When the second round of the FIM Sidecar World Championship takes place on June 16 and 17, 2023, brothers Ben and Tom Birchall will be under pressure from the competition. The British duo not only secured pole position and won both races at the season opener, but also set the fastest laps. Will they be able to do the same at Spa-Francorchamps? Series promoter and organizer Motor-Presse Stuttgart will also provide a live stream from the Belgian racetrack, allowing viewers to watch Friday’s sprint race and Saturday’s main race exclusively from anywhere.
A total of 19 sidecar teams will compete in the World Championship round in Belgium. The Birchall brothers are currently on a roll. For the past week and a half, they’ve also had a one-two finish at the Tourist Trophy under their belt. In the Sidecar World Championship, they’re already leading the field after the season opener with a 20-point lead over Harrison Payne and Kevin Rousseau. They, in turn, are followed by defending champions Todd Ellis and Emanuelle Clement. But if it’s up to them and the top ten teams—such as Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood, Pekka Päivärinta and Ilse de Haas, Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kölsch, or Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt—the gap to the leaders at Spa-Francorchamps is set to shrink significantly. The time window is tight. All decisions will be made within 27 hours.
Josef Sattler has now decided not only to compete in the full season of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). The 2022 German champion also plans to race in all World Championship rounds, which is why he’ll be on the grid in Belgium as well. “Spa is a completely new track for me. We need to get our bearings and improve from practice to practice,” says the Bavarian.
Schedule:
Friday, June 16
9:00 – 9:45 a.m.: Free Practice
11:15 – 11:45 a.m.: Qualifying 1
2:15 – 2:45 p.m.: Qualifying 2
6:30 p.m.: Sprint Race (7 laps)
Live stream: 6:25 – 7:30 p.m.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MTmQyn5A0E
Saturday, June 17, 20
10:30 a.m.: Main Race (11 laps)
Live stream: 10:25 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSQyH3ESLH4
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The Hunt for the Birchall Brothers in Spa
When the second round of the FIM Sidecar World Championship takes place on June 16 and 17, 2023, brothers Ben and Tom Birchall will be under pressure from the competition. The British duo not only secured pole position at the season opener and won both races, but also set the fastest laps. Can they do the same at Spa-Francorchamps? The series promoter and organizer, Motor-Presse Stuttgart, will also provide a live stream from the Belgian circuit, where the sprint race on Friday and the main race on Saturday can be watched exclusively from anywhere.
A total of 19 harness teams will compete in the World Championship round in Belgium. The Birchall brothers are performing well at the moment. For the past week and a half, they’ve also had a double victory in the Tourist Trophy under their belt. In the Sidecar World Championship, they already lead the field by 20 points after the season opener, ahead of Harrison Payne and Kevin Rousseau. They, in turn, are followed by the defending champions, Todd Ellis and Emanuelle Clement. If they and the top ten teams—such as Stephen Kershaw/Ryan Charlwood, Pekka Päivärinta/Ilse de Haas, Bennie Streuer/Kevin Kölsch, or Josef Sattler/Luca Schmidt—have their way, the gap to the top should narrow considerably at Spa-Francorchamps. The time window is tight. All decisions will be made within 27 hours.
Josef Sattler has now decided not only to race the entire season in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). The 2022 German champion also plans to compete in all the World Championship races, which is why he is also racing in Belgium. “Spa is a completely new track for me. We have to get our bearings and improve with each practice session,” says the Bavarian.
Schedule:
Friday, June 16
9:00 – 9:45 a.m.: Free practice session
11:15 – 11:45 a.m.: Qualifying session 1
2:15 – 2:45p.m.: Qualifying session 2
6:30 p.m.: Sprint race (7 laps)
Livestream: 6:25 – 7:30 p.m.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MTmQyn5A0E
Saturday, June 17, 20
10:30 a.m. Main race (11 laps)
Livestream: 10:25 – 11:30 a.m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSQyH3ESLH4