Ben and Tom Birchall (Birchall Racing, LCR) made it clear right from the start of the second race in the sidecar class that they didn’t intend to go home without a victory on their IDM debut at the Red Bull Ring. The two brothers were locked in a fierce battle with Tim Reeves and Kevin Rousseau (Bonovo Action Team/Adolf RS F1) right from the start and remained right on the tail of the eight-time world champion even after Reeves’s counterattack in the new chicane. Ben Birchall repeatedly attacked his compatriot Reeves, putting pressure on him lap after lap. It would have been a neck-and-neck race right to the finish had it not been for a technical glitch that struck Reeves/Rousseau. Midway through the race, Reeves was suddenly forced to coast to a stop and could only watch from the side of the track as Ben and Tom Birchall sped toward their first victory in Styria. “It was a good race with exciting battles between Reeves and me. It’s a shame we couldn’t see our duel through to the end,” said Ben Birchall after the race. For the two brothers—eleven-time TT winners—it was their first time at the Red Bull Ring.
Pekka Päivärinta and Ilse de Haas crossed the finish line in second place. From the start, the team held off the pressure from Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt (Bonovo Action Team/Adolf RS F1), who, however, began struggling with tire problems starting on the third lap. Despite a lack of grip, the German duo secured third place, earning important points in their bid to defend their title. After Reeves’ victory in the sprint race and his retirement on Sunday, his lead over Sattler/Schmidt has dropped to 9 points. The title race remains wide open.
Despite technical problems that remain unresolved, Lennard Göttlich and Uwe Neubert (Bonovo Action Team/Adolf RS F1) managed to secure fourth place. However, they benefited from a costly braking error by Peter Kimeswenger and Ondřej Sedláček (MRSC Gunskirchen SRT/LCR) in the chicane. The first problems with the Bonovo sidecar team of Göttlich/Neubert had already become apparent last weekend at the Tourist Trophy, and in yesterday’s sprint race, the pair were unable to finish higher than eighth. The duo now has three weeks until the next race at Hockenheim to get their technical issues under control.
Max Zimmermann and Ronja Mahl (Team Zimmermann/Adolf RS) also benefited from Kimeswenger’s braking error. While this allowed them to move up one spot and finish fifth, Kimeswenger lost two positions and ended up in sixth place.
IDM Sidecar, Race:
- Ben BIRCHALL / Tom BIRCHALL (GBR)
- Pekka PÄIVÄRINTA/Ilse de HAAS (FIN/NLD)
- Josef SATTLER/Luca SCHMIDT (GER)
- Lennard GÖTTLICH/Uwe NEUBERT (DEU)
- Max ZIMMERMANN/Ronja MAHL (GER)
- Peter KIMESWENGER/Ondrej SEDLACEK (AUT/CZE)
- Janez REMSÉ/Manfred WECHSELBERGER (SLO/AUT)
- Eero PÄRM/Lauri LIPSTOK (EST)
- Markus SCHWEGLER/Markus BILLICH (GER/AUT)
- Wiggert KRANENBURG/Jermaine VAN MIDDEGAAL (NLD)
- Jakob RUTZ/Thomas HOFER (CHE)