BIRCHALL BROTHERS AWARDED RAC SEAGRAVE TROPHY
Fourteen-times Isle of Man sidecar TT winners Ben and Tom Birchall are the latest and much-deserved winners of the Royal Automobile Club’s Segrave Trophy, awarded for ‘outstanding skill, courage and initiative’.
The Segrave Trophy is named after British pilot and pre-war racing driver Sir Henry Segrave – a man who pushed himself and his machines to the limit in the pursuit of ultimate speed.
It is awarded for ‘outstanding skill, courage and initiative on land, water and in the air – the Spirit of Adventure’.
The first recipient of the Segrave Trophy was Air Commodore Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, for his transatlantic and England to Australia flights in 1930 and is awarded only if the Segrave Nominations Committee feels there is a suitable recipient that meets its criteria each year.
Royal Automobile Club Chairman, Duncan Wiltshire, said:
“We are delighted to recognise the remarkable achievements of Ben and Tom.
“Racing at the Isle of Man TT is always a perilous adventure, the Birchall brothers’ efforts perfectly mirror the adventurous spirit of Sir Henry Segrave.
“They pushed both themselves and their machines to the limit in pursuit of speed.”
They are not the first motorsports athletes to have been awarded the trophy, and are now amongst a prestigious roster, including fellow sidecar racer Steve Webster and TT legend Joey Dunlop to Barry Sheene, Mike Hailwood, John Surtees,Geoff Duke and John McGuinness MBE.
Ben can hardly believe he now ranks alongside those greats:
“To be put anywhere near those names – I’m so thrilled we’ve been chosen, it means so much,” he says.
Ben (47) and Tom (37) started racing together twenty years ago, taking their first TT victory in 2013 and have since won thirteen more, going unbeaten between 2015 and 2023, making Ben the second most successful sidecar driver of all time at the Isle of Man TT, and Tom the most successful passenger of all time.
Tom added:
“It’s absolutely mind-bending. Motorsport and the TT are such wonderful environments and to get an accolade like this is just bizarre.”
During the 2023 TT the Birchalls became the first sidecar pairing to lap the TT course at over 120mph, an incredible speed for a vehicle powered by a 600cc engine and carrying two people.
“Sidecar racing, especially around the Isle of Man, is also the epitome of teamwork,” adds Duncan Wiltshire.
“Watching Ben and Tom around the TT course you see how they work together to extract the most out of their machine.
“It’s a spectacular show and I salute their skill and bravery.”
Following that landmark success younger brother Tom decided to retire from the sport, happy with his record and feeling that he had rolled the dice enough.
“The final two laps of that race were the most sublime, surreal experience I’ve ever had – doing that speed, getting cheered on in the sunshine.
“We pulled into the winner’s enclosure, and I just thought, this is it, this is as good as it’ll ever get, and it just felt like the right time.
“I’ve got good memories and I’m glad it happened, not sad that it’s stopped.”
At this year’s TT, Tom was replaced by Frenchman Kevin Rousseau who helped Ben to a second-place finish in the second 3Wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race, whilst Tom joined the TT’s broadcasting team.
