TT 2017: Birchall Brothers win second Sidecar TT to take the Championship

Ben and Tom Birchall have continued their domination of the Sidecar TT – winning their second Sidecar TT race of the week, and taking the Championship in the process.

Throughout the first lap of the race, it remained tight at the top, with John Holden and Lee Cain taking an initial lead, ahead of Ben and Tom Birchall, and Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle. As they passed through Ramsey, the Birchall Brorthers had managed to pull 1.4 seonds ahead of Holden and Cain – while Molyneux and Sayle were forced to retire, allowing Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes to step into third position, 7 seconds behind.

By the end of the first lap, Tom and Ben Birchall had pulled away, stretching their lead to an impressive 7.9 seconds ahead of Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes, who jumped 1.2 seconds ahead of John Holden and Lee Cain. Reeves and Wilkes lost a few seconds at the start of the second lap, pulling in at Glen Helen to make a few mechanical changes, which sadly failed to remedy the problem, forcing them to retire before Ballaugh.

By then end of the second lap, the Birchall’s had stretched their lead to 20.2 seconds, with Holden and Cain, sitting in second, while Lewis Blackstock and Patrick Rosney trailed 1 minute 45.6 seconds behind them in third place.  

The Birchall Brother’s eased off slightly for the final lap, gradually eeking out a lead (of 26.5 seconds), to bring their LCR Honda machine home in first place with ease. John Holden and Lee Cain came in second place, 2 minutes 36.3 seconds ahead of third placed Conrad Harrison and Andrew Winkle, who managed to pass and pull away from the partnership of Blackstock and Rosney between Ramsey and Bungalow.

It’s the Birchall Brothers sixth sidecar win at the TT, as they continue to dominate the sidecar racing on the island. Next up on today’s race schedule is the big one, the Senior TT – which is set to kick off at 15.15pm.