Birchalls bounce back for first TT win
Birchall brothers bounce back for first TT win
Ben and Tom Birchall took victory in Sure Sidecar Race 2 to become the second set of World Champions in a week to stand on the top step of the TT sidecar podium.
They set a blistering pace in Saturday's opening Sure Sidecar TT only to suffer a flat tyre clipping the hedge at Keppel Gate. There was no such disappointment in the second laeg of the three-wheeler competition as Ben and Tom led the race from start to finish.
It was a mature and confident display from the Mansfield pairing who made their Mountain Course debut back in 2009. With a best lap before the meeting of 112.979 mph they knew they had their work cut out to close the gap to Molyneux/Farrance and Reeves/Sayle but their Manx Gas/Klaffi supported LCR Honda prepared by CM Engineering proved well up to the task. All three laps were in excess of 114 mph and they set a best of 114.662 mph.
Their pace from the startline saw them overhaul Molyneux, Holden and Reeves by Glen Helen and by Ramsey they'd pulled out a nine second advantage over Reeves in second place.By the Grandstand at the start of lap two they'd eked the advantage out to ten seconds and by Ballaugh on the second lap the challenge was over - Reeves and Sayle were reported as retired, promoting Molyneux and Farrance into second position and allowing Conrad Harrison and Mike Aylott into a podium position for second time in a week.
From then on it never looked as if the Birchalls would be seriously challenged as, even before the race 16 time TT winner Dave Molyneux admitted he was down on power compared to his rivals.
The eventual winning margin was 17.352 seconds with Harrison/Aylott taking a well-earned third 21.753 seconds down on Molyneux and Farrance.
There was an ecstatic reception for the brothers from their team gathered in the winners' enclosure. An emotional Ben Birchall said: “If that’s what winning the TT is like I want some more. What a team we have got behind us, it’s not just me and Tom on the bike we have an incredible team. We just chipped away throughout the race. It is so hard to be leading the race and if I am honest I would sooner be pushing and chasing. I had to keep telling myself, don’t think about it, we did have a few hairy moments on lap two and I think we cleared the spectators off the grass at Milltown when we went in a bit too hot! I knew on the last lap that we had a good lead and saw Moly in front of us. As long as I could see him on the road I knew we would be ok, we didn’t need to pass him as we were well up on time."
2011 winners John Holden and Andy Winkle took a solid fourth place after struggling for power with their outfit during the week and Gary Bryan with Jamie Winn in the chair took fifth