Mansfield race aces Ben and Tom Birchall received their world sidecar champion medals at the 2017 FIM awards ceremony in Andorra.

The Mitchells of Mansfield-supported riders, along with team-members James Brindley and Tom Mitchell, rubbed shoulders with 35 fellow FIM world champions and members from the International Motorcycle Federation.

The team attended a fan signing session before heading to the awards ceremony.

Ben said: “What an amazing experience.

“I was blown away by the whole weekend and how we were treated by FIM during our time in Andorra.

“To attend such a prestigious event, surrounded by other world champions, is something I’ll never forget.

“I feel honoured to be a world champion myself and the whole experience has only strengthened my desire to defend our title in the 2018 season.”

Tom added: “It was awesome to be there with other riders such as Marc Marquez and Jonny Rea – as bike fans ourselves it was an honour and a privilege to be included in such company.

“With the capacity changes over the past couple of years in the sidecar world championships, I think FIM made the right decisions and the championship is stronger than ever.”