TT 2017: ‘More to come’ says Sidecar king Birchall
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08/06/2017
Report below from BSN.
Weather conditions may not have been ideal so far at TT 2017 but that didn’t stop Ben and Tom Birchall smashing their own F2 Sidecar lap record on Monday and becoming the first three-wheel crew to lap the Mountain Course at 117mph.
The Nottinghamshire brothers overcame a few technical issues during practice week to signal their intentions in the final session on Saturday when they lapped at 116.675mph to top the leaderboard. That put them in confident mood for the race and they dominated proceedings from start to finish to take their fifth TT victory.
“We lost two laps to everyone else one evening when we had to stop at Crosby but put down a marker on the Saturday afternoon,” said driver Ben speaking to bikesportnews.com.
“We needed to get some good laps under our belt then to make sure we were all ready for race day and when it came to the race we had no issues at all. The bike ran perfectly from start to finish but it was definitely a bit tricky over the Mountain on the final lap when it started to rain, particularly from the Verandah onwards.
“There were still a few damp patches around the course at the beginning of the race too but everything came together and it was certainly a nice feeling to get the 117mph lap on top of the win. We weren’t trying for it and whilst it felt like a good lap, I was bit surprised it was over 117mph. I was also a bit surprised it wasn’t a bit closer but I’m sure the competition will increase for race two.”
Birchall has been mindful of not making too many changes over the winter months to the set-up and younger brother Tom was quick to point out and recognise the value of the team and package.
“The bike’s good, the team’s good and we’ve got great support around us so to take our fifth win was great,” he said. “It felt like a long time until the first race so by the time it came around, we all just wanted to get stuck in and go racing. The lads in the team kept us calm and I loved every minute of the race. We’re naturally very proud to have got the lap record again and whilst it didn’t come easily, it felt good so I’d say there’s a bit more to come.”
Image Source: Impact Images
