Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau already had their World Championship trophies safely on the shelf. Now they have to be returned—along with the 2025 World Championship title. Earlier this week, the FIM announced that Team Steinhausen Racing has been retroactively disqualified from the season finale in Oschersleben. The points earned there have been revoked, causing Payne and Rousseau to lose their already celebrated second world championship title. The British riders Sam and Tom Christie (Hannafin Racing) are now the new world champions.
Technical tests bring about a turning point
What seemed to have been decided on the track long ago didn't really get underway behind the scenes until the technical side of things came into play. The trigger was a possible violation of the technical regulations, which was thoroughly investigated in the weeks following the season finale in Italy.
During the technical inspection following the second race, the camshafts of the Steinhausen team were also examined. It was noted that they appeared to differ visually from the official reference parts. In accordance with Article 2.3.4 of the Technical Regulations (“The modification of components is permitted only if expressly authorized in the following regulations”), it was therefore necessary to determine whether this deviation resulted from mere cleaning or from an unauthorized modification. This could not be conclusively determined on site.
Investigation in Padua and legal proceedings
To clarify the matter, the camshaft was sent to the University of Padua for a detailed examination, where comparative measurements were conducted using a reference part. According to the report, the Steinhausen Racing Team was also given the opportunity to ask questions about the testing procedure and to provide its own input.
Based on the findings of the investigation and following the hearings, the jury ultimately determined that the Steinhausen Racing team’s motorcycle at Oschersleben did not comply with the technical regulations of the FIM World Championship. Since the engine had been sealed before the start of the race weekend and was not opened again until after the second race, Steinhausen Racing was excluded from all results of the entire event.
The team now has the option of appealing the decision to the International Court of Appeal (ICA). The disqualification has already been officially announced and recorded in the championship standings.
Impact on the World Championship standings
The decision affects not only the team, but also Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau—who had been leading the world championship standings until then—as well as the overall standings. The 38 points earned at Oschersleben will be completely nullified, causing Payne and Rousseau to drop from 278 to 240 points.
In the final standings, Payne/Rousseau have thus slipped to third place, while Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt (Team Schlosser) have moved up to second place with 244 points, making them the 2025 World Runners-Up. Sam and Tom Christie take the lead with 248 points and are thus the new 2025 world champions. For the British brothers, this is their first title win, albeit in an unusual way and only after the season has concluded.