Brian Gray and Portsmouth's Jason Pitt play a lead role in British Sidecar Championship thriller at Brands Hatch

Portsmouth’s Jason Pitt combined superbly with Brian Gray to enjoy an excellent weekend at Brands Hatch in the British Sidecar Championship
The second round of the British Sidecar Championship took place at Brands Hatch with the Brian Gray Powerbiking Race Team, headed by 68-year-old team boss Brian Gray with Portsmouth's Jason Pitt, enjoying an exciting weekendThe second round of the British Sidecar Championship took place at Brands Hatch with the Brian Gray Powerbiking Race Team, headed by 68-year-old team boss Brian Gray with Portsmouth's Jason Pitt, enjoying an exciting weekend
The second round of the British Sidecar Championship took place at Brands Hatch with the Brian Gray Powerbiking Race Team, headed by 68-year-old team boss Brian Gray with Portsmouth's Jason Pitt, enjoying an exciting weekend

The second round of the competition provided some dramatic racing with 68-year-old Gray rolling back the years and showing his class alongside Pitt, writes Barry Clay.

High Wycombe’s Brian Gray Powerbiking Race Team had two crews in action.

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Joining team boss Gray and Pitt were Hull’s Christie brothers Sam and Adam.

Both crews were racing Yamaha LCRs.

After qualifying the Christies were in sixth place with 68-year-old veteran Gray in 12th place.

The race was reduced from 12 laps to six due to previous red flags on the Grand Prix circuit.

The result for the teams was third for the Christies and eighth for Gray and Pitt.

Sunday provided plenty more drama.

After heavy rain the track conditions were far from ideal.

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Gray and Pitt started the10-lap race from the second row and the Christies from the fourth row.

When the lights went out there was no stopping the veteran Gray, who is in his 52nd-consecutive season, and they rode around the outside of two sidecars going into Paddock Hill bend.

By the time they had reached Hawthorns out the back of the circuit they had pulled a lead of about three seconds.

They crossed the line in first place on the lap and although Ellis and Richardson then relegated them to second place they hung on to a podium place for the first three laps before slipping back.

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Some dramatic racing saw the Christie brothers finish in fourth place.

But it was Gray and Pitt’s ride to take sixth place that grabbed everyone’s attention as they held on under pressure from Rob Biggs and Jeroen Schmitz.

The Christies are third in the title chase while Gray and Pitt are ninth.

This weekend the team head for Cadwell Park for the Sidecar Revival where Gray and Pitt will be very busy racing in the British Championship and the Classic Sidecar races.

They will be joined by the team’s other sidecar crew Tommy Philp and Portsmouth’s Jonny Allum who will be looking to increase their Bemsee F1 championship lead.

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