Tim Reeves concluded his 2012 season with a commanding double victory at the final round of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship. Competing at his local Brands Hatch circuit, the Kent driver, together with passenger Ashley Hawes, was in superb form around the 2.43-mile GP circuit and after taking pole position, he went on to take both race wins on Saturday to move up to second overall in the Championship despite missing a number of rounds due to World Championship commitments.
Over a second quicker than anyone else in qualifying, the opening race saw Tim's arch rivals and second placed qualifiers Jorg Steinhausen/Gregory Cluze get the initial jump off the line but by the second corner, Druids, Tim and Ashley were in the lead and it was one they were never to relinquish. By the end of the first lap, their advantage was already 1.4s and it was a gap that increased with each and every one of the ten laps. Lapping half a second quicker than the rest of the field, by half race distance, Tim and Ashley's lead was 4.2s and they eventually crossed the line a commanding 7.5s clear of second placed crew, and new British Champions, Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence.
Race two later in the afternoon was a lot closer with Tim and Ashley coming under pressure throughout from both Steinhausen/Cluze and Lovelock/Lawrence. After taking the lead again on the first lap, there was never more than a second between the trio, with Tim's lead hovering around half a second but he successfully kept Steinhausen at bay, never allowing him to get closer enough to make a pass. With three laps to go, Tim's lead stood at 0.8s and with the race ending early, due to a crash involving Ben Bygrave/Paul Knapton, he completed the double to take his 7th win in the Championship from 10 starts.
Speaking later, a delighted Tim said; "It's been a faultless weekend and to end the year with pole position, a double win and the fastest lap is absolutely mint - I really couldn't have asked for any more. The bike was faultless throughout and the first race was pretty textbook to be honest, as soon as I got to the front I was able to extend my lead for a fairly comfortable win. The second was a lot harder though with Jorg and Roger both putting me under pressure but I felt that there was a bit more in the tank if needed."
"With reclaiming the World Championship, wins at the British Championship rounds and a podium at the TT, it's been a really successful year so I'd like to thank everyone that's made it possible especially Gunther Reuschling, the Haith family, H&S Contractors, Padgetts, Monster Energy, Dave Hudspeth Carpets, SMP Racing, DFDS Seaways, Avon Tyres, Q8 Oils, Maxton, MJK Leathers, Arrow Engineering and my Dad and the whole team."
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