For weeks, a question mark hung over the Sidecar World Championship. Now the title has found its rightful owners. Steinhausen Racing’s appeal was rejected—Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau have definitively lost their title.
After Harry Payne, Kevin Rousseau, and Steinhausen Racing were stripped of their world championship title, the team refused to accept the decision and filed an official appeal in November. The matter has now been settled once and for all: the appeal has been rejected. This confirms that Sam and Tom Christie are the 2025 sidecar world champions. For Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau, this means that even the appeal could not prevent the loss of their second world championship title.
The Christie brothers also announced the decision publicly today. On Instagram, they shared that a lifelong dream had finally come true for them—along with a deep sense of gratitude and relief after weeks of uncertainty.
The curious thing about this World Championship victory is that Sam and Tom Christie secured the world title without winning a single race all season. Instead, it was their strong consistency that ultimately made the difference. It wasn’t until the eleventh race of the season that the British brothers missed the podium for the first time. Thus, the 2025 title goes to a team that won the world championship not so much through individual highlights, but rather through consistency and flawless performance.