YOKOHAMA/ACU BRITISH FII SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP 
Qualifying: 36 entries and a grid of 30 meant disappointment was looming for six of the teams. There were two sessions, the first at 9 a.m. in what were decidedly low temperatures. The fastest five were in the 1m 45's, namely Nick Crowe and Mark Cox (Dave Hudspeth Carpets/HMPlant LCR Honda), Ben and Tom Birchall (Mitchells of Mansfield LCR Honda), Steve Coombes and Paul Knapton (Dave Hudspeth Carpets Ireson Honda), Tim Reeves and Patrick Farrance (Gunther Reischling Motorsport LCR Suzuki) and Dave Molyneux and Daniel Sayle (DM Racing Molyneux Suzuki).

Reeves and Farrance were a little fortunate as they found out mid-session that they were transponder-less and tore into the pits with five minutes remaining to put things right and still get in two recorded laps.
Not so fortunate were Greg Lambert and Craig Kinsella (GL Racing GLR Honda) who didn't get a recorded time and they joined Paul and Steve Sanderson (Sanderson Racing DDR Suzuki), Russ Pearce and Mark Salmon (Pearce Racing LCR Suzuki), Pete Alton and Michael Highton (OTC Racing Dyno Centre Baker Yamaha), Matt and Jo Williams (MR Equipe Suzuki) and Nikki Dukes and Mike Aylott (Team Dynobike BLR Honda) who were outside the top 30.
Still, there was the second session to come. But, alas, nothing changed for the conditions were wet and windy and the qualifying order remained as it had been after the first session.
However in between the sessions there had been a free practice for the teams involved in the MotoSix and this had resulted in the weekend's racing coming to an end for Gary Horspole and Scott Parnell (Sleaford Plant Hire LCR Honda).
They overturned at the Old Hairpin and although Gary and Scott were relatively OK, the outfit was not. Consequently Paul and Steve Sanderson were ultimately granted a 'reprieve' and took the 30^th spot on the grid.
Race One (8 Laps):  The showers had been and gone though it was still very cold and windy. Drama after the warm-up lap as Dave Molyneux returned to the pits – an ominous rattle, another engine gone. The lights went out, off they went. Birchall got a sluggish start, Coombes a flyer but everybody was going and somehow all got round Redgate. Coombes and Crowe led but Reeves was soon into second, and took the lead although Crowe led at the end of the lap.
Ian and Carl Bell (Ian Bell M/cs LCR Yamaha), seventh on the grid, were up to third with Birchall now in fourth ahead of Coombes. Phil Dongworth and John Luebke (WAS Racing Ireson Honda), Simon Neary and Stu Bond (Neary Racing Baker Suzuki), John Holden and Andy Winkle (D & A Walmsley LCR Suzuki), Roy Hanks and Dave Wells (Dorwingear Ltd Molyneux Suzuki) and Andy Laidlow and James Neave (Team LFR LCR Suzuki) completed the first ten.
The second and third laps saw Crowe and Reeves swapping places and also some paintwork while Coombes, Neary and Birchall seemingly changed the 3^rd to 5^th order at every possible opportunity! Looking across to the Melbourne Loop on lap 4, both Crowe and Reeves went in fast, both went wide and both cut back in sharpish but Reeves' outfit pitched forward and when the rear wheel touched down the chain cameoff. An unfortunate end to a brilliant dice.   
 So, Crowe had a fair lead with Birchall now second and Coombes third ahead of Neary and Bell. Holden was sixth ahead of Hanks and Dongworth with Dean Henry and Ian Smith (Magnam Racing Windle Suzuki) the leading FII Cup competitors in 9^th ahead of Laidlow, Tony Baker and Fiona Baker-Millington (Team Cumbria Express Baker Suzuki) and second in the FII Cup, Stephen Kershaw and Robin Wilson (Blinkbonny Quarry LCR Suzuki).
 The top 15 were completed by new pairing Dave Wallis and Steve Wareham (Team Petpals LCR Honda), Dean Lindley and Mark Sayers (Motorcycle Parts Leeds Bellas Yamaha) and Pete Farrelly and  Jason Miller (Reptile Racing MR Equipe Yamaha). However Wallis retired on lap 5 with an engine blow-up as did Wil Smith and Sean Starbuck (Team Porter Racing Shelbourne Honda) – fuel problem and they joined Conrad Harrison and Lee Patterson (Printing Roller Services Shelbourne Honda) and Tony Thirkell and Nigel Barlow (TT Motorsport MR Equipe Honda) on the sidelines.

That fifth lap saw Neary take third from Coombes and close on Birchall but Ben maintained a one second gap. Two laps to go and Matt Dix and Shaun Parker (DWS Racing Baker Honda) relinquished their 18^th position with a fuel problem.
Back at the front, Crowe and Cox kept their 4 plus seconds lead to the flag while Birchall set a new lap record to ensure second spot from Neary. Coombes was a fine fourth with Holden edging ahead of Bell for fifth and Dongworth holding off Hanks for 7

Dean Henry and Ian Smith were 9^th but more importantly for them the winners of the 25 points in the FII Cup competition. Tony Baker and Laidlow were 10th and 11th  while Kershaw was 12^th and 2^nd in the Cup. The points scorers were completed by Farrelly, Gary Bryan and Rob Bell (Drury Engineering Baker Yamaha) and Dave Lillieand Lee Watson (Ian Bell M/cs DMR Yamaha) who gained the final FII Cup podium spot on the last lap. Howard Baker and Mike Killingsworth (D&J Bike Spares Lincoln Shelbourne Honda) were 16^th ahead of Lindley who had slowed with brake trouble, while Bill Currie and Rob Biggs (LCR Yamaha) were 18^th, one ahead of Dean Banks and Nigel Brogan (Pat Hodson Builders Baker Suzuki).
The remaining finishers were all making their FII Championship debuts and all four scored FII Cup points, namely Karl Bennett and Lee Cain (Bennett-Cain Racing DMR Honda) in 20^th ahead of Miles Bennett and Kevin Perry (Mad Cow Racing Shelbourne Honda), Dave Atkinson and Jane Wheatcroft (DW Atkinson Builders LCR Suzuki) and Paul and Steve Sanderson – a good memory to have of your first championship race, a finish on the Donington GP track. So, what would Sunday bring..............
.Race Two (10 Laps)  With both Dave Molyneux and Dave Wallis sidelined by their Saturday engine problems, the way was open for the Russ Pearce/Mark Salmon and Pete Alton/Michael Highton pairings to step up from the reserves.
But there was plenty of drama still to unfold before Sunday's race got underway.

The first of the MotoSix sidecar races saw both Crowe and Neary suffer problems which required engine changes and they only had just over an hour to manage it. In addition, Karl Bennett and Lee Cain had retired from the Motosix and their place in the second 'British' race was taken by Matt and Jo Williams.
The teams gathered on the grid minus Crowe and Neary but also Wil Smith and Sean Starbuck – Sean had been feeling unwell. So, down to 27.
Back from the warm-up lap and no sign of Crowe or Neary who could have started from pit lane.Off they went, Coombes again on a flyer but the red flags went out after a four-outfit coming together at Redgate.
Fortunately no serious injuries but while Pete Farrelly and Jason Miller managed to get back to the grid for the restart, the Banks, Pearce and Sanderson outfits were non-starters. Oops, down to 24! - but the commentator is having kittens over Simon Neary possibly going to join the race from pit lane and sure enough an outfit is heard but it's Team Crowe, not poor Simon.
The starter does his bit and off go 24+1 outfits, all getting round Redgate cleanly enough. Birchall, with his best start so far, leading from Coombes, Reeves, Bell and Holden. Crowe stopped to make adjustments, while Reeves moved to second. Dix and Currie both toured in to retire while Crowe got going again only to call it a day after another lap.
Meanwhile the action was hotting up at the front with Reeves hounding Birchall and Tim took the lead on the fourth lap as Holden moved into third place. Birchall was back in the lead at the half-way stage before Reeves again got by. In fact, they were swapping places so frequently around the circuit that Holden was able to cut the deficit from 3 seconds down to 1 – a new lap record for John and Andy at 1m 42.33 certainly helped as well!
Coombes was holding on to fourth two seconds down on the leading trio but when Bell retired from fifth, the gap to Dongworth and Harrison was seven seconds. Henry was again the leading Cup driver but with his rival Kershaw in 9^th just behind Laidlow.

On the penultimate lap, Holden narrowed the gap to Reeves and Birchall to 0.51 of a second and it was obvious that any dicing between the leading duo would enable Holden to close further.Last lap and into the Foggy Esses – unseen by most spectators but on the screens in the Media Centre, the last drama unfolded.
Tim and Ben kept a tight line through leaving John the chance to go on the outside. He went for it but Ben then moved out as well and their outfits 'tangled' with Ben's forcing John forward but in an increasing smoke screen.
Tim went on to take the win and somehow John and Ben separated with John facing the right way and he took the runner-up spot, six hundredths ahead of Ben.

An important result for John – his first podium since Snetterton last June. Coombes, Dongworth, Hanks and Henry kept their 4^th to 7^th places but Kershaw took 8^th from Laidlow on the last lap. Hanks, Tony Baker and Bryan were 10^th to 12^th while Lindley was 13^th and also gained the final FII Cup podium spot. Farrelly and Howard Baker gained the final points-scoring places while Lillie, Miles Bennett, Thirkell, Atkinson, Williams and Alton completed the finishers.   
         And so ended the second of two tremendous races. Well done to Ben and Tom Birchall – two podiums, the championship lead and the Bill Boddice Trophy as well!
The 'well done's could last for ages but it was tremendous viewing at an excellent meeting.
Two races down, ten to go but the points leaders are: Birchall 36, Holden 31, Coombes 26, Reeves and Crowe 25 while in the FII Cup, Henry is on 50, Kershaw 40, Lillie and Lindley 29 with Miles Bennett on 20.
For last year's champions, Nick Crowe and Mark Cox, a good Saturday had turned in to a frustrating Sunday which had a nasty sting in the tail with the second MotoSix race seeing them punted off the track and overturning.
Hopefully only superficial damage- they'll be at Brands on Easter Weekend for the next instalment of what's going to be one hell of a championship!  John NewtonFSRA Press Officer.