We have all just about got our breath back and the sidecar teams have just about dried out from the last round just over one week ago at the “Red Bull Ring” in Austria. Although it was mostly wet over the weekend, Sunday turned out dry and warm.
And like previous rounds, it made for very close racing from the start to finish, with anyone guessing who would take the race win.
The sidecar teams ared now into the final half of the season and head to a team favorite, the “Cathedral of speed” Assen, in the Netherlands. The 4.542 km circuit over the years has produced some great racing.
Championship leaders, Ben and Tom Birchall had a weekend to forget. Although they had a good solid fourth place in race one at the “Red Bull Ring” race two was not to be for them. In the early stages of the main race on the Sunday whilst battling for position, contact with Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes sent them going along the track upside down off track into the kitty litter.
Reeves and Wilkes came to a halt immediately and both set about up righting Birchall’s machine to free driver Ben who was trapped inside. Passenger Tom was free from the machine but getting assistance from the circuit marshals and medical team.
Both Ben and Tom were taken to the medical center for checks, driver Ben had burns to his back and a good knock to a shoulder. Passenger Tom however fared worse though, he sustained torn ligaments to his right shoulder. Both Ben and Tom are recovering well and have been thinking about this round in “Assen”, but whether it will be possible for the team to race, we will need to see. Both Reeves and Wilkes were unhurt in the incident, but they were not to start the restarted race. The Birchall brothers, battered and bruised came away from the “Red Bull Ring” still leading the championship with 153 points.
Second in the championship Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement with 148 points, closed the gap to the Birchall brothers with a fifth place and a sizzling win at the “Red Bull Ring”. Their fifth place was a hard one in the wet conditions, they followed their rivals the Birchall’s over the line. But the main race was a cracker, they were off at the front but the pursuing teams were having none of it, Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood took the race to them, taking the lead on numerous occasions, they were leading on the last lap coming into the last series of bends for the chequered flag, but Ellis and Clement had the drive and just pipped Kershaw and Charlwood for the win.
The next two teams are tied for third in the championship so far with 100 points. Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau, and the Christie brothers Sam and Tom. Payne and Rousseau are certainly showing that they are wet weather specialists. They took qualifying for pole and in the sprint race they cleared off and took a great win. Sunday’s race was a good one for them too, but they had a let off with the red flags coming out. They had a good start but spun at the new chicane on the opening lap leaving them last and having a lot of work to do.
However the restarted race there was no mistake. They got away and stuck with the leading group, they had a great battle with the leading teams, they crossed the line for a fourth place just behind their nearest rivals the Christie brothers. They are having a great season so far. The brothers stuck with the leaders for the whole race and they did draw up alongside for the lead at times but in the end Ellis/Clement, Kreshaw/Charlwood just had the advantage. Another podium place for the Christie’s, great for their championship.
Only 1 point adrift from the third and fourth place teams is Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood. They had a great race for the lead with Ellis and Clement in the main race, taking the lead on numerous occasions out braking Ellis and Clement. It was a hard weekend for the team but they stuck in there and were happy with the outcome. They will certainly be going for wins at “Assen” a track they really like.
Pekka Paivarinta and Ilse de Haas have 76 points in sixth place. A great third place in the wet last time out was a great boost for the team, and they were battling up front with the leading teams for more success in the Sunday race. This will be De Haas racing at her home GP in “Assen”, what a weekend it will be if the team gets onto the podium, but they will need to fight hard for it.
Tim Reeves and Mark Wilkes have 66 points, in seventh place so far. The team have had machine troubles through the early start of the season, but a second place in the wet last time out certainly boosted the teams moral. Unfortunately for the team, they were involved in the incident with the Birchall brothers in the Sunday race. But now it is “Assen”, and Reeves and Wilkes love this place, they have had success here in the past and will be going all out for the podium again. Also, you could say that this place is the home GP for Reeves; he lives not far away in the sidecar famous village of “Grolloo”.
Josef Sattler and Luca Schmidt will not contest this weekend and not the rest of the season. Unfortunately they had a big crash at “Schleiz” contesting their domestic championship. Their machine was a total write off. But they still sit in eighth place with 53 points.
The father and son team of Ted and Vincent Peugeot have 45 points and have had some great battles so far this season. They will hope that “Assen” will be good for them and a good pair of results will boost their points tally in their championship campaign.
Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kolsch have had a nightmare season so far, they have been having a lot of machine problems. But when things are going well, they have had the pace to fight at the front. This is Streuer’s home track and GP a good pair of results here will boost the team’s spirits no end. They have 40 points in tenth place so far in the championship.
The next four teams in the championship have only four points separating them from each and other. Lennard Gottlich had his old passenger, Uwe Neubert step in at the “Red Bull Ring” as his normal passenger Lucas Krieg has an injury from a crash at “Schleiz”, I think Neubert will be in the chair here at “Assen”, they have 35 points. Next up is Rupert Archer and Adam Christie, they have 34 points, they have had machine problems at the start of the season, but things are looking good now, they had two good races last time out at the “Red Bull Ring” and were up with the leading teams at the start of the main race on Sunday.
Kevin Cable and Charlie Richardson have 32 points, the team will be hoping for good results here in “Assen” as they like the circuit, and if they can get a good qualifying and get away well with the rest of the field they could get good points for their championship. John Holden and Germaine Middegaal missed out on the weekend in “Most”, and a DNF at “Spa” has left them with catch up for their points tally, they have 31 points in fourteenth place.
Peter Kimeswenger and Ondrej Sedlacek have 27 points in fifteenth place. Their season has not been going the way they wanted, their machine is good, and they just want to get some good results under their belt.
Max Zimmermann and Ronja Mahl have 19 points in sixteenth place, they have had some good battles with Kimeswenger and Sedlacek, Gottlich/Krieg/ Neubert throughout the season so far, they will be hoping for the same in “Assen”.
Janez Remse and Manfred Wechselberger, were at the “Red Bull Ring” as spectators, driver Remse is still recovering from a collarbone injury sustained in an accident at “Spa”, they are eighteenth in the championship.
Claude Vinet and Christophe Darras will want to put the weekend at the “Red Bull Ring” behind them, machine problems plagued them all weekend. They will hope “Assen” will be kinder to them.
Markus Schwegler and Ondrej Kopecky have been steadily improving through the season, they will hope for a good weekend in “Assen”.
There will be two races over the weekend, one sprint race on Saturday the 19th and main race on Sunday the 20th. Free practice and qualifying will take place on Friday the 18th.
Text and picture Mark Walters