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.
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.
Finally, 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).
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.
When crews arrive at Cadwell Park for the opening round of the 2020 season, there will be a new face responsible for all Sidecar Paddock disciplines and behaviour.
Gary Bryan
The vastly experienced Gary Bryan has enjoyed a long sidecar association, with Isle of Man TT success to his name, as well as F1 and F2 Championship honours.
Stepping back from active short-circuit competition to care-take and manage his stepson Todd Ellis, Gary has accepted the role of Paddock Manager for Roger Body’s RKB-F1 organisation. This wealth of experience, combined with Gary’s “no-nonsense” manner, will be ideally suited to the many challenges facing him on every race weekend
The role has been officially recognised by MSVR with whom he will be working closely on BSB weekends, ensuring the Sidecar fraternity maintains its high standards.
All crews are therefore reminded that Gary is working on behalf of them and the sidecar family in general to maximise and maintain the good reputation we have earned over many seasons.
We all wish Gary all the best in this new venture and give him our total support.
August 8/9th will go down in history as the weekend the long wait for British Championship sidecar racing action ended. This has truly been a season to remember for the wrong reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted around the world and decimated sport in general. We are thrilled to be once again able to get outfits on track fighting for the championship albeit in a truncated season.
There have been many changes over the winter months in terms of team line-ups. At the time of going to press, no fewer than ten drivers have a change of passenger. This alone will add spice to what is bound to be an exciting season, and the most high-profile of those is former champion Steve Kershaw who takes on board former double championship winning passenger Ryan Charlwood.
We are delighted to have the ongoing support of Avon Tyres our approved tyre supplier for the revised 2020 season. The relationship with Avon is well established, and they are a vital component in sidecar racing worldwide.
The opening round at Cadwell Park is the first time we will see our friendly Avon colleagues and at every round thereafter.
We are, however, anxious to make all teams aware that for the Knockhill date (September 19/20) the large Avon truck will not be heading North. They will service our needs from a smaller vehicle carrying a representative supply but will not have unlimited stock on board.
Teams are therefore advised to consider their potential needs and maybe make use of the large Avon stock at the preceding round at Snetterton BSB.
Not long to wait now boys and girls, Cadwell Park approaches.
Despite the ravages of the COVID-19 crisis, the British Championship season WILL get underway at Cadwell Park over the weekend of 8/9th August.
This is not the Revival as we know it, but nonetheless there will be two sessions for classic and older outfits. This is still very much a sidecar festival, although with a different feel.
Nothing is normal right now, but we are all determined that life will be as close to normal as we can possibly make it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The season opener at the picturesque Oulton Park circuit has traditionally offered just one race for the sidecar fraternity, mainly due to the constrained time allowed on track.
Church regulations dictate reduced noise on Sunday, so it has always been hard to fit two sidecar races into the busy schedule.
However, the sidecars continue to build their reputation with the BSB organisers and we have been able to negotiate two races, thereby giving the many track-side sidecar enthusiasts two bites of the cherry.
The two races will take place on Saturday however, with practice and qualifying on Friday.
Given that Eurosport TV now give full attention to the entire weekend, it is therefore highly likely that both races will attract TV coverage.
This is a new departure, great news for the teams and the Championship, and is one more example of the close relationship between MSV and RKB-F1 Motorsport.
All teams are reminded that registration needs to be by the end of February, and there are still many crews yet to sign up for 2020.
They will need to contact Mike Dommett mikedommett@hotmail.com as a matter of urgency if they wish to be on the grid at Oulton Park.
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