Sidecars - Brands Hatch Preview

Where has 2017 gone you might ask, as the tenth and final round of the series heads back to Brands Hatch next weekend 13-15 October, where it all began seven months ago.

In that time, we have witnessed a new level of dominance by Tim and Tristan Reeves in the major capacity class, the determined return of the popular Scots Steve Kershaw and Stuart Clarke, the change in fortunes of the former double champions Ricky Stevens and Ryan Charlwood, and the emergence of new talent in the 600cc Cup class

One thing is for sure, the racing has been good and not without incident, with the 600's adding extra spice.

This has been emphasised by the incredible performances by Ben and Tom Birchall, not only taking the 2017 FIM World title by storm, but by emulating the Reeves brothers with a clean sweep of every race contested here at home.

They are now poised to close in on the domestic title as well, just eighteen points behind the dynamic new duo of Todd Ellis and Charlie Richardson.

This rookie pairing go to Brands looking for podiums in both races to fend off the Birchall's challenge, and claim the title.

All that assumes Ben and Tom finish in their normal place at the head of the pack.

Whilst that particular battle could not be tighter, Tim and Tristan Reeves arrive on home soil with the title in their pocket, and an unbeaten race record to maintain.

Two victories will give them a complete whitewash of the twenty races contested this year, and a new statistic in the record of the championship.

This has to be their goal for the weekend, with plenty of people lining up to stop that happening.

At the head of the queue sit the aforementioned Scottish duo Kershaw and Clarke, who have steadily increased speed all season, taking over second place in the table at Assen.

Also lining up to have a pop at the sharp end is the Hannafin Kawasaki crew of Ben Holland and Stuart Ramsay. Completely undeterred by the enormous Thruxton crash which destroyed their outfit, Holland and Ramsay are back on song, and within a hair's breadth of third in the standings.

The unfortunate incumbents of that place, Ricky Stevens and Ryan Charlwood up-ended in Holland with Ryan sustaining a seriously broken foot.

Whether the JG Speedfit Cool Kawasaki pilot is able to defend his third place will only be known when battle commences at the weekend.

Further down the standings, Gary Bryan has had a solid season on the Santander Salt Kawasaki, with a variety of passengers, finally settling with the experienced Phil Hyde.

They sit fifth ahead of Gary Horspole and James Connell, with Phil Bell and Justin Sharp in touch on the Marin Motorsports Suzuki.

Add to this array of talent wild card appearances for former World Champions Benny Streuer/Gerard Daalhuizen and the flying Finn Pekka Paivarinta now teamed with Frenchman Gregory Cluze, and you begin to understand the enormous pull of this final round, in what has been a brilliant championship year.

Two races, both on Saturday, will decide all of the above permutations in front of what is bound to be a massive Brands Hatch crowd, and a large live Eurosport TV audience.

As well as the Eurosport coverage, Quest viewers will enjoy race two later in the day. This is an unprecedented degree of exposure for the series, and a fitting climax to the season.

The usual highlights show will also be aired on Frontrunner and Motortrend on Demand in Europe, with a huge North American and Antipodean audience courtesy of MAV TV, SBS1 and Fox Sports.

Video highlights will also appear two weeks later on the RKB-F1 website.