The first qualifying session of the IDM Sidecar has concluded. Once again, no one could beat Tim Reeves and Mark Walkes (Adolf RS F1 Yamaha) at the Schleizer Dreieck. The British duo dominated the qualifying standings for sidecars with engine displacements up to 600 cubic centimeters—in second place were Bennie Streuer and Kevin Rousseau (LCR F1 Kawasaki), followed by Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries (LCR F1 Yamaha), with Josef Sattler and Uwe Neubert in fourth. The all-German sidecar team is once again joined in Schleiz by World Champion Rolf Steinhausen, who, even in his mid-seventies, insists on being on hand as an advisor—even in sweltering heat. His son Maik handles the electronics for the Adolf RS F1 Kawasaki sidecar.
The fastest 1000 ccm sidecar team on Germany’s oldest natural race track was piloted by Andres Nussbaum and Manuel Hirschi (LCR F1 Suzuki). The two Swiss riders appeared to cross the finish line ahead of Sattler and Neubert. Mike Roscher and Anna Burkard (LCR F1 BMW) posted the second-fastest time in the 1000-cc class. Nussbaum made another push on the final lap, taking the best time away from Roscher, who had held it until then. The gap between the two is now 0.241 seconds. The Saxon took it in stride. “We drove on the old tires we had on at Zolder. There’s still room for improvement. With fresh tires, we can shave off a second.” The second qualifying session takes place tomorrow at 11:25 a.m., and the first race at 5:50 p.m.