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Royal Air Force News Friday, November 14, 2025 P25
Sport MOTORSPORT
h g i h a n o Ending AVIATORS: Brands Hatch finale success
Championship third for aviator sidecar pairing Staff Reporter
DRIVER: Cpl Rob Atkinson
WITH THIRD place in the British Sidecar Championship already secured, RAF duo Cpl Rob Atkinson and Sgt Mark Middleton went into the finale at Brands Hatch hoping for an unlikely leap into second. Free Practice brought a pleasant surprise, with the lads finishing 8th overall and 1st in class, clocking a personal best of 1:37.1 – a strong start to the weekend. Friday afternoon’s qualifying session saw yet more improvement. The team posted a 1:36.2, securing 7th overall and again 1st in class – the bike performing better than expected. In Race 1 on Saturday there was a fantastic battle between the RAF outfit and the ever-competitive Bell/Hyde pairing. Both bikes had their strengths in different areas, but on lap 6 the RAF
machine made a decisive move, clearing Bell to take the class win and 9th overall, just losing out to multiple champion Tim Reeves, who charged through from the back of the grid on the final lap. Race 2, on Sunday, the last of the season, got underway just before a downpour hit. A solid getaway saw the aviators shadow Bell/Hyde early on, before a near repeat of the previous day’s battle unfolded. This time the pass came a lap earlier, and the team stretched out a five-second lead, finishing 8th overall, 1st in class, and setting a new personal best of 1:36.0. A brilliant end to a season of learning, development, and consistent progress end in 9th overall and cemented third in class, with an impressive record of three wins, two second places and seven thirds. The pair are now working hard over winter to prepare to challenge for the 2026 Cup Championship.
PASSENGER: Sgt Mark Middleton