FIM Sidecar World Championship: The Thrill of Three Wheels
Three wheels, a 600cc engine, the rider and passenger forming a single unit in a sidecar, breathtaking action around every corner—that is the essence of the FIM Sidecar World Championship. The FIM has transferred the rights to host the event in February 2023 to Motor Presse Stuttgart as the new promoter.
Almost unbelievable moves, spectacular maneuvers, and teams from all over the world hungry for victory: The Sidecar World Championship has its die-hard fans. Its future has been secured by Motor Presse Stuttgart. And so, the story of the three-wheeled class continues.
It’s worth taking a look back at the history of the exciting sport of sidecar racing. When the World Championship was launched in 1949, the sidecars were attached to conventional solo motorcycles. Over the years, the focus shifted toward reducing the weight of the sidecar combinations and creating a flatter platform for the passenger. The idea of full fairings proved successful. The culmination of this development was the streamlined bodywork that we see in its modern form today. At the same time, the centers of gravity for the rider and passenger shifted downward, just centimeters above the asphalt, to increase cornering speeds.
Technical innovations led to the introduction of two separate World Championship classes in 1977: the prototype class and the traditional sidecar class. In 1980, however, the FIM brought the prototype era to an end, permitting them only if they met certain criteria, such as being driven by a single rear wheel, steered by a single front wheel via motorcycle handlebars, and featuring an actively participating passenger. Previously, co-pilots had barely moved, lying flat as if on a board, and that was not in the spirit of the sport.
According to FIM regulations, riders in the Sidecar World Championship must kneel in the fairing in front of the engine. They steer the sidecar using their hands on the handlebars near the front wheel. The passenger sits on the rear platform and shifts their weight from left to right depending on the turn to improve traction.
In 2017, the engines in the sidecars, which had long had a displacement of over 1,000 cc, were replaced with 600 cc engines. Only four-cylinder, four-stroke engines may be used, and these must be homologated by the FIM under the Supersport/Superstock 600 cc regulations. Riders must be at least 18 years old. Passeengers must be at least 16 years old.
German-speaking riders have made a significant mark in the Sidecar World Championship. These are the world champions: Wilhelm Noll (Germany, 1954, 1956), Willi Faust (Germany, 1955), Fritz Hillebrand (Germany, 1957), Walter Schneider (Germany, 1958, 1959), Helmut Fath (Germany, 1960, 1968), Max Deubel (Germany, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964), Fritz Scheidegger (Switzerland, 1965, 1966), Klaus Enders (Germany, 1969, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974), Horst Owesle (D, 1971), Rolf Steinhausen (D, 1975, 1976), Rolf Biland (CH, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983), Werner Schwärzel (Germany, 1982), Klaus Klaffenböck (Austria, 2001), Markus Schlosser (Switzerland, 2021).
Another important point: In 2016, Kirsi Kainulainen became the first female motorcycle world champion. She was the passenger of Finnish rider Pekka Päivärinta. In 2022, Emanuelle Clement caused a sensation as the second woman to win the title, riding alongside British rider Todd Ellis.
The most successful rider in World Championship history is Steve Webster, with ten world titles. His British compatriot and eight-time world champion Tim Reeves made headlines when he won at Le Mans in 2018 on a German Adolf RS Yamaha sidecar. This ended LCR’s winning streak; the Swiss manufacturer had won every single race since 2003.