Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecars roar into action at Brands This weekend sees Brands Hatch play host to the opening round of the 2012 Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship and, held alongside the premier British Superbike Championship meeting, it promises to be an action packed weekend of racing. Held on the 1.2-mile Indy circuit, all of the best drivers in the country will be in attendance as they begin their Championship campaign and it’s set to be extremely hectic with over 30 teams on the entry list. Indeed, the series is sure to guarantee thrills aplenty, providing its usual, unique, and high class, spectacle and there’ll be no shortage of talent on display with a number of crews in with a great chance of challenging for the title during 2012. The man to beat will undoubtedly be champion for the past two seasons Tim Reeves. The Northern Ireland based Kent driver dominated last year’s series with a staggering 14 wins and 5 second places from the 20 races and although he has a new passenger this year, in the shape of Ashley Hawes, the triple World Champion will more than fancy his chances of completing a hat-trick of British titles. There are plenty of teams who’ll have a strong say about that though, with Ben and Tom Birchall expected to lead the challenge. World Champions in 2009, the Nottinghamshire brothers took fourth last year after missing a number of races so will be fired up to get back to winning ways. Scott Lawrie/James Neave and Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence were pictures of consistency last season racking up countless podiums and top six places so will be looking to edge ever closer to the race wins whilst Ben Holland/Lee Watson, the most improved pairing on the grid in 2011, hoping to be regular podium finishers this time around. Meanwhile, Barry James, a double race winner in 2011, has a new passenger in the shape of Calum Lawson and he’ll be looking to convert his pace into more consistent results. Arguably the most interesting outfit on the grid comes in the shape of the Buildbase BMW outfit driven by Ben Bygrave and Paul Knapton. The move represents the first time BMW have entered the class in the modern era and with Stuart Hicken’s BSB team adding their technical expertise, there’s every chance we could see the German manufacturer return to the highs last experienced between the 1950s and 1970s when they dominated the sport. Other crews worth keeping an eye on include Steve Kershaw/Robin Wilson, Gary Horspole/Rob Biggs, Mark Edwards/Lee Barrett and Phil Bell, whose passenger is yet to be confirmed, and the local parings of Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson and Ian Guy/Carol McBride. TT winner and British F2 Champions John Holden/Andy Winkle will also contest the F1 series this year. There’s an extremely strong challenge from mainland Europe at the opening round, however, with former World Championship runner-up Jorg Steinhausen expected to be well to the fore. His passenger is Gregory Cluze, champion for the past two seasons with Reeves, so they’re sure to be challenging for the race wins whilst Janez Remse/Jamie Biggs, Johan Reuterholt/Aki Aalto and Philippe Gallerne/Julien Chesneau add to the International flavour. After a test session on Friday afternoon, free practice and qualifying takes place on Saturday at 1.10pm and 6.00pm respectively with the first 18-lap race scheduled to get underway at 5.05pm on late Sunday afternoon. The action on Easter Monday begins at 9.00am with the second 18-lap Sidecar race at 5.40pm. More, from a press release issued by Birchall Brothers Racing: BIRCHALL BROTHERS TEST IN FRANCE Mansfield sidecar racing brothers Ben and Tom Birchall have recently returned from France where they have been putting the LCR 1000cc Yamaha outfit through its paces in preparation for the forthcoming new season of racing. Ben commented: “We have concluded our pre-season build up and testing which has all gone like clockwork this year. We have managed to not only find sufficient time to work on our fitness but have also built the TT bike and been to two different venues for testing. The new outfit is very smooth and we have never felt as confident on an F2 machine as this. “We have also tested the F1 outfit in France and managed to shave a further second from our lap times from last year at the same circuit. Both driver and passenger have never felt so prepared and we are looking forward to the start of the season. “I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the continued support of our loyal sponsors and also to Klaus Klaffenbock and the team for their support at the 2012 TT races.” First on the agenda is a trip to Brands Hatch where the Mitchells of Mansfield supported brothers will contest the opening two races of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar championship over the Easter weekend. All nine double header rounds in this year’s championship will be run as a support class to the MCE British Superbike championship and the Birchall team intend to compete in as many rounds as possible. The first round of the British championship kicks off at Brands Hatch at Easter with a test session on Good Friday followed by free practice and qualifying on Saturday. The first 18-lap race is scheduled for 5.05pm on Sunday and the weekend is rounded off with a second 18-lapper on Easter Monday at 5.40pm. The first round of the FIM World Sidecar championship takes place at Magny Cours in France on April 14 as part of the support package to the Bol d’Or 24-hour race. The Isle of Man TT races take place from May 26 June 8. Birchall Racing Provisional Schedule for 2012 April 7/ 8/9 Rd 1 – Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship, Brands Hatch Indy April 13/14/15 Round 2 – Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship, Thruxton April 15 Round 1- FIM Sidecar World Championship, Magny Cours, France May 25/26/27 Round 3 – Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship, Snetterton 300 May 26 May to June 8, Isle of Man TT June 10 Round 2 – FIM Sidecar World Championship, Hungaroring, Hungary June 17 Round 3 – FIM Sidecar World Championship, Rijeka, Croatia 22/23/24 June, Round 4 – Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship, Knockhill July 8 Round 4 – FIM Sidecar World Championship, Sachsenring, Germany July 20/21/22 Round 5 – Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship, Brands Hatch Indy and GP July 22 Round 5 – FIM Sidecar World Championship, Schleiz, Germany August 12 Round 6 – FIM Sidecar World Championship, Oschersleben, Germany September 7/8/9 Round 6 – Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship, Donington Park September 9 Round 7 – FIM Sidecar World Championship, Le Mans, France September 21/22/23 Round 7 – Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship, Assen, Holland September 28/29/30 – Round 8 – Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship, Silverstone Arena GP October 12/13/14 Round 9 – Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship, Brands Hatch GP SEASON FINALE