Ben Birchall (born 21 January 1977)Birchall Racing official website
Retrieved 19 December 2017 and Tom Birchall, (born 23 December 1986), from

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, are English motorcycle-with-sidecar road race World Championship-winning competitors in both the F1 (2009 and 2018 seasons) and F2 categories (2016, officially known as F2 Sidecar World Trophy, using 600 cc engines running concurrently with 1000-engined outfits) and again in the 2017 season – when all competitors used 600 engines. The brothers are 14-time TT winners, having won in 2013, 2015 (twice), 2016, 2017 (twice), 2018 (twice), 2019 (twice), 2022 (twice) and 2023 (twic

They set absolute lap and race records in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2023 with an average speed of 120.645mph

!-- tt lap record holders, 18.59.018 minutes, 19 minutes and 19.476 seconds at an average speed of 119.250 (——.——km/h), and tt race record holders, 58 minutes and 24.971 seconds an average race speed of 116.259 mph (187.101 km/h) for three laps (113.00 miles) --> During the 2017 season the reigning F2 sidecar champions campaigned in the World championship and British Championship (600 Cup) as Team Mansfield with IEG Racing, using an Louis Christen Racing, LCR F1 outfit powered by a Yamaha R6 600 cc engine. For the 2017

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the e ...

races in June and the island's

Southern 100 The Southern 100 is a motorcycle road racing event held on the Isle of Man in July of each year. The event was first held in 1955, with three races for different classes of solo motorcycles; the 2015 calendar included twelve races for various cl ...

races in July they used a smaller (F2) LCR short chassis, as required by the regulations, powered by a Honda 600 cc engine.Birchall Racing official website
Retrieved 19 December 2017 In May 2019, Ben was elected to

Mansfield District Council Mansfield District is a local government district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is named after the town of Mansfield, where the council is based. The district also contains Mansfield Woodhouse (which forms part of the Mansfield urban area) and ...

in the Kings Walk ward, representing the

Mansfield Independent Forum Mansfield Independents, previously known as Mansfield Independent Forum,

. On 19 December 2023, Tom Birchall announced his immediate retirement from racing, although Ben still planned to compete in 2024 with another passenger. Experienced French racer Kevin Rousseau was confirmed in early 2024 to be his teammate during their upcoming TT races campaign. In September 2024, the Birchall brothers were awarded the 2023

Segrave Trophy The Segrave Trophy is awarded to the British national who demonstrates "Outstanding Skill, Courage and Initiative on Land, Water and in the Air". The trophy is named in honour of Henry Segrave, Sir Henry Segrave, the first person to hold both t ...

for 'outstanding skill, courage and initiative'.

Racing history

Ben Birchall started racing as a sidecar passenger in 1999, and became a driver in 2003. Tom Birchall started racing as a passenger in 2003.

2009

In 2009 they were F1 Sidecar World Champions.

2010

In 2010 a new LCR long (F2) Louis Christen chassis with

Yamaha R1 The Yamaha YZF-R1, or simply R1, is a sports motorcycle made by Yamaha. It was first released in 1998, undergoing significant updates in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2018

engine was tested in France, before debuting in April at

Pembrey Pembrey (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Pen-bre'') is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay, with a population of about 2,154 in 2011. The electoral ward having a population of 4,3 ...

for the first round of the British Championship, followed by the first round of the World Championship at

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

, France, held as a support race to the

FIM Endurance World Championship The Endurance World Championship ( FIM EWC) is the premier worldwide endurance championship in motorcycle road racing. The championship season consists of a series of endurance races (with a duration of six, eight, twelve or twenty-four hours) ...

.World Champions ready to defend title. ''Chad'', Mansfield local newspaper, 7 April 2010, p.83 Accessed 1 March 2018 The short (F2) chassis needed to comply with

regulations was not ready in time to test thoroughly before the May/June event, meaning the brothers cancelled their race plans due to unproven safety and performance reasons. Ben Birchall suffered back injuries in a practice crash at the Croatia world championship round, needing skin grafts.''Chad'', Mansfield local newspaper, 2 March 2011, p.91 Accessed 19 December 2017

2011

In February 2011 the Birchalls were chosen as

Nottinghamshire County Council Nottinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county; the non-metropolitan county excludes the city of ...

's ''Sports Team of the Year'' after an online public vote. The brothers were awarded the freedom of their hometown of Mansfield by then-

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Tony Egginton Tony Egginton (born 1951) was the first directly elected Mayor of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England. He was elected to the position on 17 October 2002, beating Labour's Lorna Carter by 588 votes, ending 30 years of Labour control. Egginto ...

in 2011, who also awarded the accolade to Olympic multiple gold medal swimmer

Rebecca Adlington Rebecca Adlington (born 17 February 1989) is an English former competitive swimmer who specialised in freestyle events in international competition. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-metre freestyle and 800-metr ...

in 2008.''Chad'', Mansfield local newspaper, 8 August 2012, p.11 Accessed 19 December 2017

2012

In 2012 the Birchalls joined with former World Champion sidecar racer and TT winner

Klaus Klaffenböck Klaus Klaffenböck (born 24 July 1968 in Peuerbach, Austria) is an Austrian World Champion in the FIM World Sidecar Championship, and former team-principal of ''Klaffi Honda'' World Superbike squad running Alex Barros, Frankie Chili and Max ...

and former passenger Adolf Hanni in a new team called Cofain Racing by Klaffi, using long (F1) and short (F2) LCR chassis with Honda engines prepared by Chris Mehew. The team was presented to the press with a photo-call at

Creg-ny-Baa Creg-ny-Baa (, ; 'rock of the cow') is located between the 3rd Milestone and 4th Milestone of the primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road and the road junction with the secondary B12 'Creg-ny-Baa Back-Road', in the parish of Kirk Onchan in the Isle ...

, a famous corner on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

TT course. During practice for the 2012 TT in June, they ran off the course at high speed close to

Brandywell The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium () is a municipal football stadium in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of League of Ireland team Derry City F.C., (temporarily) NIFL Championship team Institute, and also to NIWFA Championship ...

"''It is a 120mph corner and I knew we were going to leave the road. It is straight down and I had a split second to make a decision. I decided to go off head first rather than risk rolling all the way down. I turned round and saw Tom stuck in a sheep fence.''" – Ben Birchall, Sidecar driver

Both brothers were

airlifted An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distan ...

to hospital suffering from severe bruising and discharged after observation. The machine was extensively damaged needing a new chassis and bodywork, but after the team's rebuild they resumed practising and in the actual races gained second and third places in the two-leg event.''Birchall Brothers win Spirit of TT Award''
''BBC Sport'' 13 June 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2017 After the two TT race legs, they immediately left for their debut at

Hungaroring The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtai ...

race track in Hungary, the second round of the FIM World Championship where they finished in fourth place after a two-part race interrupted by rain. Back on the Isle of Man, in their absence, their Spirit of TT Award was received on their behalf by father John Birchall and Klaus Klaffenbock. They entered their first

short-length road races in July 2012 and were the first newcomers to debut as winners of the sidecar championship, also receiving their Spirit of TT award on their return to the island.''Chad'', Mansfield local newspaper, 15 February 2012, p.91 Accessed 19 December 2017

2013

In 2013 they won their first TT race.

2014

In 2014 they experienced a TT crash near Black Dub. Both were initially treated at Noble's hospital in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

. Tom suffered a bruised lung, cuts and severe bruising, whilst Ben had a seriously damaged right hand. He was transferred to Wigan where an orthopaedic surgeon, helped by a plastic surgeon, rebuilt his hand with metal plates and wires, successfully saving his injured little finger.

2015

In 2015, the Birchalls withdrew from the F1 World Championship after the opening round at

Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport Race track, circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, sti ...

, citing a host of reasons but mainly the dangerous driving of

Tim Reeves Tim Reeves (born 28 August 1972) is an English sidecar racer from Tenterden, Kent. He is an eight times Superside FIM World Sidecar Champion, twice with his younger brother Tristan (2005, 2006), once with Patrick Farrance (2007) and once ...

in causing a collision that disabled the Birchalls' outfit, for which he was disqualified from the race. A lengthy public statement was issued.

2016

In August 2016, before the season's end, the brothers had already amassed a points tally to become F1 (600) champions in August running along with the F1 1000 cc competitors

2017

In 2017, the brothers again won the World Championship, this time after the September round in Croatia, using the same 600 cc engine as all other competitors. With their two 2017 Isle of Man TT race wins, this was the first time in history of the sport that both prestigious titles were won by the same team in a single year.Local sidecar racing champions celebrate at civic event
Mansfield District Council, 4 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017

2018

The Brothers were once again crowned world champions as the championship battle went to the final round at the German circuit of Oschersleben. The Birchalls took the championship win with a convincing victory. In the same year they won both Isle of Man Sidecar TT Races to become 8 times TT winners - also taking the outright race and lap records; they were the first ever sidecar team to lap the TT circuit in under 19 minutes. (https://www.iomtt.com/news/2018/06/08/birchalls-smash-own-record-in-first-sub-nineteen-minute-lap)

2019

The brothers once again contested both the World Championship and Isle of Man TT Races - 2 further TT wins took their tally to 10 wins with Tom Birchall becoming the most successful sidecar passenger of all time and the duo becoming level in wins on the all time TT wins leader board with Giacamo Agostini. His tenth TT win also escalated Ben to become the second most successful TT Sidecar Driver of all time behind Dave Molyneux. They took third place in the World Championship having taken won three races during a season which was blighted by technical issues.

Full TT results

References

External links

Birchall Racing official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birchall, Ben and Tom English motorcycle racers Isle of Man TT riders Sidecar racers Sportspeople from Mansfield Living people Year of birth missing (living people)