ROWE Round of the 2023 British Sidecar Championship 

Report by David Gowshall of DEEGEE Motorsports Photography

19^th – 21^st May 2023

Returning to the UK from a mixed weekend at the Sachsenring World Championship event in Germany, Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement #6 smashed the long-standing Donington Park lap record previously held by Tom and Ben Birchall. Ellis and Clement were truly unbeatable throughout the weekend on the newly re-surfaced Donington Park. 

The previously cancelled race from Round 1 at Oulton Park was slotted into the programme late on Friday afternoon so the sidecar crews had a very busy three-race weekend for the teams with seventy-five points up for grabs.

With the Isle of Man TT races imminent there were no short wheel-based outfits on the grid, but one or two new faces in the GP class helped swell the field. 

The imperious Ellis and Clement were followed home in all three races held over the British Superbike weekend in the GP class by the Christie brothers Sam and Tom #34, with Lee Crawford and Jake Lowther #117 picking up two third places in Race 1 and 3.  Lewis Blackstock and Paddy Rosney #95 clinching the final podium spot in Race 2. 

Ellis and Clement now lead the standings after two rounds by 14 points from Team Christie, with the Blackstock/Rosney combination a further sixteen points adrift.

In the Cup class, a series of consistent top ten overall performances by the Simon Robinson/Mick Fairhurst (#19) pairing ensured they topped the standings going into the next round to be held at Snetterton in July.

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