The final race of the season in the FIM Sidecar World Championship ended on a high note for Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau (Steinhausen Racing): Not only did the duo secure their second consecutive world title the day before, but they also capped off the season with a commanding victory in the main race. Markus Schlosser/Lukas Krieg (Team Schlosser) finished second but lost the battle for the runner-up title to the Christie brothers (Hannafin Racing), who crossed the finish line in third place.
Payne/Rousseau in a league of their own
Starting from third on the grid, Payne/Rousseau (Steinhausen Racing) took the lead as early as the first lap. Behind them was a tight group of pursuers including Tim Reeves/Ferry Segers (Carl Cox Motorsport), Schlosser/Krieg (Team Schlosser), Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin Racing), as well as Patrick Werkstetter/Valentin Pirat (Bonovo Action/Sattler Motorsport) and Pekka Päivärinta/Adam Christie (Hänni Racing).
By the end of the first run, Payne and Rousseau already had a lead of over 1.7 seconds; after two runs, their lead had grown to over three seconds. The newly crowned world champions controlled the race from the front, remained error-free, and ultimately won by a margin of over eleven seconds—an impressive conclusion to a successful season.
Technical trouble for Reeves – Schlosser battles for second place
For Tim Reeves, however, Sunday turned out to be an unlucky day. The Brit, who had won the sprint race in dominant fashion, was forced to pull his sidecar into the pit lane after just the second lap due to technical problems.
This moved Markus Schlosser up to second place, followed by Päivärinta, the Christie brothers, and Werkstetter. Schlosser was still in contention for the runner-up title—he had to finish at least five points ahead of the Christies.
Sam Christie, however, steadily increased the pressure, passing Päivärinta on lap ten and putting Schlosser on the defensive. The Swiss driver managed to hold on to second place, but ultimately had to concede defeat to the consistently strong Briton in the overall standings.
Päivärinta loses time – Werkstetter impresses again
For Pekka Päivärinta, the race was a rollercoaster ride. The Finn was in contention with the leading group for a long time until an overtaking maneuver by Patrick Werkstetter in lap seven led to a minor collision. Päivärinta lost about 16 seconds but fought his way back impressively. On lap 15, he capitalized on a spin by Werkstetter—which was the latter’s own fault—to reclaim fourth place and defend it all the way to the finish line.
Despite that minor slip-up, Patrick Werkstetter has every reason to be proud: With another fifth-place finish and 11 more points, the 20-year-old ends his second World Championship season in fifth place overall, tied on points with Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clément (Ellis Racing), who did not compete at Oschersleben.
Rupert Archer/Ondrej Sedlacek (Hannafin Racing) secured sixth place despite receiving a long-lap penalty for sending Kevin Cable/Charlie Richardson (L&W Racing) into the gravel following contact. Cable finished seventh.
Markus Venus/Thomas Hofer (Sidecar Team Venus) finished eighth, while Raymond and Calvin Leydekkers (Leydekkers Racing) crossed the finish line in ninth place.
Wiggert Kranenburg and Kevin Kölsch (Flying Dutchmen) were forced to retire their sidecar in the twelfth lap due to technical problems. The Finnish brothers Joni and Tero Manninen (Manninen Sidecar Racing), who had finished seventh yesterday, missed the final race.
The FIM Sidecar World Championship came to a close with the second race at the Sidecar Festival in Oschersleben—and ended with Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau successfully defending their title, once again being crowned champions. Sam and Tom Christie secured second place overall, while Markus Schlosser and his former passenger Luca Schmidt finished third overall. Behind them, Pekka Päivärinta and Adam Christie took fourth place, and the top five was rounded out by Todd Ellis/Emanuelle Clement and Patrick Werkstetter/Valentin Pirat, who were tied on points.
FIM Sidecar – Main Race Results:
- Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau (GB/F), ARS Yamaha
- Markus Schlosser/Lukas Krieg (CH/D), LCR Yamaha
- Sam Christie/Tom Christie (GB), LCR Yamaha
- Pekka Päivärinta/Adam Christie (FIN/GB), ARS Yamaha
- Patrick Werkstetter/Valentin Pirat (Germany/France), ARS Yamaha
- Rupert Archer/Ondrej Sedlacek (GB/CZ), ARS Yamaha
- Kevin Cable/Charlie Richardson (GB), LCR Yamaha
- Markus Venus/Thomas Hofer (Germany/Switzerland), LCR Yamaha
- Raymond Leijdekkers, Calvin Leijdekkers (NLD), LCR Yamaha
DNF: Tim Reeves/Ferry Segers (GB/NLD), ARS Yamaha
DNF: Wiggert Kranenburg/Kevin Kölsch (NLD/D), LCR Yamaha
DNS: Tero Manninen/Joni Manninen (FIN), LCR Yamaha