Lommel marked the beginning of the second half of the 2024 FIM World Sidecarcross Championship, and what a turning point it became. We saw everything from a complete change of fortunes for the young Latvian Lielbardis twins to a masterful display from defending champions, Marvin Vanluchene and Glenn Janssens.
Words by Barry Nutley – Images by WSC
Add to that a stunning one-off comeback ride by Etienne and Robbie Bax and the weekend was indeed something to remember.
For the next round this weekend the track will be something completely different. The open hillside track of Iffendic is located about thirty-five kilometres west of Rennes in France and has hosted motocross of the highest quality including previous Sidecar Grands Prix.
Several teams will be sighing with relief they have left the sand behind them, not least of all Killian and Evan Prunier, who were not happy in Lommel and came away having lost third place in the standings to Koen Hermans/Ben van den Bogaart. On home soil, expect the double French champions to throw everything at regaining that position.
By the same token, the title chase is still very much alive for Hermans, with eight races still left on the schedule, he is only forty-one points off the top.
The previous red plate holders Daniels and Bruno Lielbardis had a torrid time with crashes and mechanical issues in both Lommel races. The youngsters now trail Vanluchene/Janssens by sixteen points and will be utterly focussed on righting that wrong.
Other big winners in Belgium were Tim Prummer and Rodolphe Lebreton who will also be on home ground. Third overall and a bagful of points promoted them to sixth place, twenty-four behind Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard. The British crew retain fifth despite a DNF in the opening Lommel race. They can run right at the front provided they make a good start. Iffendic could well provide that opportunity, and British crews traditionally go well in France.
The French crowd will be as hysterical as ever, surpassed only by the trackside commentator, urging their favourites to deliver a repeat of their Plomion victory, with the Prunier brothers on the same page in that regard.
The WSC live stream will capture all the qualifying and race action from Iffendic, so be sure acquire your weekend or season pass, with the usual highlights show following on a few days after the weekend. and which you can sign up to here >>https://page.inplayer.com/fimsidecarcross/
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