Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau continue their winning streak in the FIM Sidecar World Championship, claiming another victory in the sprint race. The Christie brothers secure second place, while Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt have to play catch-up after an incident.
Early Showdown Creates Tension – Schlosser Goes Off Course
Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt (Team Schlosser/LCR Yamaha) got off to a good start in the race, but Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausen Racing/ARS Yamaha) also got off to a strong start. Payne launched an attack as early as the first turn. Schlosser tried to hold him off in the next turn—a counterattack that led to contact between the two sidecars. It remained unclear at first who ultimately collided with whom—the race jury was still reviewing the incident as of press time.
For Markus Schlosser, however, the collision had noticeable consequences: “The contact in the first turn caused quite a bit of damage to our sidecar, which is why I could no longer steer the bike properly,” the Swiss rider explained after the race. As early as the turn following the start-finish straight after the first lap, he lost control of the bike, veered off into the grass—and had to settle for sixth place.
Payne Dominates; Christies Fight Their Way to Second Place
Up front, Harry Payne pulled away unchallenged. By the second lap, he already had a lead of over a second over his closest pursuers, Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin/LCR Yamaha). The British brothers started behind Paul Leglise and Marjorie Cescutti (521 Competition/LCR Yamaha), but were able to pass the French duo on the second lap and settle into second place.
At first, Leglise wouldn't let himself be shaken off and put up a fierce fight—until a driving error nearly knocked him out of the race. In a turn, the Frenchman hit the brakes too late, and the car began to skid. Only with great skill was he able to prevent a spin—a close call that could have cost them the race.
Schlosser Fights His Way Back – Leglise Finishes Fourth
While Payne was out in front, lapping the field on his own and securing the victory, Schlosser/Schmidt made the best of the situation: The duo fought their way back to third place—but that was as far as they could go. Sam and Tom Christie had pulled too far ahead and cruised to second place. With third place, Schlosser and Schmidt at least managed to limit the damage as much as possible, even though they were very frustrated with how the race unfolded. For the team, the incident will likely mean a night shift to repair the damage,
Paul Leglise and Marjorie Cescutti (521 Competition/LCR Yamaha) ultimately held on to fourth place—after a strong start. Rupert Archer and Ondrej Sedlacek (Hannafin/LCR Yamaha) fought their way up to fifth place after a braking error right after the start, which forced them to use the designated run-off area in the very first turn and ultimately drop far back in the field.
Manninen's Team Finishes Sixth – Drama for the Flying Dutchmen
The Finnish father-son duo Joni and Tero Manninen (Manninen Sidecar Racing/LCR Yamaha) finished in sixth place, followed by Kevin Cable and Charlie Richardson (L&W Racing/LCR Yamaha) and Markus Venus and Thomas Hofer (ITW Racing Team Venus/LCR Yamaha).
The Dutch duo of Wiggert Kranenburg and Jermaine van Middegaal (Flying Dutchmen/LCR Yamaha) had some bad luck: On lap five, Kranenburg lost his co-pilot on the track—fortunately, the co-pilot was uninjured and was able to get right back up. For the duo, however, the race was over before it had even begun.
Next highlight: Sunday's main race
The action continues on Sunday with the main race at 1:05 p.m. This race will also be broadcast live and free of charge via the IDM livestream at www.idm.de/live.
FIM Sidecar World Championship Results, Sprint Race Results
- Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau (GB/F), ARS Yamaha
- Sam Christie/Tom Christie (GB), LCR Yamaha
- Markus Schlosser/Luca Schmidt (CH/D), LCR Yamaha
- Paul Leglise/Marjorie Cescutti (F), LCR Yamaha
- Rupert Archer/Ondrej Sedlacek (GB/CZ), ARS Yamaha
- Joni Manninen/Tero Manninen (FIN), LCR Yamaha
- Kevin Cable/Charlie Richardson (GB), LCR Yamaha
- Markus Venus/Thomas Hofer (GER/SUI), LCR Yamaha
DNF: Wiggert Kranenburg/Jermaine van Middegaal (NED/NED), LCR Yamaha