FIM Sidecar World Championship.
Pannonia Ring, Hungary.
Race one report.
The sidecar teams took to the track for race one at the Pannonia Ring in Hungary. Temperatures were in the high twenties so the 15 lap race was going to be hard on man and machine, and who could manage the tyre wear the best.
As the lights went out it was pole sitters Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement who led the field into the first corner, followed closely by Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries. Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kolsch were right on the tail of Schlosser and Fries. There was a small gap then Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood were up next. Lukas Wyssen and Thomas Hofer were next, fending off Ted and Vincent Peugeot. Another small gap then it was Harry Payne and Mark Wilkes. Another small gap then it was Kevin Cable and Charlie Richardson they were fending off Peter Kimeswenger and Ondrej Sedlacek who in turn were fending off Claude Vinet and Sebastien Arifon.
Lap two, Ellis and Clement had broken the tow to Schlosser and Fries who were fighting with Streuer and Kolsch, Kershaw and Charlwood were trying their hardest to stick with the leading three teams to get into battle with them. Wyssen and Hofer were once again locked in battle with the Peugeot’s, but Payne and Wilkes had joined in to make it a three way dice, Wyssen/Hofer were on the case though because they were trying to get up with Kershaw and Charlwood.
Kimeswenger and Sedlacek had managed to pass Cable and Richardson who were now in a battle with Vinet and Arifon.
The three teams out in front were holding their own between each and other but the pace was hot. Certain sections of the circuit Schlosser/Fries would catch Ellis/Clement and it looked if there could be a pass, but Ellis/Clemend had the measure of Schlosser/Fries. Streuer/Kolsch were sticking with the two teams out in front. There was no passing though, it was close at times but they all held station.
It was turning out to become a lonely race for Kershaw and Charlwood, they were in a good fourth place but just could not make any inroads to the three in front.
The three way battle between Wyssen/Hofer, Peugeot/Peugeot, Payne/Wilkes raged on until lap five when Payne/Wilkes were to pull off track. Unfortunately for them an exhaust spring had broken, with this happening the adjacent spring stretched so much that the exhaust fell apart.
A lonely race for Kimeswenger and Sedlacek, but they were setting steady lap times, and had made a good gap on the battle behind between Cable/Richardson and Vinet/Arifon.
The Cable/Richardson, Vinet/Arifon battle was a good one, with the two teams swapping places on numerous occasions.
By the end of the race Cable and Richardson got the better of Vinet and Arifon. They were a lap down on the rest of the field as the chequred flag came out for the leading teams, but both teams enjoyed their battle and congratulated each another. Vinet/Arifon took ninth with Cable/Richardson, eighth.
A delighted Ellis and Clement took the race win from Schlosser and Fries, there was only .234 of a second between the two teams on the line. Schlosser and Fries had the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:57.869. Streuer and Kolsch took third, but they were held up a fair bit in the end by back markers, but all in all the team were very happy with this result.
Kershaw and Charlwood took a lonely fourth place, but again the team were happy with this result, and they will have another go tomorrow for the podium.
The battle between the Peugeot/Peugeot and Wyssen/Hofer went the way of the Peugeot’s. Wyssen/Hofer towards the end of the race was struck by problems again, the team were suffering from fuel problems, they managed to soldier on though with their machine coughing and spluttering. The Peugeot’s took fifth place with Wyssen/Hofer sixth.
Kimeswenger and Sedlacek although a lonely race took a good seventh place, the team were really happy with this result.
Tomorrow the second of the two 15 lap races will start at 13.15 local time.
Mark Walters