FIM Sidecar World Championship.
Race 2 Le Mans.
Once again the sun was beating down on the sidecar teams as they took to the track for the second 18 lap race in Le Mans.
As the lights went out it was Lukas Wyssen and Thomas Hofer with their LCR Yamaha who got a cracker of a start. Just a bit too good though, they were to be given a pit lane drive through penalty for jumping the lights.
As the teams sorted themselves out it was Tim Reeves and Kevin Rousseau who would emerge leading the field with their Adolf RS, Yamaha, Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement second with their LCR, Yamaha. Third place with a small gap it was Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries with their LCR, Yamaha. Next up was Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood on their LCR, Yamaha. Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kolsch, Adolf RS, Yamaha were in sixth spot.
Lap 3 saw Wyssen and Hofer enter pit lane for their drive through, they would rejoin in 15th place just in front of Philippe Gallerne and Jean-Philipe Bouchard on their RCN, Kawasaki. In front of these two was Stephane and Tristan Gadet on their LCR, Kawasaki.
Making small progress up the field was remarkably Harry Payne and Mark Wilkes on a loaned, LCR, Yamaha. They had a big crash in qualifying yesterday, and they would have started from pole position. The machine passed technical checks and the pair were deemed fit to race, but they would start from the back of the grid.
Lap five would see Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kolsch pull out with electrical problems. Also Kevin Cable and Charlie Richardson with their LCR, Yamaha, they had quick shifter problems.
By half distance, Schlosser and Fries had overhauled Ellis and Clement for second place and were chasing down Reeves and Rousseau for the lead.
Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood had made good time and were up with the top three teams in fourth spot.
Ted and Vincent Peugeot, LCR, Yamaha were sitting in a good fifth place, fending off Paul Leglis and Melanie Farnier on their LCR, Yamaha.
Janez Remse and Manfred Wechselberger with their Adolf RS, Yamaha were in a good seventh spot.
By this time Payne and Wilkes were up to eighth place just in front of Wyssen and Hofer who also were making up time after their ride through penalty.
Markus Schlosser and Marcel Freis did catch and pass Tim Reeves and Kevin Rousseau for the lead and they started to make a gap. Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement were in a close third and decided they had to stay with Schlosser/Fries; they also passed Reeves/Rousseau and were up to second. However, when Schlosser/Fries got out in front that was it, they started pulling away from the rest of the field.
Kershaw and Charlwood could see Reeves/Rousseau up in front of them, and they were making time on the Anglo French team, they were to catch, but passing was a different mater, Reeves and Rousseau worked with their pit team and kept in front.
As the race came to an end nobody could stay with the pace of Schlosser and Fries they were delighted with the race win, and again had the fastest lap time, a 1:43.504.
Ellis and Clement took a great second place and were also delighted with this result, first place yesterday, and second today.
Tim Reeves and Kevin Rousseau were happy with third and after the race they found that the sidecar wheel bearing had failed.
A great fourth place for Stephen Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood, they were happy with this result too, knowing that the can stay with the front runners is a great moral boost for the team.
Fifth place went to Ted and Vincent Peugeot, again a very happy team with this result. Great experience for the young driver.
Paul Leglise and Melanie Farnier took sixth spot, another great result for the team.
Lukas Wyssen and Thomas Hofer took seventh place; the team were delighted with this considering they messed up at the start of the race. Wyssen was angry with his mistake but happy with the result.
A great eighth place went to Harry Payne and Mark Wilkes, on a strange bike, and battered and bruised from yesterday’s incident, they were happy with this.
Janez Remse and Manfred Wechselberger took ninth place, again the team were happy with this, and Remse did not have any problems with cramp in his leg like yesterday.
A good result for Cedric and Arnaud Pierard on their Adolf RS, Yamaha, they took tenth place, the team really enjoyed the race.
Claude and Cyril Vinet on their LCR, Yamaha took eleventh place, the team were not so happy with this, thinking they could have done better, but none the less another fair result.
Philippe Le Bail and Serge Leveau on their LCR, Yamaha took twelfth place, the team were happy with this result.
Philippe Gallerne and Jean- Philip Bouchard took thirteenth place, another finish for the team and they enjoyed the race.
Stephane and Tristan Gadet with their LCR, Kawasaki took fourteenth place, they were happy with how their weekend had gone.
Next weekend the sidecar teams will be off to Assen in Holland for the second round of the championship.
Mark Walters