DOUBLE PODIUM FOR BIRCHALL BROTHERS AT DONINGTON Ben and Tom Birchall got their British championship campaign off to the best of starts by taking second place and setting a new lap record in their very first outing aboard the F2 LCR Honda at Donington Park on Sunday in round one of the British F2 sidecar championship. They went on to claim third place in the second race, which secured sufficient points to see them leave Donington as championship leaders. The Mitchells of Mansfield-backed pairing qualified in second place but were unable to capitalize on their front row start and rounded the first corner at Redgate in fifth position at the start of the opening race on Saturday. The two leading outfits began to pull away leaving the Birchall brothers to battle it out with Coombes/Knapton, Ian/Carl Bell and Neary/Bond for position but by the third lap they powered through into third place and began to pull away to give chase to the leaders. When former F1 world champions Reeves/Farrance went out at the Melbourne Loop their second place was inherited by Ben and Tom Birchall who then began to reel in multi-TT winners Crowe/Cox. But despite reducing the gap by over two seconds in the final laps they ran out of time and had to be content with second place. The pace was such that Ben and Tom set a new lap record for the F2 sidecar class of 1m 43.63s on their penultimate lap. “We are thrilled to bits with that result,” said Ben. “We came here not knowing what to expect as there a lot of really quick lads in the F2 series and we just didn’t know where we would figure in the results. We are there or there about on the F1 bike but was not sure with the little bike just how competitive we could be. We have done a lot of hard work over the winter months with preparation to get the bike to suit us and it appears to have paid off. We also set a new lap record which is something we didn’t realise until the results sheets were produced.” Race two on Sunday was run in perfect weather conditions and after a delayed start Ben and Tom slotted into second place at Redgate first time around before taking the lead at the Melbourne Loop a few seconds later. The Mansfield pair held their lead for three laps before being caught by Reeves/Farrance and the rest of the 10-lapper was spent in a huge battle between the two teams. Things came to a dramatic climax on the last lap when third place riders Holden/Winkle tangled with the Birchall brothers resulting in the latter being relegated to third place where they remained to the chequered flag. Although disappointed to lose out on the runner up spot the brothers were delighted to find they are the championship leaders with the added bonus of lifting the Bill Boddice Trophy; an annual presentation at Donington Park for the overall winner. “Two podium finishes in our first two races at this level, championship leaders and the Bill Boddice Trophy, that’s more than we could ever have dreamed of,” said Ben. “If we can continue in this vein then we can look forward to a fantastic season in the F2 class.” The Nottinghamshire duo also contested the inaugural Motosix challenge where they were to represent England in the six-nation shootout. Unfortunately their race plan didn’t quite work out as they were awarded an eighth row grid position and had to work their way through the field at the start. At the lights they were keen to get away and made up places to 10th as they exited Foggys Esses on the opening lap. By lap eight they were through to sixth but, when in the middle of a three-way clash for fourth place, they were bumped by another competitor and spun off course. Despite losing momentum Ben was able to regain control and rejoined the race in 10th position, eventually completing the race in seventh place. The Mansfield brothers were unable to compete in the second race because of exhaust damage incurred in the second of the British F2 events. “There was a bit of fairing clashing going on throughout the races today but it appears to be part and parcel of this class,” said Ben. “In the World Championship it takes a couple of laps for everyone to sort themselves out but in this class it all systems go from the start and the racing is so very close.” The team now head off to France for a week of intense testing in preparation for their World championship challenge on the bigger 1000cc LCR F1 outfit. Round two of the British F11 sidecar championship takes place at Brands Hatch in Kent over the Easter holiday weekend of April 11/12/13. More, from a press release issued by WERA: ROUND #2 BRIDGESTONE/WERA ENDURANCE AND MICHELIN/WERA NATIONAL SPRINTS AT TALLADEGA Mother Nature reared her head this past weekend when the WERA National Series took the Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance and Michelin/WERA National Sprints to Talladega Gran Prix. The forecast was very dreary with rain, winds and possible thunderstorms and tornadoes, but again the weatherman was not totally correct! The Friday practice day saw a wet morning but a dry afternoon which many of the riders took advantage of in preparation for the weekend. Saturday the Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance was scheduled for four hours and four hours it ran, so we are eight hours and counting for the Bridgestone/WERA Endurance Series in 2009. After four hours Vesray Suzuki with Cory West, Tray Batey and John Jacobi took first overall, followed by BEI Racing with Billy Ethridge and Tim Bemisderfer. Ghetto Customes on their new Kawasaki 600 took third overall with Tim Birdsong, Scott Brown, Daniel Parkerson and Chris Parrish sharing riding duties. Willow Motorsports was firth and the Dalke Motorsports Team rounds out the top five. Class winners for the weekend included Vesrah Suzuki for the Heavyweight Supebike; TVR 131 for the Heavyweight Superstock, Ghetto Customs for Mediumweight Superbike with Dalke Motorsports in Mediumweight Superstock and the #23 BlueGrass Motorpsorts Park entry taking Lightweight Superbike. Sunday saw cooler temperatures and by the time racing began the track had dried and Open Superstock saw a strong field lead by Robert Jensen, followed by Cory West and Lee Acree rounding out the podium after a close race. Jake Morman won the 125 GP Class. West took the win in 600 Superstock with Taylor Knapp and Jensen for the second and third spot. Jensen finally saw the checker first in the 750 Superstock race with West and Acree second and third. Kris Wall took the Lightweight Superstock win with Ricky Ford and Chris Slay rounding out the top three. Formula 2 Expert saw Ford take the win from Wall with Jake Morman on his 125 Honda taking third. Jensen took the win in both 600 & 750 Superbike with Matt Lynn and Zac Chapman taking second and third in 600 and Chapman and James Dellinger taking second and third in 750. The Women’s Superstock saw Novice riders Teri Gorrell first and Dawn Holgate taking second. In the Formula 1 Tray Batey put his head down and finished 2.625 seconds in front of Knapp with Jensen hanging on for third. Novice winners included Ben Kirby on his Suzuki 600 sweeping the 750 Superbike, 600 Superbike, 750 and 600 Superstock Classes. Lance Brannon won the Lightweight Superstock and Formula 2 races. The series moves to Jennings Gran Prix in Jennings, Florida over the April 17/18/19 weekend. Camping is available at this facility. Three-day tickets are $30.00; two-day are $20.00 and Sunday only is $15.00. Camping is available at all these March venues. Come on out and see the talented riders of WERA Motorcycle Roadracing. For more information on WERA Motorcycle Roadracing visit the web site at www.wera.com. More, from a press release issued by Tim Reeves’ publicist: Victorious start to 2009 for Reeves Kent’s Tim Reeves got his 2009 campaign underway at Donington Park at the weekend and the triple World Sidecar Champion ensured it was a successful start with victory in the second F2 British Championship race on Sunday. Reeves, and passenger Patrick Farrance, also finished 4th in the two MotoSix Nations races on board their F2 LCR Suzuki to help Northern Ireland take victory in the inaugural competition. Qualifying on Saturday was held in mixed weather conditions and Tim and Patrick lined up in 4th on the grid for the opening race of the British F2 Sidecar Championship and Tim and Patrick went head to head with main rivals Nick Crowe/Mark Cox and Ben and Tom Birchall from the moment the lights turned green. Positions changed hands with frequent regularity but, as the trio came into the Melbourne Loop on the 4th lap, the outfits of Reeves and Crowe had a slight coming together and the contact was enough to dislodge the chain from the sprocket and Tim’s race was over. In the first of the MotoSix Nations races, three of the larger, and more powerful, F1 outfits pulled away at the head of the field but at the completion of the 10 laps, Tim finished in a strong 4th, comfortably the first of the F2 outfits to finish, and the result gave the Northern Ireland team some valuable points in their quest for the title. Sunday’s weather saw the Donington GP circuit bathed in beautiful sunshine and the crowd was treated to another high class British F2 Championship race with Reeves, Birchall and John Holden fighting for supremacy. The battle lasted for the entire 10 laps of the 2.5-mile circuit but Tim had the edge on the final lap and he managed to hold off his rivals for an excellent, and hard fought, win. In a repeat of Saturday’s race, Tim then finished 4th once more in the second MotoSix Nations outing and was again the first of the F2 outfits to cross the line. It proved to be a successful weekend all round as the Northern Ireland that Tim and Patrick were representing, won the first ever MotoSix Nations Championship. Speaking about the weekend, Tim said: “It’s been a really enjoyable weekend and great to start off the season with a win. The new LCR chassis and Ohlins suspension were faultless and we were able to run a strong pace all weekend. In the first F2 Championship race there was nothing between Nick, Ben or myself but as we went round the Melbourne Loop, me and Nick had a slight coming together and it lifted the rear wheel off the ground by a foot. When it came back down, the chain jumped off the sprocket and that was the end of our race but it was no ones fault, just a racing incident.” “I was keen to make amends in Sunday’s race and it was a superb battle again for the entire 10 laps but this time I managed to keep everyone at bay and take the win. It was a great race to be part of and also great to see a full grid of 32 F2 outfits out there. In the two MotoSix Nations races, the F1 outfits had the edge but I was very satisfied to take a brace of 4th’s and be the first F2 outfit home on each occasion and help the Northern Ireland team win the title. Overall, it’s been a great start to the season and I’m eagerly looking forward to our next race at Brands Hatch.” Tim and Patrick’s next race comes at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend (April 10-13) where the second round of the British F2 Sidecar Championship takes place alongside the opening round of the British Superbike Championship.