Ben and Tom Birchall took their sixth TT win in the Sure Formula 2 Sidecar race on Friday afternoon. The pair were strong contenders for the win after their stunning performance in race one on Monday, where they managed to smash their own lap record. They managed to hit the front on the run from Glen Helen to Ballaugh on the first lap, and it was plain sailing from there, as they brought home their 6th win 26.5 seconds ahead of 2nd place finishers John Holden and Lee Cain.
All outfits were warned before the beginning of the race of damp patches on the exit of Ginger Hall, Ramsey Hairpin, Hillberry and Governor’s Dip, but the race ran as expected starting at 1:15pm.
Holden/Cain led by 0.9 seconds in the beginning, but the Birchall’s were on the moving and gaining pace fast. Once they were in front, they didn’t look back.
Pete Founds and Jevan Walmsley finished sixth in race one, but were unfortunately forced to retire from race two very early on at Quarter Bridge. Seasoned sidecar outfit Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle finished the first race on the podium but had no such luck this time, as they retired not long after at Sulby Crossroads. Alan Founds and Jake Lowther who finished fourth last time out also had to retire, as did Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes.
The final lap was where the Birchall’s made their final push, as a lap of 116.243mph saw their lead increase to 20 seconds over Holden/Cain, with Lewis Blackstock and Patrick Rosney keeping their third place thanks to their first 110mph+ lap. Unfortunately, the pair slowed towards the end, allowing Conrad Harrison and Andy Winkle through to take the final step of the podium.
Sure Formula 2 Sidecar race 2 results (top 10):
- Ben Birchall/Tom Birchall – IEG Racing (LCR)
- John Holden/Lee Cain – Silicone Engineering/Barnes Racing (Honda)
- Conrad Harrison/Andy Winkle – Printing Roller Services (Honda)
- Lewis Blackstock/Patrick Rosney – Dave Holden Racing (Suzuki)
- Karl Bennett/Maxime Vasseur – Bennett Racing (Suzuki)
- Tony Baker/Fiona Baker-Holden – Silicone Engineering and Carl Cox Motorsport (Suzuki)
- Robert Handcock/Ken Edwards – Maddockshire/Portable Energy
- Gregory Lambert/Julie Canipa – John Yates Golden Fleece York (Honda)
- Wayne Lockey/Mark Sayers – Real Racing (Ireson Honda)
- Gary Knight/Daniel Evanson – Redline Superbikes with Dialled-in Racing
