Reigning Sidecar World Champions Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clément (Team Ellis/Clément Racing) will be competing this coming weekend at the next round of the FIM Sidecar World Championship at the Autodrom Most. Just over a week ago, their participation was still uncertain, as the British-French duo crashed during the second race of the Tourist Trophy (TT) on the Isle of Man.
As TT newcomers, Ellis and Clément adapted surprisingly quickly to the demanding Snaefell Mountain Course. Emmanuelle Clément even broke the record for the fastest sidecar rider in the first race. But in the second race, their run ended prematurely with a rollover. Fortunately, both got off relatively lightly. “We sustained a few bruises,” Todd Ellis confirmed earlier this week, adding, “but by now everything has healed up almost completely.” Despite the short recovery time and possible lingering pain, Ellis and Clément are ready to race at Most. In the battle for their third world championship title, every point counts right now, as their rivals Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausen Racing) and Markus Schlosser/Luca Schmidt (Team Schlosser), as well as brothers Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin Racing), have had a stronger start to the season.
Frenchman Kevin Rousseau also competed in the TT. On the Isle of Man, however, he made his debut alongside 14-time TT winner Ben Birchall, whose co-driver and brother, Tom Birchall, had retired earlier this year. Although the duo missed the first race due to a crash in qualifying, they managed an impressive second-place finish in the second race.