There are exactly two weeks left until the start of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) at the Sachsenring. The countdown is on, and the field of riders in the FIM Sidecar World Championship is now packed with big names.
The dream team of Todd Ellis and Emanuelle Clement is ready to defend their world championship title. The British-French duo had already competed in the first Scottish Sidecar Festival in East Fortune in mid-April, where they faced off against their rivals Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood—who went on to win the race. Both were in a league of their own, and an eyewitness reported that he had never seen a sidecar or a solo motorcycle take the “Hannah’s” curve like that. Last season’s results don’t mean much yet, except to say that the battle for the top of the World Championship standings is sure to be exciting. Kershaw/Charlwood finished third overall last year and, mathematically speaking, are now closest to Ellis/Clement. Co-pilot Markus Schlosser has hung up his helmet.
The Swiss duo of Lukas Wyssen and Thomas Hofer, meanwhile, finished fourth, just 14 points behind Kershaw and Charlwood. And what can we expect from multiple world champion Tim Reeves, who has recently been focusing on the IDM and has now teamed up again with his former passenger, Mark Wilkes? And where do the previous IDM sidecar teams stand now that they’re all automatically competing in the World Championship? How far will German champions Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt go? The deck has been completely reshuffled in the FIM Sidecar World Championship. Motor Presse Stuttgart, as the new promoter, will bring fresh momentum to the series.
19 teams have registered. On Friday, May 12, 2023, practice sessions and the first qualifying session will take place at the Sachsenring. On Saturday, May 13, 2023, the final qualifying session and a sprint race will be held. The sprint race will consist of eleven laps. The main race on Sunday will consist of 20 laps.
The 2023 starting grid
#6 Todd Ellis (GBR)/Emanuelle Clement (FRA), LCR F1
#9 Claude Vinet (FRA)/Christophe Darras (FRA), LCR F1
#10 John Holden (GBR), Ashley Hawes (GBR), ARS F1
#11 Peter Kimeswenger (AUT)/Ondrej Sedlacek (CZE), LCR F1
#16 Ben Birchall (GBR)/Tom Birchall (GBR), LCR F1
#19 Markus Schwegler (DEU)/Ondrej Kopecky (CZE), LCR F1
#21 Bennie Streuer (NLD)/Kevin Kölsch (DEU), ARS F1
#29 Stephen Kershaw (GBR)/Ryan Charlwood (GBR), LCR F1
#33 Max Zimmermann (DEU)/Ronja Mahl (DEU), ARS F1
#34 Sam Christie (GBR)/Tom Christie (GBR), LCR F1
#35 Josef Sattler (DEU)/Luca Schmidt (DEU), ARS F1
#42 Lennard Göttlich (DEU)/Lucas Krieg (DEU), ARS F1
#44 Pekka Päivärinta (FIN)/Ilse de Haas (NLD), LCR F1
#45 Harry Payne (GBR)/Kevin Rousseau (FRA), ARS F1
#55 Janez Remse (SLO)/Manfred Wechselberger (AUT), ARS F1
#70 Rupert Archer (GBR)/Adam Christie (GBR), ARS F1
#74 Ted Peugeot (FRA)/Vincent Peugoet (FRA), LCR F1
#77 Tim Reeves (GBR)/Mark Wilkes (GBR), ARS F1
#111 Kevin Cable (GBR)/Charlie Richardson (GBR), LCR F1
FIM Sidecar: Just under four handfuls of teams on the grid
There are exactly two weeks left until the opening round of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) at the Sachsenring. The countdown is on, and the field of riders in the FIM Sidecar World Championship now also features some big names.
The dream team of Todd Ellis and Emanuelle Clement is geared up to defend their World Championship title. The British-French duo already competed in the first Scottish Sidecar Festival in East Fortune in mid-April, where they faced their rivals Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood—who went on to win the race. Both were in a league of their own, and one eyewitness reported that he had never seen a sidecar or solo bike take the “Hannah’s” corner. This preseason result doesn’t tell us much yet, except that it’s definitely going to be exciting at the top of the World Championship. Kershaw and Charlwood are last year’s overall bronze medalists and, in purely mathematical terms, are now closest to Ellis and Clement. Co-pilot Markus Schlosser has hung up his helmet.
The Swiss duo of Lukas Wyssen and Thomas Hofer, on the other hand, in fourth place, were also just 14 points behind Kershaw and Charlwood. And what can we expect from multiple world champion Tim Reeves, who has recently focused on the IDM and has now teamed up again with his former co-driver Mark Wilkes? And where do the former IDM teams stand, all of whom now automatically compete in the World Championship? How far will the German champions Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt go? The deck has been completely reshuffled in the FIM Sidecar World Championship. Motor Presse Stuttgart, as the new promoter, will bring new momentum to the series.
19 teams have signed up. On Friday, May 12, 2023, practice sessions and the first qualifying session will take place at the Sachsenring. On Saturday, May 13, 2023, the final qualifying session and a sprint race will be held. The sprint race will consist of eleven laps. The main race on Sunday will consist of 20 laps.
The 2023 starting list
#6 Todd Ellis (GBR)/Emanuelle Clement (FRA), LCR F1
#9 Claude Vinet (FRA)/Christophe Darras (FRA), LCR F1
#10 John Holden (GBR), Ashley Hawes (GBR), ARS F1
#11 Peter Kimeswenger (AUT)/Ondrej Sedlacek (CZE), LCR F1
#16 Ben Birchall (GBR)/Tom Birchall (GBR), LCR F1
#19 Markus Schwegler (DEU)/Ondrej Kopecky (CZE), LCR F1
#21 Bennie Streuer (NLD)/Kevin Kölsch (DEU), ARS F1
#29 Stephen Kershaw (GBR)/Ryan Charlwood (GBR), LCR F1
#33 Max Zimmermann (DEU)/Ronja Mahl (DEU), ARS F1
#34 Sam Christie (GBR)/Tom Christie (GBR), LCR F1
#35 Josef Sattler (DEU)/Luca Schmidt (DEU), ARS F1
#42 Lennard Göttlich (DEU)/Lucas Krieg (DEU), ARS F1
#44 Pekka Päivärinta (FIN)/Ilse de Haas (NLD), LCR F1
#45 Harry Payne (GBR)/Kevin Rousseau (FRA), ARS F1
#55 Janez Remse (SLO)/Manfred Wechselberger (AUT), ARS F1
#70 Rupert Archer (GBR)/Adam Christie (GBR), ARS F1
#74 Ted Peugeot (FRA)/Vincent Peugeot (FRA), LCR F1
#77 Tim Reeves (GBR)/Mark Wilkes (GBR), ARS F1
#111 Kevin Cable (GBR)/Charlie Richardson (GBR), LCR F1