By Last week, Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in Germany, hosted the Sidecar Festival extravaganza, which incorporated the 2025 Sidecars World Championship finale.
It was the place to be for lovers of three-wheel racing and, also a farewell to 2025 Sidecar racing in Europe albeit there is still the British Championship final, as part of the BSB showdown finale at Brands Hatch next week (17th-19th October).
Over the weekend, the weather fluctuated with rain on Saturday, low temperatures on Sunday.
Same as last season, the pink-wigs lit up the winners’ circle as the World Championship title went again (question mark regarding this – following post-race scrutineering) to TT experienced British/French pair, Team #45-Steinhausen Racing’s Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau.
Re-capping their TT careers, driver Payne was in 2018 passenger for Michael Jackson before linking up with Mountain Course legend Dave Molyneux in 2019. Three years later he made his TT driving premiere aside Mark Wilkes.
Sidekick Rousseau, in the same year joined forces with Tim Reeves, went onto finish runner-up from second Sidecar race exploration of TT 2024 (aside Ben Birchall).
We would be remiss not to mention 82 years old German three-wheeling icon Rolf Steinhausen, three-times TT winner, twice World Champion, whose team (above-showcased) made it back-to-back world titles. Steinhausen’s Busch-Konig Sidecar from 1975 season made an appearance on track during Oschersleben weekend.
Eight times World Champion, 2013 Sidecar TT Race 1 winner Tim Reeves alongside Ferry Segers (Northern Sidecar Cup race winners x2 at Hengelo in May) captured opening Oschersleben race spoils.
The season concluding ‘World’ race bouts additionally illustrated the core speed, talents of to name but a-few:
Schleizer Dreieck (Thuringer Motorsport meeting/IRRC intertwined) podium finishers this year Markus Schlosser/Lukas Krieg (P2 x2) and Patrick Werkstetter/Valentin Pirat (P5 x2).
Beverley’s Sam Christie/Tom Christie (P6/P3 – Schleiz experienced – still potential 2025 World Champions depending upon specific circumstances aligning).
Eight times Imatranajo race winner, lap-record holder there, Pekka Paivarinta (P3/P4 with UK´s Adam Christie).
Fellow Imatranajo podium regulars Son/father duo Joni Mannien/Tero Manninen (P7 in Race 1 and did not start in Race 2) and Chimay, Hengelo experienced Raymond Leijdekkers/Calvin Leijdekkers (P12/P9) from Netherlands plus top fifteen TT finishers Flying Dutchmen Team’s Wiggert Kranenburg/Kevin Kolsch (P11/did not finish last week).
Let us note here that Kranenburg/Kolsch will be on IOM shores next year for TT 2026.
There were satisfactory results as well for Czech passenger Ondrej Sedlacek (P9/P6 with UK pilot Rupert Archer), who is known for his yesteryear Sidecar exploits at venues such as Horice, Jicin, Nepomuk, Stare Mesto, Branna with his father Roman Sedlacek.
Rogier Weekers/Remco Moes (Chimay, Hengelo experienced) did not start in races after P12 in qualifying.
Outside World Championship races, the Sidecar Trophy Sidecar Trophy, Northern Sidecar Cup and Camathias Cup included for example treble TT podium finisher Alan Founds, former TT pilots, German Mike Roscher and Austrian Michael Grabmuller or this season, Chimay and Hengelo exponents like Bennie Streuer, Manuel Moreau/Alexis Delaunay, Hilbert Talens/Felix Pinkert, Thierry Massacrier/Antoine Besson, Frank Clayes/Lex Deemter plus Imatranajo participants Petri Virtanen/Julius Virtanen.
Both Camathias Cup (named after Swiss Florian Camathias, 1963 TT winner, who lost his life at Brands Hatch, sixty years ago in 1965) races were-won by UK’s Ray Reeves with Yens Van Den Boer, whilst the Classic Sidecar contests also featured:
Horice circuit constants, Andy Nourish/Michiel Leeflang, Marvin Vermeulen/Nicolai Klinker, Szymon Spychala/Tomasz Korzyniewski, and others with potent Hengelo/Varsselring, Circuit De Chimay, Gedinne race craft.
We could go expand, expand, and expand; there are just so many names which we have not additionally mentioned but if you adore Sidecars, support them next season, viewing up close. Never failing to excite, pulsate, thrill, Sidecars always add extra spice to road races.
Photo credit: Jan Vavra
Words by Jan Vavra
