Main Features Interviews Forums Links Contacts

Visitor Information
News Features
Classic Section
Interviews
TT History
Multimedia
Forums
TT Map
Downloads
TT Fun Page
Links
Ladies In Racing


Listen To The TT Here
The latest news from the Isle of Man
Join the TT Supporters Cleb

TT 2024 RACE DATES
Practice Week: From Mon 27th May
Race Week: Sat 1st - Sat 8th  Jun
2024 MGP RACE DATES
Practice Week: From Sun 18th Aug
Race Weekend: From Fri 23rd Aug
2023 LATEST - Sadly the irreplaceable long term dedicated owner of this site (Malcolm) passed away in 2022. Prior to TT2023 we have only just gained access to the administration. Please see the forum for latest news.Click Here....
BRILLIANT BIRCHALLS TAKE THE HONOURS IN OPENING SURE SIDECAR TT RACE
Author Malcolm
Monday, Jun 8, 2015 4:05 pm
BRILLIANT BIRCHALLS TAKE THE HONOURS IN OPENING SURE SIDECAR TT RACE

 Ben and Tom Birchall took a dramatic victory in the opening Sure Sidecar race at the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, coming home almost twenty five seconds clear of John Holden/Dan Sayle for their second TT victory.

The duo won in a new race record time with Conrad Harrison/Mike Aylott taking third but there was disappointment for pre-race favourites Dave Molyneux/Ben Binns and Tim Reeves/Patrick Farrance who both went out on the first lap.

At Glen Helen on the opening lap it was Holden/Sayle who led by just half a second from the Birchalls with Molyneux/Binns a further second back. Harrison/Aylott were in fourth ahead of Reeves/Farrance but the latter were soon out having retired at the top of Barregarrow.

It was all change at Ramsey as Molyneux went to the top of the leaderboard but only by the miniscule amount of 0.003s and Holden/Sayle were only a further half second back! Harrison/Aylott remained in fourth but had dropped to eleven seconds in arrears with Ian and Carl Bell moving up to fifth.

There was further drama on the opening lap though as Molyneux/Binns stopped at Brandish to make adjustments and so it was the Birchalls who ended the lap in the lead with a speed of 115.285mph. Holden/Sayle were up to second, five seconds behind, with Harrison/Aylott third ahead of the Bells, Alan Founds/Tom Peters and Gary Bryan/Jamie Winn.

Molyneux was soon reported as having retired at Brandish with fellow Manxmen Karl Bennett/Lee Cain also out at Douglas Road Corner. But the Birchalls were pressing on ahead and by Glen Helen, they'd extended their lead to eight seconds over Holden/Sayle with Harrison/Aylott continuing to drop further back in third, now some 19 seconds adrift.

Holden briefly got the deficit to the Birchalls down to six seconds half way round the second lap but the Nottinghamshire brothers responded and, with a superb lap of 116.060 - the second fastest of all time - their lead had increased to 13.5s as they went on to their final lap. Holden had also set his personal best with 115.240 and was now 25s clear of Harrison/Aylott with the top six rounded out by the Bells, Bryan/Winn and Founds/Peters, the last named lapping in excess of 111mph in just their second year at the TT.

The gap between the Birchalls and Holden remained constant all the way round the first half of the last lap but they eventually crossed the line a comfortable 24.1s ahead for their second TT win in three years with Holden taking his 12th TT podium. For Sayle, it was his ninth rostrum, the most ever recorded by a passenger at the TT.

Harrison/Aylott were secure in third, the Bradford driver taking his ninth podium in the last ten races, with the Bells taking fourth ahead of Founds/Peters and Bryan/Winn, the gap between the last two just 0.007s.

Gary Knight/Jason Crowe, Rob Handcock/Aki Alto, Matt Dix/Shaun Parker and Wayne Lockey/Mark Sayers rounded out the top ten.

In a race full of personal best laps, French woman Estelle Leblond, partnered by Sebastian Lavorel, cemented her status as the fastest ever female driver around the Mountain Course with a lap of 107.297mph on her way to finishing an excellent 18th.

Fiona Baker-Milligan, passenger to her father Tony, recorded a lap of 109.321, the fastest ever lap by a female passenger.



 Sidecar Race 1 winners celebrate


 The Birchals on their second lap when they clocked a 116.06 lap
(2nd fastest ever)


 The Birchals exit Quarterbridge and head on the Braddan


 
John Holden & Dan Sayle set off on their race
 

TTwebsite cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of views or information provided by users of the forums. All views and information expressed in users postings represent the opinions of the users concerned and do not necessarily represent the views of TTwebsite.
© All content TT Website