Bryant quickly up to speed with new team
Following a highly successful debut campaign on the roads, Tom Bryant switched his attention back to the circuits with equal ease.
Having secured podiums at Oliver’s Mount, in Scarborough, and top-six finishes at the Southern 100 on the Isle of Man, Bryant was back racing as a passenger for the eventual Bemsee F1 Sidecar champions over the weekend.
Bryant, from Shrewsbury, who has become a hugely sought after passenger for sidecar teams up and down the country, agreed to race at the last minute for Tommy Philp as part of the Brian Gray Powerbiking Race Team.
Former British Supersport rider Philp, who has been making his first attempt at sidecar racing in 2019, had been unbeatable all year with experienced passenger Jonny Allum guiding him to 17 wins out of 18 races before the final round at Snetterton.
Arriving in Norfolk with a 148-point advantage, the pair eventually wrapped up the championship, despite suffering a few mechanical gremlins, after Saturday’s two races.
With Allum still having back problems after breaking his coccyx at Thruxton a few weeks ago, Bryant has agreed to step into the chair for the remaining British Sidecar wildcard rides, which start this weekend at Assen, in Holland, on the under card of the British Superbike series.
In preparation for this weekend, Bryant stepped in as passenger for Sunday’s races – and the pair immediately gelled, blowing the rest of the competition away.
Starting the first race from the back of the grid, about 20 seconds behind pole, Philp and Bryant quickly began working their way through the field.
With two of the seven laps left they were leading and went on to win by 30.332 seconds from Jon Bicknell and Pete Ensor, with a fastest lap of 2.00:672.
They started the final race from pole position and recorded another win with a fastest lap of 2.00:331. Bryant, reflecting on a superb debut with his new team, said: “It was a brilliant weekend of racing and testing with the Brian Gray Powerbiking Race Team at Snetterton 300 circuit, before the challenge with Tommy Philp at the British Superbike round in Assen.
“Thank you to the team for a great weekend and well done to Tommy and Jonny Allum on becoming the 2019 Bemsee F1 Sidecar championship winners.
“With a great Friday’s testing and a pole position qualification on Saturday, then two race wins racing on Sunday alongside Tommy – with the lap times falling each session – I couldn’t be happier or more excited to race again this weekend.
“Thank you to everyone who came, helped and supported the team this weekend. I can’t wait to see them all again soon.”
Team owner Brian Gray said he had been very impressed with Bryant’s debut and the ‘fine style’ in which they had claimed both victories.
“Tom did a brilliant job on Sunday in his first races with Tommy and they won both races, the first starting from the back after the field had gone round the first corner,” he said.
