By Finishing sixth in Road Racing News top six Sidecar roads teams of 2019 are, recently crowned World Champion’s Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes.
Mixing multi World Championship winning pedigree with ambition, natural ability in abundance, Reeves/Wilkes are established amongst the leading three wheeling competitors of their generation.
Looking back on their latest TT campaign, like all competitors they gained a modest of track time during practice week, largely due to the persistent inclement weather.
Race week started in challenging fashion for the Berlin Express supported, Hengelo, Varsselring winning duo, with an early retirement in the opening three lap encounter.
Despite the obvious disappointment, they went into the second Locate.im Sidecar race, quietly optimistic that a strong result was on the horizon.
They went onto finish leading Yamaha powered competitors, placing a very creditable fourth, along the way lapping in excess of the 113-mph lap mark.
Photo by Mark Corlett
Back on Manx shores in July for the Southern 100, Reeves/Wilkes latest Billown course tenure proved on the whole pretty productive.
A captivating Ace Hire Sidecar race, saw the 77 plate holder’s emerge victorious from a classic multi team battle, finishing just over 0.4 clear of nearest challenger’s Alan Founds/Jake Lowther.
Their defence of the coveted feature Sidecar Championship crown, took an immediate blow with the pair given a ten second penalty for a jump start.
In spite of the plus 10 second timing penalty, Reeves/Wilkes following the early race issues battled their way rapidly up the order, to be in contention for a respectable finish.
Ultimately their challenge would conclude on the sixth and final lap, as engine problems took centre stage.
Following their Manx roads tenures, Reeves/Wilkes as previously stated went onto become 2019 World Sidecar Champions, with driver Reeves taking his World crowns total to an incredible eight.
Although results on the whole from TT/Southern 100 competition might not have been what they wanted, it’s still been a great year all round racing wise for new World Champion’s Reeves/Wilkes.
Words by Stevie Rial
