Month: June 2021

Molson British Sidecars

Birchalls lead the way in Cheshire thriller with double top

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For the first time in the modern era, the sidecars were treated to two races in the Oulton Park opener. After such a long lay-off, everyone was itching to get going, and the size of the entry reflected that enthusiasm.

A clash with the FIM World Championship in Hungary took three or four top crews out of the equation, but that did nothing to detract from the quality of the on-track action.

Qualifying – Early Friday morning and the sidecars were on track at eight-thirty. Initial times had the Christie brothers looking strong ahead of Ben and Tom Birchall, with Blackstock/Rosney and Holden/Pitt very much in the hunt.

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FIM Sidecar World Championship Round Two

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Close racing and late drama at Pannoniaring Hungary

Hot, dry conditions would guarantee a great weekend on a newly resurfaced track. Free practice was a close affair, with the top four crews studying each other and the general situation. Tim Reeves/Kevin Rousseau set the standard from Markus Schlosser/Marcel Fries and veteran Pekka Paivarinta/Ilse de Haas. Kees Endeveld capsized his outfit without injury to either occupant.

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Molson British Sidecars

Oulton Park welcomes record entry for round one with two races.

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The 2021 season bursts into life at Oulton Park over the weekend of June 25-27th with a bumper grid, some new names, but with some notable teams missing.

The FIM World Championship in Hungary claims the attention of Tim Reeves/Kevin Rousseau, reigning British Champion Steve Kershaw/Ryan Charlwood, Kevin Cable and Kyle Masters, and 2019 Champions Todd Ellis/Charlie Richardson. This could well be a case of “when the cat’s away”, but that only makes the excitement and opportunity at Oulton more intense. With two races on the programme at the spectacular Cheshire circuit, there is much to play for.

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FIM Sidecar World Championship – Schlosser/Fries take nine-point lead to Hungary

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The modern and stylish Pannoniaring in Hungary hosts the second round of the FIM Sidecar World Championship over the weekend of June 25-27th. Named after an extremely successful motorcycle manufacturer from the Communist era, the circuit was opened in 1997 having been designed with motorcycle racing in mind.

The core group of registered teams will make the journey despite the numerous hurdles associated with the Covid-19 protocols in place across borders. The diversity of the entry is reflected in the standings, with British crews featuring strongly.

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Molson British Sidecars

Knockhill round two axed due to restrictions

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Extension to the current levels of restriction by the Scottish Government has brought further complication to the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

The Knockhill round scheduled to take place over the weekend of July 9-11th will now become a two-day event (10-11th July) with reduced classes participating.

MSV, promoters of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, have had the difficult choice of dropping three of those classes. The British Sidecar Championship traditionally runs a full programme alongside that event, but now there is literally no room on the shortened programme to accommodate the sidecars.

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Oliver’s Mount 2021 Barry Sheene Classic Festival is cancelled
Oliver’s Mount 2021 Festival is cancelled

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Bike Hillclimb and Michelin Steve Henshaw Gold Cup rescheduled

August Bank Holiday Weekend GB Supermoto and Car Hillclimb unaffected

Scarborough Borough Council have recently conducted detailed inspections of their entire estate, including Oliver’s Mount. Their surveyors have found several serious issues with many of the aged buildings at Oliver’s Mount that make it unsafe to hold meetings at the venue at the current time. The safety of the public, competitors, officials and staff must always come first.

Several meetings have been held with Oliver’s Mount Racing, 243 Road Racing Association, Scarborough Borough Council and the ACU to explore all possible options to run the meetings planned for 2021 in a safe manner. Despite all possible efforts, it has become obvious that the meetings cannot be run in a safe manner with the buildings in their current state, and the mutual decision was taken today to cancel The Barry Sheene Classic Meeting on 26 / 27 June and The Oliver’s Mount Festival on 31 July / 1 August.

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FIM Sidecar World Championship – Stunning racing in France gets season off to a flyer

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The difficulty of added rules and regulations surrounding travel did nothing to dent the appetite of the British crews at the Bugatti Circuit Le Mans for the opening round. Three teams had served seven days quarantine at the circuit ahead of the weekend, with Kevin Cable making the trip slightly later under modified rules. Sadly, UK absentees included John Holden and Rob Biggs.

Nonetheless, sixteen crews enjoyed beautifully sunny conditions on the build-up to a much-anticipated return to Grand Prix action. The numbers were bolstered by a strong showing of French teams.

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UK crews hit by Le Mans Covid new protocols

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FIM Sidecar World Championship

A last-minute change of direction in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the French authorities placing Great Britain under stricter rules for incoming travellers. (The rules still changing daily so no guarantees)


Effective Tuesday June 1st all visitors from the UK must have a negative PCR test before travelling to France, and then be subjected to seven days quarantine and isolation in that country before going about their business. Of the six British crews entered for Le Mans next week, only three could conform to that tight schedule.

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