and were fourth after the first lap some 3.2 seconds behind the leaders. But undeterred by this Ben got his head down and powered the LCR Yamaha past both Reeves and Hock to tuck into second place behind Paivarinta on the second lap. The pair began to pull away from the rest of the field and battled it out for the lead over the next few laps with Ben putting in the fastest time of the race on lap six with a time of 1m 28.856s, just under the lap record time of 1m 28.289s the Mansfield pair set in last year’s race. But lady luck was not on their side and as the race progressed the bike developed a fault with the brakes which caused Ben to have to ease off and bring the bike home in a very safe second place. This time it was Reeves who came home in third place, some 24 seconds after the leaders crossed the finish line with Hock finishing in fourth place. The result saw Ben and Tom relinquish the series lead and hand it back to Paivarinta who now holds a one-point lead over the Mansfield pair. “When I encountered the problem with the brakes I had to back off a bit and knowing I was a long way ahead of anyone else I just brought her home safely,” said Ben. “I was lucky to be able to continue as I didn’t know if the problem would get worse but it seemed to hold it together ok and we got the result. I am gaining in confidence more and more with the new bike and also the Avon tyres and am looking forward to getting out on track again soon to continue my world championship campaign and also the Battle of Britain series. I have to say a big thank you to all my sponsors and supporters who have given me their backing this year and both Tom and I will be doing our utmost to bring back some strong results for them throughout the season.” The next round of the FIM World championship is on June 20 when the team visit Rijeka in Croatia before returning to the UK for the next round of the Battle of Britain which takes place just six days later on June 20 at Oulton Park in Cheshire. BIRCHALL BROTHERS – SNETTERTON The weekend began well for the reigning world sidecar champions Ben and Tom Birchall as they took the win in the first two of three race at Snetterton in round two of the Battle of Britain British F1 Sidecar championship but it all ended in disaster for the Mansfield pair as they were run off the track on the final lap of the third race resulting in Tom being thrown from the machine and Ben trapped in the cockpit as the outfit turned turtle. After qualifying in fourth position, just four tenths of a second away from pole, the Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers went on to quickly take the lead in the first of three races winning the race with a 6.5 second advantage over the second placed riders. The world champions took another convincing win in the second race on Monday which was run over two parts due to heavy rain showers and were leading the final race until the last corner of the final lap when they were run off the track by the following rider which resulted in a huge crash for the Mansfield brothers as the outfit flipped over onto its roof. Luckily the pair escaped with nothing more than some bruising but such a seemingly irresponsible move could have resulted in much more serious injury. Although a protest was made after the race, it was deemed to be a racing incident and when we see the television footage when broadcast we can form our own conclusions as to what happened. Although Ben and Tom escaped relatively unscathed the outfit was not so lucky and it will be a race against time to make sure the bike is ready for the second round of the World Series which is set to take place at Schleiz in Germany at the weekend. A shaken Ben Birchall said: “We had a good weekend up until the last race. We qualified well and by winning the first race we started on pole position for the second two races. In the final race we had a good, race-long battle with Reeves and were leading on the last lap before being run off the track and crashing. Sidecar racing is not a contact sport and this situation should really not have happened. But we are both ok and will come back stronger. We have a lot of work to do before we will be in a position to race at Schleiz but will work around the clock if necessary to be up and running in time for qualifying.” The Birchall brothers headed straight to the ferry to make their way to the circuit in Germany and will have to complete the repairs to the stricken outfit at the circuit. Free practice and qualifying take place on Friday and Saturday ahead of a short sprint race over 11 laps on Saturday afternoon. This will be followed by a 22-lap Gold race on Sunday. BIRCHALLS BEGIN DEFENCE OF WORLD TITLE Reigning world sidecar champions Ben and Tom Birchall began the defence of their world title at Le Mans in France on Sunday where they rode to a very close second place behind former champion Pekka Paivarinta and passenger Adolph Hanni who took the win by three hundredths of a second. Qualifying threw up a few niggling problems which hampered the Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers but none the less they were able to secure a front row start to the opening race in the current campaign. As the lights went out to herald the start, Paivarinta was quick to get away and got the hole shot into the first corner. Ben and Tom settled into third place before moving up to second a few seconds later. But just as they began to get on terms with the leaders the race was stopped following an oil spillage. At the restart the race was reduced to 15 laps and began with Paivarinta shooting away into the lead swiftly followed by the world champions. The pair pulled away from the following outfits and battled it out for the lead. But when they became mixed in with the back markers Paivarinta had the clear passage through while Ben and Tom were held up. Once they made their way through they resumed their chase to catch the leaders but although they got within touching distance of the flying Finn, Ben unable to get his nose in front and the pair crossed the finish line together with Paivarinta taking the win by the narrowest of margins. In the effort to catch the leaders Ben and Tom put in the fastest lap of the race on lap nine of 15 with a time of 1m 43.058s. “We are happy with second today,” said Ben. “We didn’t have much luck passing the backmarkers because there were yellow flags out meaning we were not allowed to pass. But once we got through we pushed hard and soon got back on terns with Pekka, but we just ran out of laps and couldn’t get past. “The FIM have taken over the organisation of the world championship for the remainder of the year which is very promising for the future of the series.” The Birchall brothers take to the track again over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend at Snetterton when they contest round two of the Eastern Airways Battle of Britain championship where they currently hold third place. BIRCHALL BROTHERS BEGIN BATTLE OF BRITAIN CAMPAIGN After an eventful first three races in the Eastern Airways F1 Battle of Britain championship at Pembrey, Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall scored three top four results to settle into third place in the championship. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported world champions completed the solitary qualifying session in second place – just two tenths of a second away from pole and began their first race in the new series from a front row grid position. “Because the world series riders have to use a standard engine this year it has levelled the playing field in the British championship somewhat and although we had a trouble free qualifying session it was a bit hectic out there with 30 outfits on the short 1.456-mile Pembrey track. But we managed to secure a front row start and were raring to go,” said Ben. Once the 16-lap opening race got underway and the outfits sorted themselves out the Birchall brothers were quick to establish the lead which they held until the penultimate lap when they had a coming together with another outfit as both drivers went for the same piece of tarmac. Ben explained: “We were being challenged for the lead but when we both went for the same piece of track I was unfortunate to come off the worst. My outfit spun and although we were quick to rejoin we ended up taking the chequered flag in fourth position.” The grid for the two Sunday races was determined by the finishing places in Saturday’s race and with a second row start in fourth place the Birchall brothers had to put in an extra effort to remain on terms with the leaders. They completed the first of Sunday’s two 12-lappers in third place before going on to take second in the final race. “Although we didn’t actually win a race at Pembrey we did improve our times and found a really good set up on the new chassis in readiness for the first round of the world championship. “We are really happy with the new outfit and like it more every time we ride it. We have come on in leaps and bounds over the weekend and this reflected in our laps times at Pembrey. “It is a good five years since we last raced at Pembrey and it took a few laps to settle but it’s a great little circuit and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was good to see a full grid of F1 sidecars racing this weekend which reflects the popularity of our sport.” The Birchall brothers now travel to France where they will begin the defence of their world crown at Le Mans. Qualifying takes place on Friday followed by an 18-lap race on Saturday at 12 noon CET prior to the start of the Le Mans 24-hour World Endurance race for solo machines. BIRCHALL BROTHERS READY FOR NEW CAMPAIGN Following a week of intense testing in France where the new LCR chassis and Yamaha R1 engine had the finishing touches put to them, World Sidecar champions Ben and Tom Birchall are fully prepared and ready for the 2010 campaign when they will be defending their world championship crowns at circuits throughout Europe. Prior to that the Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers travel to Pembrey in Wales for the opening round of the 2010 Eastern Airways Battle of Britain F1 British Sidecar championship which takes place over the weekend of April 9 – 11. “We are really pleased with the new Louis Christian chassis, the handling is incredible and the new design and the updates made this year make it a really special machine to ride,” said Ben. “Our intention is that we defend our world title this year and also contest the Battle of Britain championship. We are really looking forward to Pembrey, the last time we competed in a British championship was in 2005 and we ended up as runners up that year so we will be looking for a good strong set of results from the first outing which will also test the new outfit ahead of the world championship round at Le Mans the following week. “We would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to our sponsors, family, friends and fans for their continued support of the team over the closed season and we look forward to bringing home some good results for them in 2010.” “The only disappointment for us this year is, that due to the late delivery of the F2 outfit we have no option but to put our Isle of Man TT plans on hold this year. It is very important that the machine is 100% prepared and tested prior to racing, even more so with the TT only a few weeks away and if we were to go ahead on an unproven machine then it would compromise both safety and performance. “We would like to thank the Isle of Man Tourist board for their understanding and continued support plus the many people who have given us their support in the venture. Our aim is to go back to the Isle of Man next year with a bike that is capable of winning races and to do this will take a lot of preparation and time – a commodity that is simply not now available to us this year.” The first three rounds of the 22 race Battle of Britain championship take place at Pembrey with qualifying at noon on April 10 followed by the 18-lap Superpole race at 4pm. Races two and three follow on Sunday, April 11 at 12.50pm and 4.50pm and will run over 12 laps of the 1.456-mile circuit. The first round of the World Sidecar championship is at Le Mans in France on April 17 as a support race to the Le Mans 24-hour World Endurance race. BIRCHALL BROTHERS SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD World Sidecar champions Ben and Tom Birchall from Mansfield are on the shortlist for an award from Nottinghamshire County Council. The category is Team of the Year and last year was won by the Nova Centurion Women's 4 x 200m freestyle relay team which included Rebecca Adlington. This year’s Sports Review of the Year will take place on Friday, February 5 at the East Midlands Conference Centre on the campus of the University of Nottingham. Nearly five hundred people will gather to celebrate our athletes, administrators, coaches, and officials in Nottinghamshire sport in another remarkable year for the county. BBC East Midlands Today presenters Colin Hazelden and Natalie Jackson will host the evening joined by guests from professional sport including Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club’s Mick Newell as well as players from the Nottingham Panthers and Nottingham Rugby Clubs. The finalists and winners will be announced from a long list of 5 nominees – all of which were invited to attend this glittering evening of celebration. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers were also featured on Simon Mayo’s BBC Radio 2 programme on Friday night after Ben was contacted to give an insight into the sport of sidecar racing. The programme is featuring a different sport each week and is concentrating on the sports that although are very popular do not receive the same coverage in the media as major sporting events such as football. Sports presenter Matt Williams contacted Ben who was in Switzerland at the time collecting his new F1 chassis and asked - live on air - how he managed to fund his sport. Ben replied that he had some very supportive sponsors backing the team and the rest was self funded. Ben and Tom will spend the next few weeks preparing the new LCR chassis and Yamaha R1 engine to be ready to begin a series of tests ahead of their first race of the new campaign. The first round of the Battle of Britain F1 Sidecar championship is scheduled for Pembrey on April 10 prior to the team travelling to Le Mans in France to begin the defence of their world title on April 18. SUCCESSFUL EVENING FOR THE BIRCHALL BROTHERS A good time was had by all at the recent “Evening with the World Champions” event held at the John Fretwell Sporting Complex, Sookholme, Mansfield and a fantastic response by the guests to the raffle and charity auction will go a long way to helping fund Ben and Tom Birchall’s 2010 world title campaign. The current world sidecar champions were delighted to welcome over 300 friends, family, sponsors and fans to an evening of lively entertainment at the John Fretwell Centre to help celebrate the brothers’ success during 2009 when they brought the world sidecar crown back to Mansfield. Ben Birchall commented: “We were delighted with the turn out to support us, it was the first time ever that the John Fretwell venue had ever sold out prior to an event and we were so pleased that so many people found the time to come along and give their support. “We would like to thank everyone who bought raffle tickets, bid for the auction items and entered into the spirit of things on the night plus the continued support of our loyal sponsors. Rest assured that we will be doing our utmost in 2010 to retain the world title and also have a second stab at the Isle of Man TT course where we will be hoping to secure a strong set of results.” Ben and Tom will be present at the NEC Motorcycle show in Birmingham on Thursday (November 26) where they will take part in a number of interviews and chat shows including and appearance on the Isle of Man TT stage. Their 2009 world championship winning outfit will be on display on the Thundersport GB stand throughout the duration of the show to promote the 2010 Battle of Britain National F1 Sidecar Championship that the Birchall Brothers are to contest. WORLD CHAMPIONS WIN IN IRELAND Reigning World Sidecar champions and existing lap record holders Ben and Tom Birchall enjoyed a fruitful trip across the Irish Sea at the weekend to secure a win and second place in the two sidecar races held at Bishopscourt in Co Down at the annual Sunflower Trophy meeting. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported duo qualified on pole, posting a fast lap of 1m 11.345s with a 1.736s advantage over Bryan Peddar and Rod Steadman. Although qualifying went smoothly in the dry it was a different story on race day when intermittent rain disrupted the racing. The first sidecar race held over the 1.824-mile course was run in damp conditions and although the rain was not heavy enough for full wets, the damp conditions made it tricky for the riders. Ben and Tom got away to a steady start and picked their way through the wet patches to finish the nine-lap affair over 1.8 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals. Race two didn’t go so well for the Mansfield pair who were held up in the early stages of the race when an outfit spun ahead of them. Ben had to take avoiding action and dropped well down the field as he negotiated his way past the stricken outfit. By the time they regained their composure, F2 British Champions John Holden and Andy Winkle had got away and pulled out a commanding lead over the Birchall brothers. But the world champions got their heads down and worked their way through to second place, making inroads towards Holden on lap six of nine. However, their efforts were thwarted when the red flag halted the race and the result declared at five laps distance giving the Birchall brothers a second place end to their race. “Apart from the weather, we really enjoyed our visit to Bishopscourt,” said Ben. “As always we were made very welcome by the Irish fans and it was nice for us to return to the circuit this year as world champions and also to leave with our lap record, we have held since 2007, still intact.” This concludes race action for the Birchall Brothers until the New Year when they will take part in a series of tests ahead of the 2010 season. BIRCHALL BROTHERS TO RACE AT BISHOPSCOURT Newly crowned world sidecar champions Ben and Tom Birchall from Mansfield head the list of entries for the annual Sunflower meeting at Bishopscourt in Northern Ireland on Sunday. The Mitchells of Mansfield brothers sealed the 2009 FIM F1 Sidecar World Championship with a second place behind outgoing champion Pekka Paivarinta at the final round of the series which took place at Le Mans in France recently and this weekend will be the brothers’ first appearance as world champions. Ben and Tom are to contest the two sidecar races that take place on Sunday following the two qualifying periods on Saturday. They have always supported the Sunflower meeting held at the 1.83-mile circuit near Downpatrick, County Down and have won the races in the past. The brothers are delighted to be taking their world championship winning outfit over the Irish Sea to the Emerald Isle and are looking forward to the weekend and the prospect of two good, competitive races. Practice takes place on Saturday with two races on Sunday, the first in the morning and the second mid afternoon. BIRCHALL BROTHERS WIN WORLD TITLE Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall won the 2009 FIM Sidecar World Championship after finishing in second place to outgoing champion Pekka Paivarinta and passenger Adolf Hanni at Le Mans on Sunday. Ben’s younger sibling Tom has rewritten the history books by becoming the youngest ever passenger at 22 years and 257 days to win a World Sidecar championship making it a double celebration for the Mitchells of Mansfield sponsored team. Going into the final round at Le Mans, Ben and Tom held a 14-point advantage over Paivarinta and Hanni and with no one else in striking distance, the final encounter was to be between the two teams. Paivarinta could only do his best and take the win in the final race but he knew that if Birchall completed the 18 laps in second or third place then he would see his title slip away from him. Qualifying was a close run affair with Paivarinta sealing pole position just 700ths of a second ahead of the Mansfield duo who took their places on the front row of the grid ahead of a very tense and thrilling finale. Paivarinta got the hole shot and held the lead throughout the 18 laps while Birchall was content to remain in second place through the opening few laps before being overhauled by former champion Tim Reeves. By lap 10 Birchall decided it was time to make a move and powered back up into second place and, with a clear track ahead of him, began to reduce the gap between himself and the flying Finn who had stretched his lead to over 10 seconds. Although he repeatedly bettered his lap times Birchall was unable to catch the race leader and crossed the finish line 8.9 seconds in arrears. But he had done sufficient to secure the world championship title with an advantage of seven points ahead of Paivarinta and Hanni to bring the trophy and world title back to the UK. “It is a fantastic feeling to be the World Champion,” said an ecstatic Ben Birchall. “And for Tom to become the youngest ever passenger is the icing on the cake. Neither of us can find the words right now to say how happy we are. “I would like to say a huge thank you to all our sponsors, family and friends that have supported us through thick and thin. We couldn’t have done it without you! “We will celebrate tonight before making our way home and then the hard work will start to prepare for next year. The World championship winning LCR Suzuki is now up for sale as we already have the new F1 and F2 outfits on order. “We intend to begin a series of tests early in the New Year as preparation for the defence of our World title and also to have another crack at the Isle of Man TT races.” The Birchall brothers are now looking for some additional sponsorship to help them retain their newly won world title and anyone interested in supporting the Mansfield brothers can contact Ben on 07843 286295 when he will be only too pleased to discuss further details.   Website Design Newcastle. North East, UK