International Sidecar Revival – Cadwell Park

Report and images by David Gowshall of DEEGEE: Motorsports Photography

6^th - 7^th August 2022

The International Sidecar Revival is now a well-established event on the sidecar racing calendar, held annually at Cadwell Park in August.

The festival of “all things” sidecars is organised by the Bemsee Club and features sidecars of all ages and type. The headline events this year were the F1 Molson British Sidecar Championship and the ACU/FSRA F2 British Sidecar Championship.

The Revival featured star performers and locally based pairing of Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement who are currently leading the World F1 Sidecar Championship.

The Birchall brothers Ben and Tom, who are multiple TT winners recording two wins at this year’s event on the Isle of Man in June were also racing.

Support races featuring the BMCRC – RKBF1 and F2, British Historic B.E.A.R.S, Camathius Cup and FSRA Wintec Pre-Injection outfits completed the line-up of three - wheeler classes.

To provide some balance on the race programme there were some solo classes competing over the weekend for the Landsdowne Classic, DFDS Yamaha Past Masters and Blue Haze GP bikes.

There were large crowds in attendance on both days and, bathed in glorious sunshine, they saw some stunning action. The Paddock, which was open to all, was buzzing with activity throughout the weekend.

Sidecar paddocks always provide lots of interest, particularly the F1 outfits when shorn of their streamlined fairings, which give them their unique “worm” shape. Competitors, even those racing at the highest level, are always happy to chat and answer questions, and have no issues with “mucking in” and getting their hands dirty. 

You can sometimes come across some unexpected motorsport stars taking part, with TT and “road racing” Superbike hero Dean Harrison, making a “wild card” appearance. Although his dad Conrad, himself a TT winner in the sidecar class, retained family bragging rights by bringing his outfit home in front of his son.

With most of my Pistonclick colleagues otherwise engaged in attending the British Moto GP at Silverstone, I had the responsibility to capture this event. As an avid sidecar enthusiast, I loved every minute of action, from the first shots of testing/practice on a cool Friday morning, until late on Sunday afternoon, with the sun low in the sky as the last outfits crossed the finish line.

The weather did provide some photographic challenges with heat haze and harsh lighting, particularly around the middle of the day, but this was offset by the perfect lighting available at Park Corner late in the day, during the “golden hour”.

I went equipped for all eventualities, with two telephoto lenses, my Sigma 150-600 mm, which regularly accompanies me to events, and making a rare appearance at a racing circuit, my “all-purpose” Sigma 18-200mm, which is useful for paddock shots and ideal for the classic “inside Hall Bends shot”, which attracts so many photographers, even on testing day.

Even outsiders can, at a glance, tell that sidecars, particularly earlier versions, make an awkward platform for a racing vehicle.

The most obvious deviation from normal race machines is that sidecars are asymmetrical – the unique layout of a sidecar meaning it actually corners differently in one direction than the other, which drivers have to account for in every turn.

But the most fascinating and unusual part of sidecar racing is the role of the passenger, who provides the solution to all the unique challenges posed by these vehicles.  The very existence of a passenger in a race vehicle, especially a motorcycle, sounds bizarre, but they are there for a very good reason. Their job is to clamber all over the vehicle, shifting their body around to modify the weight distribution on the machine and to compensate for the unevenness in the handling of the sidecar.

Sidecars do not lean into turns like solo machines do, so the sidecar passenger is required to hang off the edge to allow it to speed through corners in either direction, then duck out of the way in the straights to be as aerodynamic as possible.  Just as importantly, they also have to do this smoothly to avoid upsetting the chassis as the “pilot” steers the bike.

The opportunity to experience being a passenger is a unique feature of this event. During the lunch break on both race days there were sidecar “taxi rides”, when potential “monkeys”, as they are known, experience two laps around the circuit accompanied by an experienced driver.

Looking from the outside they seem to fall into two categories, those trying to emulate those  who would normally climb all over machines, or those hanging on, seemingly paralysed with fear.  Either way, I would not be “volunteering” for a ride, so good luck to anyone who took part! I’m sure its an experience everyone participating will not forget any time soon.

On the competitive front, the perfect weather conditions resulted in some outstanding racing in all classes. Leading the way, and in record breaking form, were the British/French pairing of Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement (#6) on their Yamaha F1 outfit.

They became the first crew to break the 1 minute 32 second barrier for a sidecar circulating round the mini-Nurburgring, smashing the long-standing lap record in the process.  They proved unbeatable, despite a high-class entry, winning all three Molson F1 Championship races comprehensively.

My interest in sidecar racing goes back over fifty years when, as a child I was mesmerised by four times World Champions Max Deubel and Emil Horner, regular attendees at Cadwell’s September International meetings during the 1960’s, who seemed to glide around the circuit, with the wheels appearing to not touch the ground.

I get the same feeling with the Ellis Clement team, whose progress round the many bends and gradients of Cadwell Park look absolutely effortless and will surely result in them claiming the World Championship crown.

The race for the runners-up spot in all three races was hotly contested by the Christie brothers, Sam and Tom, (#34) (two seconds and a third), Lewis Blackstock and Paddy Rosney (#95) (two thirds and a fourth), both Yamaha-mounted, and the Kawasaki pair of George Holden and Oscar Lawrence (#93) (two fourths and a second). 

The three outfits navigated the circuit within a few bike lengths of each other for the majority of the third race in particular. They provided the crowd with some thrilling racing, until the Christies and the Blackstock / Rosney combination came into contact with one another at the bottom of the Mountain.

Holden and Lawrence were now comfortably clear of the rest of the pack to record their best-ever finish in the British Championship, underlying their undoubted potential. 

All the crews taking part in this event will be back at Cadwell at the end of the month, competing in the British Championship as part of the BSB “Party in the Park” Bank Holiday weekend. 

Holden’s second place was matched by his father John, together with passenger Jake Lowther (#2) in two of the three ACU/FSRA British Championship Formula 2 races, plus a consistent third, held over a busy weekend for the Holden family. 

The Birchall brothers Ben and Tom (#1), entered but not able to score points in the Championship, were victors in all three races, again breaking a long-standing F2 lap record for the Lincolnshire circuit in the process. 

The Isle of Man based Crowe brothers Ryan and Callum (#7) recorded two third places, spinning out at the Hairpin and recording a non-finish in the third race.

Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley (#72), fresh from their success at the Southern 100, held on the Isle of Man recently, and a horrific looking incident at the top of The Mountain on Saturday afternoon, when their outfit overturned, came home second in the last F2 race of the weekend.

The Steve Ramsden/Matty Ramsden (#99) pairing were a model of consistency on their colourful outfit, recording three fourth places, moving them up to second in the championship table behind Founds and Walmsley.

All four of the BMCRC – RKB Championship races were dominated by the short-wheel based F2 outfits, a number of whom had also been competing in the Southern 100 event at Billown.

The spoils were shared between the Fenwick/Knapton (#87), Gibson/Gibbons (#18) and Lambert/Javens (#69) pairings, who took turns on each of the various steps of the podium over the two days of action.

The class for older machines featuring the Historic Bears, who are always entertaining as the crews push their narrow-wheeled outfits to the limit, were dominated by Gagg/Hase (#98).

They were followed home on each occasion, seemingly attached with a short tow rope, to runners up Whittaker/Holdroyd (#25) in all four races, who could not have applied any more pressure than they did.

Perkins/Nickels (#8), who regularly compete in the CRMC championship, were the victors in each of the two Camathius Cup races, with Thirkell/Johnson (#24) claiming two podium finishes.

And finally, the FSRA Wintec Pre-Injection Championship, a racing class for the less hi-tech machines which gives new teams a good opportunity for a competitive start in sidecar racing, saw three victories for Liam Saunders/Ben Stell (#58), with the other victory going to Andrew Bingham/Steven Dalton (#25).

Gary Fairhurst/Billy Andrews (#9) were rewarded for their consistent performances with four podium spots, including two second places.

Once again, the International Sidecar Revival, helped by superb weather and very competitive racing, proved a huge success, with good attendance on both days.

I must admit, although I am slightly biased, this is my highlight meeting of the year at the Lincolnshire Wolds circuit, (even eclipsing the BSB event), with a huge variety of machines on show and with sidecars, my favourites, in the limelight.

I found myself smiling all the way home in my convertible, with the roof down and the warm wind blowing through my non-existent hair, having thoroughly enjoyed three days of racing in a friendly atmosphere.

The meeting was well organised, and once again huge thanks must go to all the volunteers, including the marshals and emergency staff, without whom racing could not take place.

Footnote

Let us hope that the 2023 event will prove just as just as successful, and that all the hard work under Roger Body’s stewardship and significant investment to increase sidecar racing’s exposure and profile will continue, following his announcement that he is to step down from his role as “sidecar supremo” at the end of 2022.

His vision, having competed in the sport for a number of years, was always to raise the sport back to a level which justified placing it on big stages and re-establishing it as an attractive product for sponsors and organisers alike.

The evidence of that is how successful and well attended this weekend’s event was.

From little more than a club sport, it has shown it can promote a highly successful “stand alone” annual event and hopefully can continue to be a major part of a Bennetts British Superbike race weekend, with live television, extensive web and media coverage and a vibrant, friendly and stylish paddock scene. The time and investment over the last ten years to get the sport to that level cannot be underestimated.