TT 2017: Sidecar win and lap record for Birchalls

Full report below from BSN

Ben and Tom Birchall took a record breaking Formula Two Sidecar race win on Monday afternoon with the Mansfield brothers taking their fifth TT victory and setting a new outright lap record of 117.119mph.

The duo made their intentions clear from the outset and had opened up a 3.4s lead over John Holden/Lee Cain through Glen Helen on the opening lap with Dave Molyneux/Dan Sayle a further second behind in third. Throughout the lap, they extended their advantage and an opening lap of 115.965mph gave them a 12s lead over Holden/Cain with Molyneux/Sayle holding station in third. Alan Founds/Jake Lowther were only 1.6s behind in fourth but Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes had relegated Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley to sixth.

On lap two, it was clear the Birchalls were really piling on the coals as their lead increased at each and every timing points and, sure enough, they flashed across the line at the end of the second lap with a new lap record of 117.119mph, the first ever 117mph+ lap by a sidecar. Holden/Cain were almost 25s in arrears but over nine seconds clear of Molyneux/Sayle with the Manx pairing 7.6s ahead of Founds/Lowther.

With just one lap of the Mountain Course to go, the Birchalls were able to ride to their signals and with some drizzle falling on the Mountain, they brought the IEG Racing machine home for yet another TT victory.

Their eventual winning margin over Holden/Cain was 25.6s and although Molyneux/Sayle came under extreme pressure from Founds/Lowther, largely due to Sayle suffering damage to his ribs during the course of the race, they held on for yet another TT podium.

Reeves/Wilkes took fifth from Founds/Walmsley with Conrad Harrison/Andy Winkle, Tony Baker/Fiona Baker-Holden, Karl Bennett/Maxime Vasseur and Wayne Lockey/Mark Sayers completing the top ten.

Image source: Impact Images