FIM Sidecar World Championship.
Assen,
Race Two
The second 18 lap race in Assen for the FIM Sidecar World Championship got under way again in brilliant sunshine but again there was a stiff cold breeze.
Tim Reeves and Kevin Rousseau again got a cracker of a start from Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement into the first complex of corners, Ellis and Clement crossed the line after the first lap in first place though, but this was short lived as Reeves and Rousseau retook the lead back.
Bennie Streure and Kevin Kolsch were fast up to the first corner they slotted into third place edging Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood to fourth with Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries closely in fifth. Paul Leglise and Melanie Farnier, who had resolved the problem they had yesterday, were tucked in right behind Schlosser/Fries with Harry Payne and Mark Wilkes next to them on the outside. Ted and Vincent Peugeot were next up with Lukas Wyssen and Thomas Hofer behind them.
Janez Remse and Manfred Wechselberger had sorted the electrical problem from yesterday, were next up with Kevin Cable and Charlie Richardson just behind them. Claude Vinet and Sebastien Arifon were right with Cable/Richardson, with Cedric and Arnaud Pierard next and Philippe Gallerne and Jean-Philipe Bouchard next.
Lap 5 saw Ellis and Clement take the lead away from Reeves and Rousseau with Kershaw and Charlwood up to third after staying safe in the lap one scramble. Streuer and Kolsch were in fourth spot with Schlosser and Fries trying hard to get by to chase down the leaders, with this close racing going on contact was going to happen, this slowed Schlosser/Fries but they did manage to get passed in the end and started their charge to the leading group.
Payne/Wilkes, Peugeot, Peugeot, Wyssen/Hofer were all in a close battle with Leglise/Farnier joining in the fun. This group started to make a gap on Remse/Wechselberger who were starting to in turn pull away from Cable/Richardson who by now had passed Vinet/Arifon with Pierard/Pierard next up and Gallerne/Bouchard at the back.
Once Ellis and Clement got out in front they started to edge away from Reeves and Rousseau who coming up to three quarter race distance started to get pressure from Schlosser and Fries.
The battle behind was getting interesting, Payne and Wilkes were up to fourth place now but close behind was Streuer and Kolsch with Kershaw and Charlwood having some gear and tyre problems back down to sixth, but this group had pulled away from Peugeot/Peugeot and Wyssen/Hofer who were now like yesterday in a battle of their own.
Remse/Wechselberger were on their own and it turned out a bit of a lonely race for them.
There was a great battle going on for the final placings between Cable/Richardson, Vinet/Arifon, Pierard/Pierard, this was to last the whole race with it looking like Cable/Richardson well in control, leaving Vinet/Arifon to fend off Pierard/Pierard.
By the end of the race, Schlosser and Fries were absolutely flying; lap thirteen saw the pair set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:42.820. But try as hard as they could they just did not have enough time to catch race leaders Ellis and Clement who were in a comfortable lead. They would take the race win to the delight of the spectators who applauded the pair cross the line. Schlosser and Fries took a well-deserved second place just over 6 seconds down on Ellis/ Clement.
Reeves and Rousseau fought hard but just could not stick with the leading pair. They took the third place to the delight of the team in pit lane.
What a result for Payne and Wilkes, fourth place, this time last week they had a bike so badly damaged it looked impossible for the team to contend this weekend, but all the blood sweat and tears paid off, the team are over the moon with the result.
Kershaw and Charlwood managed to regroup and get their race back on track after their slight problem earlier in the race. They finished in a good fifth place. The team are happy with this.
Streuer and Kolsch took sixth place, again the team were happy with this result.
The race long battle between Peugeot/Peugeot and Wyssen/Hofer went down to the last lap when Wyssen/Hofer nipped passed Peugeot/Peugeot for seventh place and Peugeot/Peugeot eighth, only 0.180 separated the two teams.
Leglise and Farnier took a lonely ninth place having been dropped by the two teams in front, but they were happy with this result after their problems yesterday.
Remse and Wechselberger took a good top ten result, again another team happy after their problems the day before.
The battle at the back with three teams went to the last corner. Cable and Richardson were in front but ran wide letting Vinet/Arifon pass to the gasps of the crowd, Vinet/ Arifon took eleventh place with Cable/Richardson twelfth, but only 0.731 behind. Pierard/Pierard took thirteenth, a great experience for the team. Gallerne and Bouchard rounded of the field in fourteenth place.
Mark Walters