Qualifying for the FIM Sidecar World Championship final in Estoril was a close call. Title contenders Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausen Racing) will start tomorrow’s two races from pole position. World Championship leaders Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt (Gustoil Racing) are in second place, but believe they have more to offer than just their seven-point lead in the overall standings.
Already in free practice, the British-French duo of Payne and Rousseau emerged as the fastest team among the twelve pairs competing in Portugal. In qualifying, they took it up a notch and secured pole position with a lap time of 1:46.081. Schlosser/Schmidt were listed as the second-fastest team, trailing by one-tenth of a second. The Swiss rider also tested his new fairing during qualifying and decided to use it in the races as well. “We were dealing with completely different problems in practice that had nothing to do with the fairing,” says Schlosser, who could become world champion for the second time tomorrow, while his German passenger from the racing city could claim the title for the first time. “The underbody at the front was torn off, but we don’t know why. It scraped the track even though we didn’t have a crash or go off the track. The fender is also damaged. We’re fixing everything now.”
Schlosser may be second on the starting grid, but he believes he’s ultimately faster than Payne—and he’s adding fuel to the fire in the title race when he says: “Harry was right on my tail like a leech and then snagged pole position from my slipstream. He wouldn’t have been able to do that otherwise. But that’s how it’s done, and it’s the right way to do it. But tomorrow is a new day, and that’s when everything will be decided.” For safety reasons, the starting grid will be the same as for car races. In each starting row, two sidecar teams will be positioned side by side in a staggered formation.
The races between the brothers Sam Christie and Tom Christie, and Pekka Päivärinta and Adam Christie, are shaping up to be quite exciting. The British family and the five-time world champion from Finland will face off from the second row of the starting grid, having posted exactly the same time in qualifying. Despite being originally registered, Kevin Kölsch—who normally rows in Bennie Streuer’s boat—will not be competing. The career soldier is on duty elsewhere, so Streuer has recruited his Dutch compatriot Ferry Segers for the final.
Both races can be watched via livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/Hjf4vZYj90w. The 10-lap sprint race begins at 11:15 a.m., and the 17-lap main race starts at 3:10 p.m.
FIM Sidecar World Championship, Qualifying
1. Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau (GBR/FRA), ARS Yamaha, 1:46.081 min
2. Markus Schlosser/Luca Schmidt (CHE/DEU), LCR Yamaha, +0.107 s
3. Sam Christie/Tom Christie (GBR/GBR), LCR Yamaha, +1.028 s
4. Pekka Päivärinta/Adam Christie (FIN/GBR), ARS Yamaha, +1.028 s
5. Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes (GBR/GBR), ARS Yamaha, +1.556 s
6. Lukas Wyssen/Ema Salmon (CHE/FRA), LCR Yamaha, +1.712 s
7. Bennie Streuer/Ferry Segers (NLD/NLD), ARS Yamaha, +2.579 s
8. Rupert Archer/Thomas Hofer (GBR/CHE), ARS Yamaha, +3.234 s
9. Paul Leglise/Marjorie Cescutti (FRA/FRA), LCR Yamaha, 3.364 s
10. Pierre Leguen/Leopold Rouby (FRA/FRA), LCR Yamaha, +7.108 s
11. Raymond Leijdekkers/Calvin Leijdekkers (NLD/NLD), R&R Yamaha, +13.649 s
12. Rogier Weekers/Océane Bataille (NLD/FRA), R&R Yamaha, +15.245 s
