Isle of Man TT: Birchall brothers ready for Mountain Course racing return

The brothers have secured 10 TT victories including seven straight wins

Sidecar racing is "in a good place" as the 2022 Isle of Man TT approaches, the Birchall brothers have said.

Driver Ben said the pair were hoping to "pick up where we left off" after securing wins in both races in 2019.

With 10 sidecar TT victories under their belts, the brothers from Mansfield have dominated the field in recent years.

Ben said, while "nobody wanted it to stop", the break in road racing had given them more time for development.

The hiatus as a result of the coronavirus pandemic had allowed the pair to "to do some different stuff that we had ideas about but probably would never have had time to try".

The duo, who hold the lap record of 119.250mph around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course, will start off from the Number one position in the races.

Joining them in the line up this year will be a host of familiar names including John Holden with debutant Jason Pitt, Tim Reaves with his newcomer passenger Kevin Rousseau, and 17-times TT winner Dave Molyneux, who will be paired with Daryl Gibson.

The Mansfield brothers made their debut at the 2009 TT

Passenger Tom said the dynamic between the sidecar pairing was a "really important" part of their success.

The 35-year-old, who is the most successful TT sidecar passenger of all time, said it was important for the driver and passenger to have a "great connection", and being brothers was "certainly something that we rely on".

"We think alike, we work alike, and we care for each other, you know. I want to see Ben win and I want to see him come back safe. So that's a big driving force behind us, and I know that he wants to see me win as well, so we can climb the ladder together sort of thing, push each other along," he added.

Looking ahead to the 2022 event, 45-year-old Ben said the team's approach was to "be the most prepared as we can, and try the hardest that we can".

"Whatever it gives us back, you know, that's accepted, and if it's not enough we'll scratch our heads and try a bit harder next year," he said.

"I don't have any preconceived ideas about anything really... obviously we want to win, we're of that nature, but it's a special place and I don't take anything for granted."

Reflecting on this year's line-up for the event, Tom said there was a "full mix really with this year's grid".

He said: "There's some experienced lads, there's people who like us have been successful and are still trying to be successful, and you've got some young lads with great background coming through."

"They'll be plenty of them snapping at us heels I'm sure, to keep us on us toes."

Qualifying for the 2022 Isle of Man TT races begins on Sunday, with the sidecar races set to take place on 3 and 10 June.