It was a textbook weekend for Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausen Racing/ARS Yamaha): After winning Saturday’s sprint race, the reigning world champions also dominated Sunday’s main race—thus securing a one-two finish at the Pannoniaring. For Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt (Team Schlosser/LCR Yamaha), however, the third World Championship weekend took a less favorable turn: The Swiss-German duo has temporarily dropped to third place in the overall standings.
Payne and Rousseau dominate the field—from pole position to the checkered flag
Only eleven sidecar teams took the starting grid for the 15-lap main race on Sunday afternoon under midsummer conditions. Two team withdrawals had already reduced the starting grid before the race began: Patrick Werkstetter and Valentin Pirat (Bonovo Action/Sattler Motorsport/ARS Yamaha) had to sit out after rolling their bike in the sprint race, while Lennard Göttlich and Lucas Krieg (Team Göttlich/LCR Yamaha) were forced to head home early due to engine failure—their third of the year.
The leading duo of Payne and Rousseau remained unfazed by the dropouts. Starting from pole position, the British-French pair got off to a perfect start—unlike in the sprint race—and immediately pulled away from the field. After just three laps, they already had a lead of more than a second over their closest pursuers, Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin/LCR Yamaha). Lap after lap, Payne/Rousseau continued to extend their lead, eventually crossing the finish line with a margin of more than six seconds. “The work we’ve put into the car over the past seven weeks has undoubtedly paid off,” Harry Payne explained after the race. “We had a strong feeling on the track right from the start and were even able to skip a free practice session due to poor track conditions. The one-two finish is the reward.” With their first victory, they managed to reclaim the championship lead on Saturday with a one-point advantage over Schlosser/Schmidt. Their points total now stands at 120.
Schlosser and Schmidt lose second place in the championship
For Schlosser and Schmidt, the weekend in Hungary was anything but ideal. Even before the main race, technical issues and setup adjustments made things difficult. In the sprint race, the duo struggled with a worn rear tire and damaged leather suits—damage control instead of a podium finish.
In the main race, things initially seemed to be turning around: Starting from fifth on the grid, Schlosser/Schmidt worked their way straight up to second place—but their run of good form was short-lived. By the second lap, they had already been overtaken by Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin/LCR Yamaha) as well as Pekka Päivärinta/Adam Christie (Hänni Racing/ARS Yamaha). In the end, they could only manage fourth place—and now sit in third place in the championship standings. With two second-place finishes and now 108 points, the Christies are just one point ahead of Schlosser/Schmidt (107 points).
Ellis/Clement and Reeves/Kölsch's losing streak continues
No luck either for Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clément (Team Ellis/Clement Racing/LCR Yamaha): After a solid start, the former world champions were forced to retire from the race on lap nine. For Tim Reeves and Kevin Kölsch (Carl Cox Motorsport/ARS Yamaha), who were competing together for the first time in Hungary, the technical woes continued. The duo had to retire from the main race on lap five. Markus Venus/Thomas Hofer (ITW Racing Team Venus/LCR Yamaha) and Paul Leglise/Marjorie Cescutti (Team Léglise/LCR Yamaha) also failed to finish the race: for them, it was all over as early as laps one and ten, respectively.
Must is just around the corner
The next showdown in the FIM Sidecar World Championship is already set for this coming weekend: The series will be making a stop in Most, Czech Republic, as part of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). So the deck is being reshuffled once again. Payne and Rousseau arrive as the points leaders, but everything is still up for grabs.
Results of the FIM Sidecar World Championship, Main Race
1. Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau (GB/F), ARS Yamaha
2. Sam Christie/Tom Christie (GB), LCR Yamaha
3. Pekka Päivärinta/Adam Christie (FIN/GB), ARS Yamaha
4. Markus Schlosser/Luca Schmidt (CH/D), LCR Yamaha
5. Rupert Archer/Ondrej Sedlacek (GB/CZ), ARS Yamaha
6. Joni Manninen/Tero Manninen (FIN), LCR Yamaha
7. Kevin Cable/Charlie Richardson (GB), LCR Yamaha
[English]
A Textbook Weekend for Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau
It was a perfect weekend for Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausen Racing/ARS Yamaha): after winning the sprint race on Saturday, the reigning world champions also dominated the main race on Sunday—securing a one-two finish at the Pannoniaring. For Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt (Team Schlosser/LCR Yamaha), however, the third World Championship weekend took a less favorable turn: the Swiss-German duo has dropped to third place in the overall standings for now.
Payne and Rousseau Dominate from Pole to Checkered Flag
Only eleven sidecars lined up for the 15-lap main race on Sunday afternoon under hot summer conditions. Two teams were already out of the race before the start: Patrick Werkstetter and Valentin Pirat (Bonovo Action/Sattler Motorsport/ARS Yamaha) were sidelined after rolling over in the sprint race, while Lennard Göttlich and Lucas Krieg (Team Göttlich/LCR Yamaha) were forced to head home early due to an engine failure—their third of the season.
Unfazed by the withdrawals, the leading duo of Payne and Rousseau delivered a flawless performance. Starting from pole position, the British-French pairing got off to a perfect start—unlike in the sprint—and immediately pulled away from the field. Within just three laps, they had built up a lead of over one second over their closest rivals, Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin/LCR Yamaha). Lap by lap, Payne and Rousseau extended their lead and eventually crossed the finish line more than six seconds ahead.
“The work we’ve put into the bike over the past seven weeks has definitely paid off,” said Harry Payne after the race. “We had a strong feeling on the track right from the start and even skipped one free practice session due to poor track conditions. The double victory is our reward.”
Thanks to their first win on Saturday, they had already reclaimed the championship lead by a single point over Schlosser/Schmidt. They now sit at the top with 120 points.
Schlosser/Schmidt Finish Second in the Championship
Things didn’t go as planned for Schlosser and Schmidt in Hungary. Even before the main race, technical issues and setup adjustments made for a challenging weekend. In the sprint race, the duo had to contend with a damaged rear tire and a torn leather suit—focusing on damage control rather than fighting for a podium finish.
In the main race, things initially looked promising: starting from fifth, Schlosser and Schmidt quickly moved up to second. But their momentum was short-lived. By lap two, they had been overtaken by Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin/LCR Yamaha) and Pekka Päivärinta/Adam Christie (Hänni Racing/ARS Yamaha). In the end, they had to settle for fourth place—dropping to third in the championship.
The Christie brothers, with two second-place finishes and now 108 points, narrowly overtook Schlosser/Schmidt (107 points) by just one point.
Ellis/Clément and Reeves/Kölsch’s Bad Luck Continues
No luck either for Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clément (Team Ellis/Clément Racing/LCR Yamaha): after a solid start, the former world champions were forced to retire on lap nine.
For Tim Reeves and Kevin Kölsch (Carl Cox Motorsport/ARS Yamaha), racing together for the first time in Hungary, the technical issues continued. The pair had to retire on lap five of the main race. Markus Venus/Thomas Hofer (ITW Racing Team Venus/LCR Yamaha) and Paul Leglise/Marjorie Cescutti (Team Léglise/LCR Yamaha) also failed to finish, dropping out on laps one and ten, respectively.
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The next showdown in the FIM Sidecar World Championship is just around the corner: the teams head to Most in the Czech Republic next weekend as part of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). The deck will be reshuffled. Payne and Rousseau arrive as championship leaders, but everything is still up for grabs.
Results – FIM Sidecar World Championship, Main Race
- Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau (GB/F), ARS Yamaha
- Sam Christie/Tom Christie (GB), LCR Yamaha
- Pekka Päivärinta/Adam Christie (FIN/GB), ARS Yamaha
- Markus Schlosser/Luca Schmidt (CH/D), LCR Yamaha
- Rupert Archer/Ondrej Sedlacek (GB/CZ), ARS Yamaha
- Joni Manninen/Tero Manninen (FIN), LCR Yamaha
- Kevin Cable/Charlie Richardson (GB), LCR Yamaha