It was a spectacular season-opening race that the FIM Superside/IDM Sidecar riders put on for the spectators in Most as they battled for the win. In the end, Tom and Ben (Wyckham Blackwell by Birchall/LCR Honda) emerged as the winners.
Tom Birchall got off to an impressive flying start in the sprint race, overtaking his rivals Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement (Team Ellis/Clement/LCR Yamaha), who had started from pole position. But the two didn’t let themselves be held back for long and countered skillfully, sparking an exciting battle between Ellis and Birchall. It didn’t take long for the next attack to follow. In the process, however, Tom Birchall had to make a brief detour into the gravel trap, which slowed down both himself and Todd Ellis. Pekka Päivärinta and Ilse de Haas (Team Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha) seized this opportunity to pass the two rivals and take the lead. Päivärinta went full throttle and built up a small lead. Behind him, the fierce duel between Ellis and Birchall raged on until Todd Ellis finally made a braking error, allowing Tom Birchall to pass him. The British brothers surged forward in leaps and bounds and were soon right on Pekka Päivärinta’s heels again. But even the experienced Finn couldn’t withstand the iron will to win shown by Tom and Ben Birchall and lost the lead. The Birchalls pulled away and ultimately secured a well-deserved victory. “It was very close for us at times, and we were lucky that we didn’t veer too far off the track during the passing maneuver,” said Ben Birchall, adding, “Once we finally found our rhythm, everything went perfectly for us.”
In the intense battle for second place, Todd Ellis fought tirelessly to claim it. But Pekka Päivärinta and Ilse de Haas put up a tenacious fight. Ultimately, a braking error by Todd Ellis meant that he not only had to let Päivärinta pull away, but also watched as Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafing Racing/LCR Yamaha)—who had been gradually closing in on him—passed him. Päivärinta secured second place and said, “It was an incredibly close and grueling race, and I’m glad we’re back on the podium after such a long time.” Sam and Tom Christie finished in third place.
Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt (Team Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha) triumphed in the IDM standings. Although they were satisfied with the race, they still see room for improvement in terms of gear ratios. “We were able to keep up well and hold our own in the midfield. However, we’re still lacking a bit of power to compete further up the field,” Sattler summarized. The German duo finished in seventh place, thereby securing the top spot in the IDM championship. They were followed by Lennard Göttlich and Lukas Krieg (Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha) and Claude Vinet and Valentin Pirat (Vinet Racing/LCR Yamaha).
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The FIM/IDM sidecars treated spectators in Most to a spectacular opening race as the battle for victory unfolded. Tom and Ben (Wyckham Blackwell by Birchall/LCR Honda) ultimately emerged as the winners.
Tom Birchall got off to an impressive start in the sprint race, overtaking rivals Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement (Team Ellis/Clement/LCR Yamaha), who had started from pole position. But the two didn’t let themselves be held back for long and cleverly counterattacked, sparking an exciting battle between Ellis and Birchall. It wasn’t long before the next attack followed. However, Tom Birchall was forced to take a brief detour into the gravel, which slowed both him and Todd Ellis down. Pekka Päivärinta and Ilse de Haas (Team Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha) seized this opportunity to pass the two rivals and take the lead. Päivärinta opened the throttle wide and built up a small lead. Behind him, the fierce duel between Ellis and Birchall raged on until Todd Ellis made a braking error and Tom Birchall was finally able to pass him. The pair of British brothers gained ground and were soon right on Pekka Päivärinta’s heels. But even the experienced Finn could not withstand the iron will to win of Tom and Ben Birchall and lost the lead. The Birchalls pulled away and secured a well-deserved victory in the end. “It was very close for us at one point, and we were lucky we didn’t go further off the track when we tried to pass,” said Ben Birchall, adding, “Once we finally found our rhythm, everything went perfectly for us.”
In the intense battle for second place, Todd Ellis fought tirelessly to secure it for himself. But Pekka Päivärinta and Ilse de Haas stubbornly held on. Eventually, a braking error by Todd Ellis meant that he not only had to let Päivärinta pull away, but also saw Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafing Racing/LCR Yamaha) pass him—they had been gradually closing in on him earlier. Päivärinta secured second place and said, “It was an incredibly close and grueling race, and I’m glad we’re back on the podium after such a long time.” Sam and Tom Christie finished in third place.
Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt (Team Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha) triumphed in the IDM championship standings. Although they were satisfied with the race, they still see room for improvement in terms of gear ratios. “We were able to keep up well and hold our own in the midfield. However, we’re still lacking a bit of power to race further up front,” Sattler summed up. The German duo finished seventh and thus secured the top spot in the IDM championship. They were followed by Lennard Göttlich and Lukas Krieg (Team Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha) and Claude Vinet and Valentin Pirat (Team Vinet Racing/LCR Yamaha).
FIM Superside, Sprint Race:
- Ben BIRCHALL/Tom BIRCHALL (GBR)
- Pekka PÄIVÄRINTA/Ilse DE HAAS (FIN/NLD)
- Sam CHRISTIE/Tom CHRISTIE (GBR)
- Todd ELLIS/Emmanuelle CLEMENT (GBR/FRA)
- Stephen KERSHAW/Ryan CHARLWOOD (GBR)
- Tim REEVES/Mark WILKES (GBR)
- Josef SATTLER/Luca SCHMIDT (GER)
- Bennie STREUER/Kevin KÖLSCH (NLD/DEU)
- Lennard GÖTTLICH/Lukas KRIEG (GER)
- Kevin CABLE/Charlie RICHARDSON (GBR)
IDM Sprint Race:
- Josef SATTLER/Luca SCHMIDT (GER)
- Lennard GÖTTLICH/Lukas KRIEG (GER)
- Kevin CABLE/Charlie RICHARDSON (GBR)