Difficult conditions and a wet track made the first qualifying session in the FIM/IDM Sidecar class late in the afternoon in Spielberg particularly challenging for the 18 sidecar teams. It started to rain lightly right at the start of Q1, and that was just the beginning.
Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement (Team Ellis/Clement/LCR Yamaha) were the most successful at capitalizing on the early laps before the rain picked up. They benefited from having the track to themselves, allowing them to set their lap times undisturbed at the Red Bull Ring. “We went out and went all out right away, before the wet conditions made it impossible,” Emmanuelle Clement commented on her strategy in qualifying. The plan worked out for the reigning World Championship duo. With a time of 1:56.770 minutes, they set the fastest lap time.
When it’s wet out there, Harry Payne (Steinhausen Racing/ARS Yamaha) really gets going. The Brit confirmed this impression not only with the statement “I like riding in the rain,” but also by setting the second-fastest time. The extra bit of power he’d been missing in practice earlier, however, worked in his and his passenger Kevin Rousseau’s favor during qualifying. “That meant we had less wheelspin but more grip despite the wet track,” Harry Payne explained afterward. For the Yamaha rider, who lives on the Isle of Man, this is his first appearance on the circuit in Styria.
Päkka Päivärinta and Ilse de Haas (Team Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha) finished third, 0.881 seconds behind, followed by Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kölsch (Streuer Racing/ARS Yamaha). Ben and Tom Birchall (Wyckham Blackwell by Birchall), riding the only LCR Honda in the field, finished seventh. The wrong tire choice led to a lack of grip, which is why they were over two seconds slower than Ellis/Clement. Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes (Team Bonovo Action Team/ARS Yamaha) finished eighth behind them.
This weekend, Lennard Göttlich will be racing alongside Uwe Neubert (Team Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha), who is replacing co-driver Lucas Krieg. Krieg suffered a broken metacarpal bone in an accident in Schleiz two weeks ago, bringing his participation in the current season to a premature end.
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Difficult conditions and a wet track made the first qualifying session in the FIM/IDM Sidecar class at Spielberg a challenge for the 18 sidecar teams. Light rain began right at the start of Q1, and that was just the beginning.
Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement (Team Ellis/Clement/LCR Yamaha) managed to make the most of the first few laps before the rain intensified. The still-empty track worked in their favor, allowing them to set lap times undisturbed at the Red Bull Ring. “We went out and pushed right from the start before the wet conditions made it impossible to continue,” Emmanuelle Clement commented on their strategy in qualifying. The plan worked for the reigning World Championship duo. They set the fastest lap time of 1:56.770 minutes.
When it’s wet outside, Harry Payne (Steinhausen Racing/ARS Yamaha) really comes into his own. The Briton confirmed this impression not only with the statement “I like riding in the rain,” but also by setting the second-fastest time. On the other hand, the slight lack of power he had experienced in practice actually worked in his and his co-driver Kevin Rousseau’s favor during qualifying. “This gave us less wheelspin but more grip despite the wet track,” Harry Payne explained afterward. For the Yamaha rider, who lives on the Isle of Man, this is his first time on the circuit in Styria.
Päkka Päivärinta and Ilse de Haas (Team Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha) finished third, 0.881 seconds behind, followed by Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kölsch (Streuer Racing/ARS Yamaha). Ben and Tom Birchall (Wyckham Blackwell by Birchall), riding the only LCR Honda in the field, finished seventh. The wrong tire choice left them at a disadvantage, which is why they were over two seconds behind Ellis/Clement. Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes (Team Bonovo Action Team/ARS Yamaha) finished eighth.
This weekend, Lennard Göttlich will race alongside Uwe Neubert (Team Bonovo Action Team/LCR Yamaha), who is replacing co-driver Lucas Krieg. The German suffered a metacarpal fracture in an accident in Schleiz two weeks ago, which ended his participation in the current season prematurely.
World Championship/IDM Sidecar, Qualifying 1:
- Todd ELLIS/Emmanuelle CLEMENT (GBR/FRA)
- Harry PAYNE/Kevin ROUSSEAU (GBR/FRA)
- Pekka PÄIVÄRINTA/Ilse DE HAAS (FIN/NLD)
- Bennie STREUER/Kevin KÖLSCH (NLD/GER)
- Sam Christie/Tom Christie (GBR)
- Stephen KERSHAW/Ryan CHARLWOOD (GBR)
- Ben BIRCHALL/Tom BIRCHALL (GBR)
- Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes (GBR)
- Ted PEUGEOT/Vincent PEUGEOT (FRA)
- Rupert ARCHER/Adam CHRISTIE (GBR)