SIDECAR PAIR CROWNED AS BRITISH CHAMPIONS
PAIR CROWNED BRITISH CHAMPIONS AFTER CADWELL PARK RACE
PAUL Sands of Hillingdon and Matthew Kingsmill of Ruislip have been crowned as the British CRMC Classic Sidecar Champions 2018, following their final race at Cadwell Park, writes Mark Wyatt.
Sands, 60, and Kingsmill, 44, have both been involved in motor sport racing for most of their adult lives, but neither have ever won a sidecar racing championship until now.
The duo have gone around the country across the year featuring on seven different tracks.
Starting the year at Pembrey in Wales, they have gone on to feature at Snetterton, Oulton Park, Darley Moor, Donnington Park, Mallory Park and Cadwell Park.
With 25 races across the calendar year, the pair’s best 21 finishes are taken and averaged to give them a final score for the season. Sands and Kingsmill finished on 473 points, 57 more than their nearest competitors.
“It’s just gone really well for us this year,” said Sands.
“He (Kingsmill) asked me if I wanted to team up and initially I said ‘I don’t know if I fancy being the passenger’ but we gelled really well and it’s worked out even better than we thought.
“We’ve had quite a few races this year all around the country and we’ve done a lot of travelling.
“I never thought I’d become a champion at 60 years of age, but never say never.”
In a motorsport world dominated by Formula One and MotoGP, the sidecar racing scene is usually, criminally, overlooked.
Stripped back to its elements, however, sidecar racing constitutes all of the same exhilarating characteristics as its more glamorous and widely coveted sister events.
A serious need for speed, incredible coordination and razor-sharp senses are all essential when stepping into the world of sidecars.
“A lot of people don’t actually realise how difficult it can be,” added Sands.
“People say ‘oh you’re just a passenger’ but it’s more than that.
“It’s about weight distribution mainly.
“Putting your weight on the back wheel for right hand corners, left hand you have to pull the chair around. You see us leaning out of the car and that’s what it’s all about really.
“Rain can be really dangerous. You have to be dead right, putting weight on the back of the bike, on the steering too. It’s all very technical.
“If you watch motorcycle racing you can see that if you get it wrong, you can end up in trouble very, very quickly.”
When they are not racing, Sands and Kingsmill can be found, predictably, in the comfort of a garage.
Kingsmill owns his own car garage, which Sands works at three days a week while also restoring and building custom motorcycles in his own time.
With a new season coming round the corner soon, the pair are looking to secure sponsorship for their next set of races and are hoping that their recent champions medals will attract vital funds.
If you are interested in sponsoring the team, contact Paul Sands on 07932 423 568.