Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement have won the 2022 FIM Sidecar World Championship, on Sunday in Estoril (Portugal).
It was a glorious day for the last race of the 2022 “FIM Sidecar World Championship” the sun was beating down and the track was perfect.
As the lights went out it was Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries who got the jump on pole sitters Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood on the run down to the first corner. Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement slotted into third with Ted and Vincent Peugeot behind fending off the Christie brothers, Sam and Tom. Pekka Paivarinta and Ilse de Haas were right with the Christie brothers, Lukas Wyssen and Thomas Hofer were in seventh spot, Harry Payne and Callum Crowe were eighth. Philippe Le Bail and Serge Levean ninth, Kevin Cable and Charlie Richardson were just in front of Rupert Archer and Steve Thomas, Claude Vinet and Christophe Pouillot next up with Pierre Leguen and Leopold Rouby at the back.
It was looking like Schlosser and Fries were trying to make a break for it at the front, but Kershaw and Charlwood had other ideas. They took the lead on lap three. Lap four also saw the Christie brothers take third from Ellis and Clement.
Lap seven saw a change at the front again, as Schlosser/Fries took the lead back from Kershaw and Charlwood, also on lap eight, Ellis and Clement were to take third place back from the Christie brothers.
Wyssen and Hofer were again in a battle with the Peugeot’s with Paivarinta and De Haas right in the mix too.
Again like the race yesterday, Payne and Crowe were out on their own in eighth place, down on power but keeping a steady pace.
Cable and Richardson were again in battle, but this time with Archer and Thomas, with Vinet and Pouillot not far off, they were battling it out with Le Bail and Leveau, with Leguen and Rouby on their own at the back.
At the front, Schlosser and Fries got the hurry on and started to make a fair gap on Kershaw and Charlwood, with Ellis and Clement falling back a little too.
The Christie brothers were looking good in fourth but they had to be careful as the Peugeot’s, in battle with Wyssen and Hofer were not too far off, also Paivarinta/De Haas wanted a piece of the action too, this was a good battle between these three teams.
Cable and Richardson were in a right fight with Archer and Thomas with Le Bail/Leveau just at their back wondering if the two teams in front would start tripping each another up and they could pick up the pieces. Vinet and Pouillot had fallen back by this time and were out on their own. Leguen and Rouby were on their own at the back of the field but keeping a steady pace.
In the closing stages of the race a rare mistake by Schlosser and Fries on lap sixteen saw them spin on track, this let Kershaw and Charlwood through to take the lead. Ellis and Clement now were not too far off the back of Schlosser and Fries, but it was looking like Schlosser/Fries had the second place covered, Ellis and Clement did not want any mishaps at this stage of the race as the championship was looking like theirs.
The Christie Brothers were in a good fourth place letting the Peugeot’s battle with Wyssen and Hofer, who by now had moved up to fifth in front of the Peugeot’s, they now were under pressure from Paivarinta and De Haas for the sixth place.
As the race came to an end, the chequered flag came out to the delight of the Kershaw/Charlwood team on pit wall, a well-deserved win and third overall in the championship, Kershaw and Charlwood punching the air as they crossed the line.
Schlosser and Fries took second; they had the fastest lap of the race, a time of 1:45.837. They fought hard trying to retain their 2021 title, but it was not to be.
Third place for Ellis and Clement was enough for the title, their team on pit wall were so relieved, there was a lot of nail biting and walking up and down pit wall in the last few laps of the race. Ellis and Clement crossed the line punching the air to the applause of all the teams on pit wall, the 2022 “FIM Sidecar Championship” was theirs
The Christie brothers took fourth place, a great end to their season. They had a great race for this place.
Wyssen and Hofer managed to stay in their fifth place, they are so happy with this result and it has been a great finish to their season.
Paivarinta and De Haas overhauled the Peugeot’s for sixth place ending their year knowing they can still have a good battle with the other teams.
Another solid result for the Peugeot’s, seventh, what a year it has been for the father and son team.
Eighth place went to Payne and Crowe, not what they wanted, but they will be back next year with a new set up.
Cable and Richardson took ninth place after a race long battle with Archer and Thomas, who took tenth place. Team Cable/ Richardson were delighted with this, and they certainly have entertained this year with their race battles.
Le Bail and Leveau took eleventh place; they fell back in the closing stages of the race from the two teams in front of them.
Vinet and Pouillot took a lonely twelfth place, not what the team wanted, as they are usually battling with Cable and Richardson.
Leguen and Rouby took thirteenth place, a big learning season for them but they hope to be back.
Well, it has been a great season’s racing. There will be big changes over the winter, as the series promotor Roger Body is stepping down, a new promoter will hopefully come on board for 2023 and hopefully the racing will be as exciting as it has been this year.