FIM World Sidecar Championship Round two Sachsenring 03/05 May

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Timetable

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Live stream

Saturday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X4k6uQbYY0

Sunday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdq3MzV89H8

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Preview from Mark Walters

FIM Sidecar World Championship.

Round two.

Sachsenring, Germany.

The 4th and 5th of May we will see the sidecar teams head to the Sachsenring in Germany for round two of the FIM Sidecar World Championship. The 3,671 km circuit runs anticlockwise, and has always been a challenge for the teams with lighter passengers.

After the first round in Le Mans, the team leading the championship with 45 points came really to try out the new tyres for this year, Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries, champions in 2021. Although the team had tried the new “Hoosier” tyres, they wanted to see how they performed under race conditions. Also the team had only intended to contest the round in Le Mans. However, after free practice, passenger Marcel decided to stand back, in the paddock with Team Schlosser was young German passenger Luca Schmidt, he stepped in for Marcel. Qualifying was pole position for the team, race one, second place and then the icing on the cake, race two a win. Now the team have decided after a lot of discussion to continue to contest the rest of the season.

With 36 points current champions Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement continued to improve over the weekend at Le Mans and were happy leaving in second place in the championship.

Sam and Tom Christie came away from Le Mans in third place in the championship with 29 points. They had a good weekend in France and their lap times were the quickest they had ever done.

Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau arrived at Le Mans feeling good about the weekend. It looked like they were going to be possibly unbeatable, they romped to a great race one win, but unfortunately race two was a disaster for them. They got away out front and it looked like they were on for a double, but they were to encounter an electrical problem which left them with a DNF. They ended up fourth in the championship with 25 points.

Pekka Paivarinta and his new passenger Adam Christie with their new chassis, an Adolf RS, got off to a solid start to the championship, they were happy with how things went despite a lack in power. They have 22 points.

Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kolsch have 21 points. They were going great and if it had not been for a near off track excursion in race one after a tussle with another team I am sure they would have been further up the leader board.

The battle for French glory in Le Mans went down to the wire in both races between Paul Leglise and Marjorie Cescuti, and Ted and Vincent Peugeot. Both teams came away from Le Mans with 19 points.

Ninth in the championship and heading to a track they know well is Lennard Gottlich and Lucas Krieg, they will be hoping for good results in Sachsenring. They have 15 points.

Rounding off the top ten with 11 points is Robert Biggs and Ferry Segers. I am not sure if they will contest this round.

The next group of teams were inseparable throughout the Le Mans weekend. Rupert Archer with his new passenger Ruben Janssens, Sam and Jack Laidlow, who suffered with fueling problems in race one. Kevin Cable and Charlie Richardson, Paul Kirby and Tom Kirby, Claude Vinet and Leane Marsel. If all these teams are present in Sachsenring I am sure they will be battling it out again for top honors.

Lukas Wyssen and Ema Salmon, qualifying for them was really good, and they were feeling really good for the races. Race one saw them fighting for a top three place, but when a bolt sheared on the front of their machine this left them with a DNF. Race two, they were making some adjustments to their machine on the grid, this would have been okay but they were still working on their machine when the 3 minuet board came out, this led them to having a ride through penalty. This really left them deflated and left Le Mans in fourteenth place in the championship with 6 points.

Again, there will be two races. The first a 11 lap race, Saturday the 4th, starting at 3.45 pm local time. Sunday at 11.25 am local time a 20 lap race.

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Live timing link

https://livetiming.bike-promotion.com/#/channel/c1

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Qualifying one

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Qualifying one

Report and photos from Mark Walters

Payne and Rousseau fastest.

It was bright and warmer than it was for free practice for the sidecar teams as they took to track for qualifying one at the Sachsenring.

A lot of the teams were saying that the track is very dusty and a bit slippy if they get off line a little.

Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau set the fastest time of 1:29.012 quit early on in the session, later they found it hard to pass other teams as it was slippy at times, but they are still happy with this time.

Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt set the second fastest time a 1:29.408, again the team were happy with this.

Sam and Tom Christie set the third fastest time a 1:29.514. There was a bit of confusion over this though. Their last flying lap was a 1:28.91 which would have been the fastest time. However the flag was not out but the 20 minutes for the session was over, so unfortunately for them their time for third is it, still a good time though.

Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kolsch were fourth fastest with a time of 1:29.593. The team are happy with this.

Pekka Paivarinta and Adam Christie set the fifth fastest time a 1:29.698. The team are happy with this as a lot of work has been done to their machine since Le Mans.

The top 5 teams all in the twenty-nines, it is close, the next group of three teams are in the thirties, not too far off so it looks like good close racing for tomorrow, if there is no big time changes in Q2. And if the weather holds, there could be some rain tomorrow, let’s hope not.

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There was a major issue with live timing for practice but was rectified for Q1.

The second qualifying session is 0915 BST

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Qualifying two

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Merged qualifying

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Qualifying report from Mark Walters

Christie Brothers take Pole.

It was overcast but warm for the FIM World Championship sidecar teams as they took to the circuit for qualifying two at the Sachsenring.

After the confusion with their lap time yesterday, Sam and Tom Christie went out today and again set a fastest lap time of 1:28.696. The team are really happy with this and it is their first pole position, they are looking forward to the race, but they know it will be hard as the top three teams are all in the 1:28’s.

Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau set the second fastest time of 1:28.771. They too are happy, but like the Christie Brothers, they know it is very close.

Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt set the third fastest time, a 1:28.948. The team are happy, and wait to see how the race goes.

The top three all improved on their Q1 times.

A great Q2 time for Lennard Gottlich and Lucas Krieg, they set the fourth fastest time, a 1:29.640. The team are delighted with this and really look forward to the race later today.

Pekka Paivarinta and Adam Christie set the fifth fastest time in Q2, their time was 1:30.055. Their machine is getting better all the time and this time was done on old tyres.

Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kolsch had the sixth fastest time, 1:30.325, again the team are happy, and getting ready for race one.

Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement set the seventh fastest time in Q2. The team are having some handling problems with their machine but hope they can improve these for the race later, their time was 1:30.359.

A great Q2 for Patrick Werkstetter and Valentin Pirat, they set a time of 1:30.632. The team are really pleased with this and hope for a good race.

Ted and Vincent Peugeot are not happy with their time of 1:30.632 for tenth in Q2. They have been complaining over the weekend of a lack of power, they are looking into this and hope they can resolve for the race later.

14.45 local time the 11 lap race will start.

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Sprint race

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IDM

Sprint race

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Sprint podium

Photo Luca Schmidt

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Sprint race report and photos from Mark Walters

“Payne and Rousseau take win”

The sun was out and there was heat for the sidecar teams as they lined up on the grid for the first race in Sachsenring.

As the lights went out for the eleven lap race Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau got the perfect start from the Christie brothers Sam and Tom, Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt were right behind the Christie boys for third. Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kolsch slotted in right behind Schlosser and Schmidt. Pekka Paivarinta and Adam Christie were next up but on the outside was Lennard Gottlich and Lucas Krieg who got the better of Paivarinta and Christie and then in doing this gave them good drive and slotted into fourth just in front of Streuer and Kolsch. Lukas Wyssen and Ema Salmon had Ted and Vincent Peugeot to the inside of them with Paul Leglise and Marjorie Cescutti on the inside of them. Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement made up a couple of places and got bye the two French teams.

Payne and Rousseau were not to have it their own way throughout the race, the Christie Brothers Sam and Tom pushed them all the way and getting alongside and getting passed for the lead only to be re passed again. The two teams had a great battle the whole race and by the finish line only 0.137 separated them when the chequred flag came out. The Christie Brothers Sam and Tom had the fastest lap of the race a time of 1:28.691.

It was a good battle for third and fourth place too. But it was Schlosser and Schmidt who were to take the final podium spot from Streuer and Kolsch. Schlosser and Schmidt just had enough to keep in front of Streuer and Kolsch.

Paivarinta and Christie took their time and eventually made up places, they were out on their own for the rest of the race, they were to finish fifth.

Gottlich and Krieg were in battle with Wyssen and Salmon but in the end it was Wyssen and Salmon who got the better of the young German team and took sixth place, Gottlich/Krieg took seventh.

Ellis and Clement had a lonely race in eighth; they just could not get their machine to handle throughout.

The Peugeot’s managed to get clear of their French rivals Leglise and Cescutti who were falling back, Sam and Jack Laidlow were up in tenth place behind the Peugeots and they had a great battle with Leglise/ Cescutti for this.

For the final teams in the race at the end, they were on their own but safe where they were. Rupert Archer and Ruben Janssens took twelfth; Patrick Werkstetter and Valentin Pirat took thirteenth place despite having a spin in the first corner leaving them playing catch up to the rest of the field. Kevin Cable and Charlie Ritchardson took fourteenth with Markus Venus and Ondrej Sedlacek fifteenth. Pierre Leguen and Christophe Darras took sixteenth.

11.25 tomorrow there will be a 20 lap race.

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Sunday warm up