At the end of July, the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) will make a stop at the Schleizer Dreieck. Four times this year, two rounds of the FIM Sidecar World Championship will also take place as part of the top series. That is not the case in Schleiz, however, because the natural race track in Thuringia does not have FIM approval. It was revealed today that the World Championship teams will still travel there to support their IDM colleagues.
There had been talk of an IDM race with low turnout at the Schleizer Dreieck, but it was hanging in the balance. Now the tide has turned. A large contingent of World Championship teams has confirmed their participation as guest starters. This means the field of riders has grown significantly, and the sidecar races in Schleiz are set to be a real battle.
And this is despite the fact that the race weekend from July 26 to 28, 2024, promises to be a real highlight for the sidecar scene. The Sidecar Trophy will be held at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. At the same time, the Northern Sidecar Cup is taking place at the Circuit de Chimay in Belgium. And a major training event is scheduled in France. Robert Werth, the first chairman of the Sidecar Riders’ Association, has nevertheless rallied the troops and contacted the World Championship teams, which will also be present four times this year in the IDM paddock. “We have agreed that we will compete as guest riders at the Schleizer Dreieck,” Werth now announces. A total of 14 teams have been confirmed, including Markus Schlosser/Luca Schmidt, Todd Ellis/Emanuelle Clément, Sam Christie/Tom Christie, Pekka Päivärinta/Adam Christie, and Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes. The world champions are lining up one after another.
Today, Robert Werth and Bert Brandenburg, who serves as Director of Events at Motor Presse Stuttgart—the organizer and promoter of the IDM and the Sidecar World Championship—sealed the deal with a handshake. Brandenburg notes: “Sidecars are an integral part of the IDM, and they’re a major attraction, especially at the Schleizer Dreieck. We’re thrilled to welcome every team that joins us—and that we have such broad appeal.”
