Bennie Streuer and Tim Reeves (both Bonovo Action Team/Adolf RS) treated the large crowd and sidecar fans in Schleiz to a thrilling sprint race. Reeves, who started from pole position, got off to a good start and held the lead. Together with his passenger Kevin Rousseau, he clocked one fast lap after another, steadily increasing the gap to the rest of the field. Only Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kölsch (Bonovo Action Team/Adolf RS) stuck to the leaders like glue. Streuer applied pressure and repeatedly made Reeves feel that he could be a threat at any moment. But the Dutchman didn’t make any rash decisions or attempt to overtake; instead, he studied Reeves meticulously, like a chess game.
In the penultimate lap of the race, Streuer and Kölsch finally made their move. In a clean passing maneuver, they overtook Reeves and Rousseau and pulled away as if they’d been let off the leash. Reeves had no chance of regaining his position and was ultimately forced to concede defeat. “It was one of the best races we’ve ever had in the IDM,” said Streuer before the podium ceremony, adding: “Because Tim [Reeves] is always difficult to pass, I watched him for a long time until I was sure.” Despite losing the win, Reeves was also thrilled with the race. The Brit, who took a few weeks off after competing in the Isle of Man TT, said, “That was a good battle with Benny.” He enjoyed putting up a good fight against his rivals on the Schleizer Dreieck. “But tomorrow, the tables will turn,” announced the eight-time world champion.
Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries (Team Schlosser/LCR F1) finished third. The two Swiss riders started the race from fifth position but struggled to get going at the start. However, Schlosser is known for needing a bit of time to warm up before he finds his rhythm. And so, after about four of the nine laps had passed, he surged toward the front in leaps and bounds. In the process, the 2021 world champion overtook his rivals Pekka Päivärinta and Ilse De Haag and eventually also passed Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt (Bonovo Action Team/Adolf RS) to take fourth place. In doing so, he dashed Sattler’s hopes of standing on the podium in Schleiz among all the world champions in the blink of an eye.
We’ll find out on race Sunday at 11:45 a.m. whether both Reeves’ and Sattler’s wishes will come true this year. Fans of these popular sidecars can watch the second race for free via livestream at www.idm.de/live.
IDM Sidecar, Race 1
- Bennie STREUER/Kevin KÖLSCH (NLD/DEU, guest starters)
- Tim REEVES/Kevin ROUSSEAU (GBR/FRA)
- Markus SCHLOSSER/Marcel FRIES (CHE, guest starters)
- Josef SATTLER/Luca SCHMIDT (GER)
- Pekka PÄIVÄRINTA/Ilse de HAAS (FIN/NLD)
- Enrico WIRTH/Werner LÜTTKE (GER, guest starters)
- Lennard GÖTTLICH/Uwe NEUBERT (GER)
- Janez REMSÉ/Manfred WECHSELBERGER (SLO/AUT)
- Markus SCHWEGLER/Ondrej KOPECKY (GER/CZE)
- Peter KIMESWENGER/Ondrej SEDLACEK (AUT/CZE)
- Wiggert KRANENBURG and Jermaine VAN MIDDEGAAL (NLD)
- Eero PÄRM/Lauri LIPSTOK (EST)
- Jakob RUTZ/Thomas HOFER (Switzerland)
- Max ZIMMERMANN/Ronja MAHL (GER)