From Barry Nutley
I was reminded why we do not race beyond October as the weekend dawned on Friday. Cold, damp conditions prevailed, but the mood in the paddock was upbeat and buzzing.
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From Barry Nutley, photos from Mark Walters
Round two at Snetterton now seems a hundred years ago in this strange season. At Knockhill courtesy of a non-BSB round, the action on track showed that the crews were all very much up for it, bringing the true flavour of sidecar racing back to the home of former World Champion the late Jock Taylor. The trophy commemorating the great man was the award up for grabs at this event.
Four practice sessions on Saturday in clear, crisp conditions gave the strong field plenty of track time ahead of the two championship races on Sunday. Early signs were good for the reigning champions Todd Ellis and Charlie Richardson, who headed the field on the Santander Salt Honda from John Holden and Jake Lowther.
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From Barry Nutley
Knockhill hosts round three of the Molson Group British Sidecar Championship as it welcomes the cream of British talent north of the border over the weekend of 18-20 September. The second of our “non-BSB” rounds will give the sidecars star billing in front of what is always an enthusiastic crowd of fans and supporters.
Lauder’s Steve Kershaw and his new passenger Ryan Charlwood have a slender ten-point lead in the standings after a mixed round two at Snetterton in Norfolk last month.
They are pressed hard in the table by their young team-mate in the Santander Salt camp Todd Ellis, who with regular passenger Charlie Richardson on their Gary Bryan prepared Honda CBR600, gave eight times world champion Tim Reeves a terrific fight at Snetterton.
Round two at Snetterton attracted the absolute cream of Britain’s sidecar talent, and that was borne out by the action on track. An added challenge came in the shape of storm Ellen which brought gale-force winds howling around throughout Friday and Saturday.
Despite the difficult conditions, qualifying resulted in pole position going to the existing 600cc lap record holders Todd Ellis and Charlie Richardson.
They were close to their own lap record speed on their Santander Salt Honda to claim the place ahead of current and eight times World Champion Tim Reeves/Kevin Rousseau. Series leaders Steve Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood sat on row two alongside a delighted Ricky Stevens/Jonny Allum, who missed the Cadwell Park opener.
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2020 season cancelled due to COVID-19 pressures
It is with heavy hearts and a deep sense of regret that in conjunction with the FIM, the decision has been taken to abort the planned five-round series for the current year.
Despite all our best efforts early in the year negotiating dates and facilitating an on-line entry system, the ever-changing situation between countries, and the various lock-down measures implemented as a result, destroyed any confidence teams and organisers had that travel would be possible, or even predictable.
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A very welcome addition to the ranks of round two at Snetterton comes in the form of Tim Reeves. Tim is partnered by twenty-seven-year-old Frenchman Kevin Rousseau.
A rare British series appearance for the eight times World Champion comes at a time when all sport is hungry for action, and the 2020 World Sidecar championship has yet to get started.
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Against a backdrop of financial uncertainty which kept them out of the opening Cadwell Park round, the two outfits of Ricky Stevens and Ben Holland will line up on the grid at Snetterton.
With such a short season, it is vital for them to make an entrance now to get up to speed with the rest of the pack.
Continue readingFinally, the wait to re-join the BSB paddock is over for the Molson Group British Sidecar Championship. Round two takes us to one of the most popular and sidecar friendly tracks on the BSB tour.
The Snetterton 300 circuit has plenty of wide-open spaces to observe social distancing, and a super-fast race environment which always delivers great on-track action.
With a truncated five round, ten race season now fixed, there will be no room for error. The opener at Cadwell Park is already behind us, with scores firmly on the board for all the top runners.
Two weeks ago, in Lincolnshire, former champions Steve Kershaw, now with new passenger Ryan Charlwood (Santander Salt/Quattro Yamaha), took double victory ahead of his team-mates and reigning champions Todd Ellis and Charlie Richardson (Santander Salt Honda).
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The Cadwell Park circuit hosted a Bemsee Club meeting with the opening British F1 Sidecar round as a central feature. Friday was an open test day, and everyone took advantage of the opportunity to get back in the groove.
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British Sidecar Championship – from Barry Nutley
Further to our bulletin of last week, we are now delighted to announce the following schedule by which we can have a meaningful four or five round 2020 championship.
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From Barry Nutley
Hot on the heels of the previous bulletin with regard to the former Revival Cadwell Park date, and the subsequent FIM release on the World Championship, RKB-F1 Motorsport is delighted to say that by the end of this week (w/e 6th June) we will be in a position to release a revised calender for the 2020 Molson Group British Sidecar Championship.
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from Barry Nutley
Whilst the Coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across sport, there are significant stirrings in the world of motorcycle racing. MotoGP and organisers have published a plan to go racing from July, and MSVR, the promoters of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship are busily putting together a revised schedule which will deliver a meaningful series in 2020. The Molson Group British Sidecars are inextricably linked with BSB and we eagerly await those announcements to get our own season back on track.
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Statement regarding COVID-19 and the Molson Group British Sidecar Championship
Following unprecedented measures announced by the Government this week in efforts to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, and the subsequent action taken by MSVR announced yesterday, the ban on UK track racing is confirmed until at least May 31st.
That means the opening two rounds of our championship due to take place at Oulton Park (May 1-3rd) and Donington Park (May 22-24th) will now be postponed, hopefully to reschedule at a later date.
RKB-F1 Motorsport is working closely with MSVR and all involved parties to ensure we keep you advised at the earliest opportunity of developments as they unfold.
Clearly this situation is a constantly changing picture, and is under daily review.
Rest assured it is our intention to get both our British and World series underway as soon as is humanly possible.
Meanwhile, we continue to wish all our teams and supporters the very best of health at this difficult time, and urge you all to follow the guidelines passed to every one of us.
Press, Media and TV Person
Whilst we are all in this suspended state, with not very much happening on the surface, it does not mean the feet are not paddling away below. We at RKB-F1 Motorsport are hard at it planning what hopefully will turn out to be the season we all want.
Given we now have 2 Championships running in parallel – The UK and World, we are looking to expand the team on the ground on race weekends, particularly in the area of PR, Social Media and TV.
Ideally we see the person filling this part-time role as a graduate, or a young person wishing to gain experience in the world of marketing and PR with a view to progressing in the field of sport journalism, television or similar.
We currently have TV footage edited and produced for our own website and YouTube channel, whilst the World Championship has a bespoke highlights package produced by the FIM. We are also considering taking interviews and video snapshots at both series, to edit into those shows.
This is an opportunity for a keen graduate or young person to be exposed to the world of motor sport media, and to learn from our already experienced personnel some of the tricks of the trade. More than anything initially, it needs to be considered as work experience, with a view to moving ahead as things develop.
If you feel this is something you would like to become involved in, and are interested in exploring this further, please make contact in the first instance with karen@bgsp.co.uk by sending a current CV along with a covering letter.
We look forward to hearing from you!
The RKB-F1 Motorsport Team
