It was a nerve-wracking duel between Tim Reeves and Markus Schlosser in the first IDM Sidecar race at the Lausitzring. Reeves made an excellent start from second position. Pole-sitter Schlosser had to settle for a spot behind him. On the fifth lap, the Swiss rider made his first attempt to overtake the eight-time world champion from Great Britain. But Reeves showed no mercy. Whenever Schlosser made a move, Reeves closed the line. It went on like that until the very end.
When a lapped rider appeared on the 4.534-kilometer track during the final lap, the Swiss rider’s chances were finally dashed. He crossed the finish line 0.551 seconds behind Reeves, who was delighted: “That was close, but it was enough.” The fact that he had only qualified second had been weighing on the multiple champion’s mind, even though he didn’t let it show outwardly. But this year’s first IDM victory clearly did the 48-year-old a world of good. After all, his zero-point round—marked by a technical failure and a disqualification at the season opener in Assen—had certainly not been to his liking.
Schlosser was a bit disappointed with how the race turned out, but said, “Reeves was blocking me everywhere, but I didn’t take any unnecessary risks. I want to finish the race, not get knocked out.”
Things were just as chaotic nine seconds further back. Mike Roscher from the 1000 cm³ class—which races alongside the 600s but is classified separately—crossed the line ahead of Josef Sattler. Sattler, in turn, had his Bonovo action by MGM Racing teammate Bennie Streuer in front of him. The Dutch rider had two gear-shifting issues and wasn’t accelerating. Schlosser made contact with him. Amid all the commotion, Pekka Päivärinta appeared at exactly the right moment. The Finn steered his sidecar through the scramble and finished third.
Race 1, 600 cm³ Sidecar
1. Tim Reeves/Kevin Rousseau (F), ARS Yamaha, 21:55.758 min
2. Markus Schlosser (CH)/Marcel Fries (CH), LCR Yamaha, 21:56.309 min
3. Pekka Päivärinta (FIN)/Emanuelle Clement (F), LCR Yamaha, 22:05.903 min
Race 1, 1000 cm³ Sidecar
1. Mike Roscher (D)/Anna Burkard (CH), LCR BMW, 22:07.224 min
2. Helmut Lingen (D)/Michael Prudlik (D), LCR Suzuki, 23:18.444 min
3. Franz Kapeller (A)/Markus Billich (A), ASR Suzuki, 23:21.893 min