The first pole position in the sidecar class of the Superside World Championship and the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) has been decided: Ben and Tom Birchall (Wyckham Blackwell by Birchall/LCR Honda) from Great Britain dominated both qualifying sessions and secured pole position. The brother duo were consistently fast during practice at the Sachsenring and gave their competitors little chance. With a best time of 1:28.432 minutes, they left no doubt that the four-time world champions will be a force to be reckoned with again this year. “We’re really looking forward to this racing season, as the field of riders hasn’t been this strong—and this close in terms of performance—in a long time,” said Tom Birchall afterward. Just how strong the British duo will be in the races will become clear as early as Saturday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. in the sprint race. The race will be broadcast live at www.idm.de/live.
As in the first qualifying session, the team of Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausing Racing/ARS Yamaha) finished behind the Birchall brothers. This is the first season the British-French team has raced together. While Kevin Rousseau has served as a passenger alongside Tim Reeves for the past two years, Mark Wilkes has been riding alongside Isle of Man-based Brit Harry Payne. They will start from second place, one position ahead of the British duo Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin Racing/LCR Yamaha).
Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes (Bonovo Action Team/ARS Yamaha) didn’t have much luck. Engine problems plagued them, which is why they couldn’t do better than seventh place for the time being. Just a hair behind them, the German duo Josef Sattler/Luca Schmidt (Bonovo Action Team/ARS Yamaha) finished ninth behind Bennie Streuer/Kevin Kölsch (Bonovo Action Team/ARS Yamaha). The young sidecar team of Lennard Göttlich/Lukas Krieg (Bonovo Action Team/ARS Yamaha) managed to secure the eleventh starting position.
World Championship/IDM Sidecar: Tom Birchall to start from pole position
Ben and Tom Birchall (Wyckham Blackwell by Birchall/LCR Honda) from Great Britain have secured their first pole position in the sidecar class of the Superside World Championship and International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). They were consistently fast during practice sessions and set a best time of 1:28.432 minutes. The Birchall brothers are four-time world champions and are expected to perform well in the upcoming races, which will be live-streamed on www.idm.de/live starting at 3:15 PM on Saturday.
In the second qualifying session, Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausing Racing/ARS Yamaha) secured second place behind the Birchall brothers, followed by Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin Racing/LCR Yamaha) in third. Meanwhile, Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes (Bonovo Action Team/ARS Yamaha) struggled with engine problems and could only manage a seventh-place start, while Lennard Göttlich and Lukas Krieg (Bonovo Action Team/ARS Yamaha) claimed the eleventh position on the starting grid.
World Championship/IDM Sidecar, Qualifying 1 & 2:
- Ben BIRCHALL/Tom BIRCHALL (GBR)
- Harry PAYNE/Kevin ROUSSEAU (GBR/FRA)
- Sam CHRISTIE/Tom CHRISTIE (GBR)
- Stephen KERSHAW/Ryan CHARLWOOD (GBR)
- Todd ELLIS/Emmanuelle CLEMENT (GBR/FRA)
- Ted PEUGEOT/Vincent PEUGEOT (FRA)
- Tim REEVES/Mark WILKES (GBR)
- Bennie STREUER/Kevin KÖLSCH (NLD/DEU)
- Josef SATTLER/Luca SCHMIDT (GER)
- Pekka PÄIVÄRINTA/Ilse DE HAAS (FIN/NLD)
- Lennard GÖTTLICH/Lukas KRIEG (GER)