FIM Sidecar: Payne/Rousseau Win Despite Numerous Incidents

Even before, during, and after the first race at the season opener of the 2025 FIM Sidecar World Championship at the Circuit Bugatti, it was clear: Things are continuing just as unpredictably as they ended last November—both on and off the track. Technical mishaps, a surprising withdrawal from the World Championship, and historic lap times provided plenty to talk about right from the very first race.

Defending champion Harry Payne and his French co-driver Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausen Racing/ARS Yamaha) suffered a major setback in the first qualifying session: A broken gearshift lever forced them to make an early pit stop, initially dropping the duo to twelfth place. But in the second qualifying session, they staged an impressive comeback and ultimately secured pole position.

After the start, Payne/Rousseau immediately took the lead and controlled the race from the very first lap. Behind them, Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clément (Team Ellis/Clement Racing/LCR Yamaha) were hot on their heels, while Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt (Team Schlosser/LCR Yamaha) were initially in third place. On the second lap, however, the Swiss driver and his German co-driver were initially overtaken by Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes (Carl Cox Motorsport/ARS Yamaha) and dropped back to fourth place.

Schlosser Sets New Lap Record

Undeterred, Schlosser began his comeback a short time later. First, he passed Reeves, then on the fifth lap he overtook Todd Ellis and moved into second place. But Schlosser had even more in store: Two laps later, he set a true milestone when, with a lap time of 1:42.921 minutes (average speed: 146.3 km/h), he became the first driver ever to break the magical 1:43-minute barrier on the 4.185-kilometer Circuit Bugatti.

Despite this impressive performance, even the fastest lap of the race couldn’t change the fact that Payne and Rousseau confidently crossed the finish line first. “That was a great start to the season. I was a bit cautious at the beginning because of the light rain, but when Todd Ellis started putting pressure on us, I immediately switched to dry-weather mode and opened the throttle. That allowed us to quickly build up a good lead, which we then simply managed,” said Payne after the race. However, official confirmation of their victory was a long time coming: After the race, Team Schlosser filed a protest against the Steinhausen Racing Team, resulting in Payne’s engine undergoing an intensive technical inspection. It wasn’t until around 7:30 p.m. that the final decision was made—everything was in compliance with the rules, and the victory was officially awarded to Payne/Rousseau.

Christies Faces Off Against Ellis/Clement

The battle for the final podium spot was intense between Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin/LCR Yamaha) and Todd Ellis. Lap after lap, Christie tried to pass his British compatriot, but it wasn’t until the ninth lap that he pulled off the decisive move. With that, the reigning World Championship third-place finisher secured third place on the podium behind Payne and Schlosser, leaving two-time world champions Ellis and Clement just behind him.

Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes (Carl Cox Motorsport/ARS Yamaha), who had started from eighth place after a difficult qualifying session due to technical issues, had to fight hard during the race. In the end, the duo managed to finish in fifth place—albeit by a razor-thin margin of just 0.251 seconds ahead of Ted and Vincent Peugeot of the Seventy-Four Racing Team (LCR Yamaha).

Werkstetter outdoes himself in Q2

For Patrick Werkstetter and his French passenger Valentin Pirat, just making the start was a small victory in itself: After an accident during the second qualifying session that morning, it remained unclear for a long time whether they would even be able to compete. “I ran out of track in the last corner, and my steering maneuver caused the sidecar to roll over,” Werkstetter explained when asked, adding, “Fortunately, we came away unharmed except for a few scrapes.” The sidecar, however, had sustained some damage to its fairing, which was repaired just in time for the start with the help of Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau, who provided the necessary replacement parts. Starting the race from tenth place, Werkstetter and Pirat ultimately finished in a satisfying seventh place, just behind Peugeot.

Surprising Withdrawal from the World Cup

Even before the race, Bennie Streuer (Team Streuer/ARS Yamaha) surprised everyone with an unexpected decision: The Dutchman withdrew from the Sidecar World Championship. He cited the new tire regulations, which took effect this year, as the reason for his withdrawal. These regulations stipulate that, from now on, teams may purchase their tires exclusively on-site in the paddock. “I don’t agree with this new rule. I want to decide for myself where I get my tires from and which supplier I use,” Streuer explained. Bennie Streuer has been a fixture in the Sidecar World Championship since 2009—he has missed only three or four races in all those years. This made his withdrawal all the more surprising. Whether Streuer and his passenger Kevin Kölsch will continue in another championship has not yet been considered. “The decision is still too fresh for me to make concrete plans. After all, just a few hours ago, I was still thinking I’d be racing in 14 World Championship races over the next few months,” Streuer continued.

With Steuer's withdrawal, 21 teams are now competing for the first World Championship points. The main race on Saturday will start at 11:50 a.m. You can follow the race via live timing.

Results: FIM Sidecar World Championship, Race 1