What began as a winning streak during the second race weekend of the FIM Sidecar World Championship ended in two tragic finales for the two title rivals, Markus Schlosser and Harry Payne, in Estoril. Two races in one day, two unexpected twists—and in both cases, a gripping drama in the final meters.
A razor-thin lead in the final centimeters
Starting from pole position, Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausen Racing / ARS Yamaha) confidently defended their lead, while Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt (Team Schlosser / LCR Yamaha) followed them like shadows. The two top duos quickly pulled away from the field, and what followed was pure motorsport: The duel picked up speed and reached its climax on the final lap when Schlosser used his slipstream in the last corner to pass Payne—a victory that “could hardly have been closer, with a margin of just 0.043 seconds,” commented co-driver Luca Schmidt on the result after the race.
Behind the two front-runners, the competition was just as fierce. Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin/LCR Yamaha) once again secured third place following the season’s first two races at Le Mans, followed by Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement (Team Ellis/Clement Racing/LCR Yamaha). Patrick Werkstetter and Valentin Pirat (Team Bonovo Action/Sattler Motorsport/ARS Yamaha) finished seventh after a solid race. Markus Venus/Thomas Hofer (ITW Racing Team Venus/LCR Yamaha) rounded out the top 10 with valuable points, while Lennard Göttlich and Lucas Krieg retired early in the race.
A Comeback Was Followed by Disillusionment
The second race once again defied all predictions. After a turbulent start, Schlosser and Schmidt fought their way back to the front from fifth place. They glided confidently through the field, leaving Ellis/Clement, the Christie brothers, Reeves/Wilkes, and Payne/Rousseau in their wake as they made their comeback. A one-two finish seemed all but assured—until the final lap.
Instead of maintaining his comfortable lead of more than a second, Schlosser pushed the pace even higher. A single small mistake in the first left-hand turn was enough—the bike spun out and ended up with its rear wheel in the gravel. The lead was lost, the victory gone—but Schlosser and Schmidt managed to quickly push their bike out of the gravel and ultimately finished in fourth place. “That was very frustrating because the whole weekend had gone smoothly for us,” explained Luca Schmidt, adding, “But we’re still glad to have picked up a few points.” Payne and Rousseau, who had previously fallen behind, didn’t let their chance slip away and gratefully accepted the surprise victory.
Werkstetter and Pirat Achieve Their Best World Championship Result
While Schlosser was at least able to hold on to fourth place, the Christies and Päivärinta/Christie (Hänni Racing/ARS Yamaha) claimed the remaining podium spots. Werkstetter/Pirat shone with their best World Championship result to date, finishing a strong fifth after a thrilling photo finish against Sam and Jack Laidlow (Team Laidlow/LCR Yamaha). For Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes, the race ended prematurely in the pits due to a technical issue.
The World Championship season continues June 14–15 at the Pannonia-Ring in Hungary, followed by the fourth round in Most a week later. Until then, the teams will have a short break, but for the sidecar teams in the German Championship, the action continues: They will compete as part of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) from May 9–11 in Oschersleben.