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Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Simon Heath
The season finale at Knockhill, dubbed as a “Scottish Sidecar Festival” saw a huge turnout of over sixty sidecar outfits across several classes, which included the British F1 Sidecars and Scottish Championship Sidecars, along with the British F2 teams. The meeting was planned to include a race for the prestigious “Jock Taylor Trophy”, with the fastest teams from each category invited to take part – but unfortunately due to significant time constraints due to red flags on Sunday, this race was unable to be run as a stand-alone event, and this trophy was awarded to the winner of Sunday’s “Rowe British F1 Sidecar Championship” race.
While the Super F2 Championship winners Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda), and runners-up Steve & Matty Ramsden (LCR Honda); and also the F2 Cup Champions Brian Ilaria / Arlo Brown (DDM Suzuki) had all secured enough points a fortnight beforehand at Cadwell Park, all eyes were on who would land the remaining top three places in both classes.
Whitby Cottages; Rowtec Engineering Maintenance & Tingle Windows
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Simon Heath
Only a fortnight after a rain-soaked Cadwell Park Sidecar Revival, the A.C.U. / F.S.R.A. British F2 Sidecar Championship made a return visit to the popular Lincolnshire circuit for the penultimate round of the 2023 season in contrasting weather conditions which made for some fast and furious racing throughout the field!
Congratulations go to Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda), taking an unprecedented sixth British F2 Sidecar Championship, and to Brian Ilaria / Arlo Brown (DDM Suzuki) who needed a single point to land the F2 Cup title – they achieved this in style with a victory in class in Saturday’s opening race.
Whitby Cottages; Rowtec Engineering Maintenance & Tingle Windows
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Simon Heath
Changeable weather conditions did not deter Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda) or Brian Ilaria / Arlo Brown (DDM Suzuki) – both of whom took an immaculate hat-trick of wins in the Super F2 and F2 Cup respectively to extend their championship leads at the fifth International Sidecar Revival at Cadwell Park. With only 100 points remaining, Founds / Walmsley hold a commanding 56 point advantage over Steve & Matty Ramsden (LCR Honda), while Ilaria / Brown need just a single point to clinch the title, regardless of other results.
Whitby Cottages; Rowtec Engineering Maintenance & Tingle Windows
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Simon Heath
As the championship gathers momentum following two fairly quiet months to accommodate the T.T., Southern 100 and Oliver’s Mount Road Races, there now follows a hectic five week period with three events remaining to determine the series victors, which culminates at Knockhill on the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd September. With the series passing the half distance point following the event at Anglesey, both the Super and Cup leaders further consolodated their positions at the head of the standings with double wins for Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda) and Brian Ilaria / Arlo Brown (DDM Suzuki), both being rarely troubled in any of the sessions as they dominated at the picturesque coastal circuit.
Whitby Cottages; Rowtec Engineering Maintenance & Tingle Windows
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Bryan Gough & Simon Heath
Following a break of six weeks in order to accommodate the Isle of Man T.T. Races, the championship resumed at Oulton Park on Saturday 24th June. Due to a lack of available dates, coupled with the Covid pandemic, it had been almost four years since the series had last visited the immensely popular Cheshire venue. Unfortunately, due to limited Sunday hire availability and the expense and logistics of offering a Friday Test Day, the event was condensed into a one day meeting – which was certainly one filled with drama and unpredictability.
Daryl Gibson / Rhys Gibbons (CES Suzuki) had their best results to date, taking the win in race one, while they were runners-up to championship leaders Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda) in the second outing, who had bounced back from a non-finish in the earlier race. Meanwhile, Brian Ilaria / Arlo Brown (DDM Suzuki) extended their enviable lead in the F2 Cup to 55 points taking both wins from Charlie Morphet / William Reilly (LCR Honda) who moved back to second in class following a torrid meeting last time out at Donington Park.
Whitby Cottages; Rowtec Engineering Maintenance & Tingle Windows
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Bryan Gough
Round three of the A.C.U. / F.S.R.A. British F2 Sidecar Championship sees the teams make a return to the immensely popular Oulton Park in rural Cheshire. It will be the first visit since a very wet season closing event in September 2019, and with similar conditions in 2018, it would be unsurprsing to see a third Super F2 lap record in 2023 broken in as many meetings if early season precedence is anything to go by.
Whitby Cottages; Rowtec Engineering Maintenance & Tingle Windows
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Bryan Gough
Championship leaders Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda) continued their good form from the opening round at Croft to extend their championship lead, however it was not a straightforward weekend for them, and were forced to play “second fiddle” to team-mates Alan Founds / Jake Lowther (LCR Yamaha), who took the victory in race one. As with Croft though, the unexpected stand-out performance of a wild-card entry generated as much interest as the winners themselves!
Meanwhile, in the F2 Cup, Brian Ilaria / Arlo Brown (DDM Suzuki) opened up a nineteen point advantage at the top of the standings, taking a win and a runners-up placing, with series newcomers James Saunders / Sarah Stokoe (Baker Honda) mirroring these results to jump up the table to displace former leaders Charlie Morphet / William Reilly (LCR Honda), who endured a frustrating weekend with a minor incident on Saturday afternoon ruling them out of the remainder of proceedings.
Despite reasonably decent weather conditions and a dry circuit, opening practice was a fairly steady affair for most teams. Daryl Gibson / Rhys Gibbons (CES Suzuki) having their final outing prior to the T.T. following an intense early season schedule topped the timings, from Sean Hegarty / James Neave (Baker Honda). Steve & Matty Ramsden (LCR Honda) were a further second back in third, ahead of the leading F2 Cup combination of Ilaria / Brown. Founds / Lowther had a miserable outing, with a lack of throttle response, leaving them languishing at the foot of the standings, while Founds / Walmsley were struggling to get their new fairing to fit, and were forced to miss the session in it’s entirety!
Moving onto qualifying, and it was another unfortunate “no show” from Founds / Walmsley, who were frantically working on their fibreglass modifications, resigned to gaining dispensation to start race one from the back of the grid! Again, it was Gibson / Gibbons who set the pace, and were not topped throughout what was a closely contended top four. The revelations were 2021 Championship victors Lee Crawford / Scott Hardie (CES Suzuki), competing as a wild-card. They were running second for much of the session, until being displaced to fourth in the dying stages after returning to the paddock. They were delighted, and surprised many – including their own team – with this being the first ever time the brand new outfit had ever turned a wheel, immediately proving to be competitive at National level – and additionally being almost 12 months since Scott had last competed.
Founds / Lowther placed second, and had been running only 0.002s shy of the pace set by Gibson / Gibbons until the latter put a lap to place them a full second clear, rewarding them with their first pole position in the British Championship together. Hegarty / Neave were only 0.008s down on Founds / Lowther in third, with Crawford / Hardie 0.017s further in arrears. Continuing their strong start to the weekend, Ilaria / Brown were fifth, the Ramsdens sixth and the Manx team of Mike Jackson / Jake Roberts (DMR Suzuki) seventh. Lining up eighth, and the second of the Cup teams were Bob Dawson / Matt Sims (LCR Honda), ahead of reigning Cup Champions Rob Atkinson / Shane Colbrook (Bellas Honda) – Shane once again deputising for regular passenger Mark Middleton who is currently sidelined due to work commitments. The top ten was rounded out by veteran wild-card campaigner John Saunders / Ben Stell (Shelbourne Honda).
Finally the sun shone, as the opening ten lap race got underway on Saturday afternoon. Something of a raggy start saw Founds / Lowther storm off to an enviable early lead, while Gibson / Gibbons led the rest of the pack. There was a torrid start for Crawford / Hardie, with the driver inadvertently hitting the kill switch. Thankfully, while they avoided being hit by faster starting outfits, they did drop to the very back of the field – this was a stark contrast to a flying start from the very back for Founds / Walmsley who were immediately up inside the top ten at the start of lap two!
With clear air and no pressure, Founds / Lowther were stretching away at the front, and Gibson / Gibbons were also in a relaxed second place, as the Ramsdens began to fade slightly with something of an intermittent misfire. By lap four, Founds / Walmsley had moved inside the top six, and similarly Crawford / Hardie had overcome the midfield traffic, to move into the top ten where the F2 Cup podium battle was raging between the likes of Dave Schofield / Josh Smith (Bellas Yamaha); Saunders / Stokoe; Saunders / Stell; Morphet / Reilly and Dawson / Sims.
Unfortunately, there was a retirement for the 2022 F.S.R.A. F2 Pre-Injection Championship winners Andy Bingham / Steven Dalton (Shelbourne Suzuki) on lap five, joined shortly thereafter by Atkinson / Colbrook and fellow series newcomers Paul D’Henin / Gary Wheeler (DDM Suzuki). Lap eight saw frustration for Schofield / Smith, whilst running second in the Cup they were forced to pull out as they were bumped by another outfit, compromising the integrity of the back of their fairing, whilst Dawson / Sims suffered mechanical failure at the same time. Morphet / Reilly were also forced out of proceedings on the penultimate lap.
At three-quarter distance, all eyes were on the top four machines, with lap times not quite telling the story of track position! Founds / Lowther were still leading the way, but elder sibling Founds / Walmsley were on the move, having displaced Gibson / Gibbons to third, they were now lapping around a full second quicker than the leaders, and indeed broke their own lap record to a new best of 1:12.390 on lap eight. As the last lap flag came out, Crawford / Hardie set their personal best time of the race, although they still had a margin of around three seconds to gain on Gibson / Gibbons – surely not a possible task in 1.957 miles?
The Founds outfits crossed the line astern – Alan & Jake just holding on from Pete & Jevan to the delight of their sizable entourage! Meanwhile Crawford / Hardie had managed to get the better of “CES Stablemates” Gibson / Gibbons, outbraking them at The Esses to take the final step on the podium. With their misfire worsening, the Ramsdens were just happy to cross the line ten seconds further back in fifth, while less than 0.2s was the gap between Jackson / Roberts and seventh placed Gary Horspole / Kenny Cole (Baker Suzuki). Ilaria / Brown took 25 points for the Cup win, placing eighth overall, ahead of Saunders / Stell in ninth, with Saunders (jnr) / Stokoe completing both the overall top ten and the Cup podium. It had been an enjoyable and unpredictable race all the way down the field, with battles and permulations to keep competitors and spectators interested throughout!
With a top-six grid reversal for Race Two, pole-sitters Jackson / Roberts and fellow front row starters the Ramsdens blasted away side-by-side. However, leading into Redgate were Founds / Walmsley, who had started fifth, audaciously driving round the outside of all those in front of them! Slotting into second on the approach to Craner Curves were Crawford / Hardie, with the Ramsdens third. Coming from the back of the grid into the midfield were Hegarty / Neave, while there was a decent getaway for Wayne Lockey / Ben Binns (LCR Honda), who were looking to improve on their finish of eleventh on Saturday.
At the end of lap one, there was a slender margin between leaders Founds / Walmsley and Crawford / Hardie – the latter crew being delighted having set their fastest ever time around Donington Park in the morning warm-up. Founds / Lowther overcame the outfits of Jackson / Roberts and the Ramsdens to find themselves third on the road, but had some work to do to close a gap of almost four seconds to the leaders.
Attrition rates had been high in race one, however the second outing saw seventeen teams make it to the chequered flag, with only three forced out with mechanical gremlins. Sadly, despite showing good pace, Dawson / Sims were retirements to pit lane on lap four, with Gibson / Gibbons – who had been running fifth – ruled out with a dropped valve, and Bingham / Dalton were the final retirement as the race drew onto its final lap.
Crawford / Hardie tried everything to make a move on Founds / Walmsley, and with these two crews doing close battle, Founds / Lowther were making the most of a clear circuit to pull the gap back to the leaders to little more than a second as the last lap flag flew. However, the five times champions had just enough power exiting The Esses as they charged towards the finish line to keep Crawford / Hardie at bay with a margin of 0.359s to land the prestigious “Bill Boddice Trophy”. Founds / Lowther came in third, with the consolation of setting the fastest lap of the race.
The Ramsdens were happy with fourth, this consistency seeing their championship points tally increase to 65, into a safe third place for the time being. Hegarty / Neave pulled through the field to place fifth, with Horspole / Cole taking sixth, their best result of 2023 to date. Jackson / Roberts took seventh, while Lockey / Binns were happy with eighth – four finishes from as many starts being a huge relief following the torrid luck they endured during the latter part of their campaign last season. Ninth overall, with their first ever win in the F2 Cup were Saunders / Stokoe, with Ilaria / Brown second in class and tenth overall. Schofield / Smith were only 0.435s in arrears, completing the Cup podium and taking eleventh position.
On behalf of the F.S.R.A., I would – as always – like to express thanks to our loyal series sponsors: The A.C.U. for awarding the official “British Championship” title, along with A.V. Craine & Son; Hegarty Plant Ltd; Pagid Racing (Breitenbach Rennsport); Rowtec Engineering Maintenance; Whitby Cottages and Tingle Windows.
Finally, the F.S.R.A. would like to thank N.G.R.R.C. for hosting, and to all their dedicated officials, marshals, medics and all the other volunteers involved in running the event. There now follows a short six week break to accommodate the Isle of Man T.T. Races. All involved with the F.S.R.A. wish all competitors and teams involved at the T.T. a safe and successful fortnight. Round three of the series will be held on Saturday 24th June at Oulton Park, hosted by Wirral 100 Motor Club.
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photos – Bryan Gough
Round two of the A.C.U. / F.S.R.A. British F2 Sidecar Championship sees teams head for their traditional mid-May visit to Donington Park. Running on the shorter “National” configuration, teams will do battle in a ten lap race each day, with the presitigious “Bill Boddice Trophy” being awarded – last year this was seized by Lee Crawford / Scott Hardie – who took both race wins, although they were hounded by Pete Founds / Jake Lowther, who broke the lap record several times in their pursuit.
Whitby Cottages; Rowtec Engineering Maintenance & Tingle Windows
Pete Founds & Jevan Walmsley
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Bryan Gough
A new season began for the A.C.U. / F.S.R.A. British F2 Sidecar Championship at Croft over the weekend of the 1st and 2nd April with N.E.M.C..R.C.. Reigning Champions Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda) showed that they meant business from the outset, topping the timesheets in every session – landing pole, both race wins and a new F2 lap record in an unblemished start to their campaign.
Meanwhile, in the F2 Cup, whilst not taking championship points, wild cards Kieran Clark / Andrew Johnson (Windle Yamaha) put their thirty year old carburetted outfit way in front of the registered teams, mixing it with the top Super F2 teams in both outings, providing some excellent entertainment.
Supported by :- A.V. Craine & Sons; Hegarty Plant Ltd.; Pagid Racing;Whitby Cottages; Rowtec Engineering Maintenance & Tingle Windows
Round One – Croft – N.E.M.C.R.C.Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd April
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Dirk Wharton
A new season begins for the A.C.U. / F.S.R.A. British F2 Sidecar Championship at Croft over the weekend of the 1st and 2nd April with N.E.M.C..R.C. – the annual visit to the popular North Yorkshire circuit is almost five months earlier than usual, with the “Battle Of Britain” meeting moving to Cadwell Park this year – an event at which the series will also be present.
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – David Johnston
Congratulations to Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda) and Rob Atkinson / Mark Middleton (Bellas Yamaha) who sealed the A.C.U. / F.S.R.A. British F2 Sidecar Championship and F2 Cup respectively following the penultimate race of the series on Saturday 10th September. However the day was not without drama – especially for Founds / Walmsley who despite a disappointing retirement were able to seal the title as Lee Crawford / Jake Lowther (LCR Suzuki) took a dominant win, with closest rivals Steve & Matty Ramsden (LCR Honda) taking third – meaning they were mathematically unable to catch the series leaders on the eve of the final race.
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Sid Diggins
Already the final round of the series is upon us this coming weekend (10th & 11th September) – it’s a cliché to say it but this season has flown past! Whilst last time out at Croft both the Super and Cup classes could have seen new champions crowned, misfortune on Sunday for Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda) and Rob Atkinson / Mark Middleton (Bellas Yamaha) has kept both series alive. The aforementioned teams only require a handful of points to seal the titles, so will be hoping to do so in Saturday’s opening race.
Words – Tim Langham (F.S.R.A. Press Officer) / Photographs – Ste McNorton
While the opening day could not have been better for the respective Super and F2 Cup teams of Pete Founds / Jevan Walmsley (LCR Honda) and Rob Atkinson / Mark Middleton (Bellas Yamaha) both taking maximum points in their sections, Sunday was a different matter. With the former crew failing to finish, and the latter unable to make the start, both titles will now not be decided until the final round at Knockhill next month.
