The party feeling gathered momentum as race day of round five of the 2023 FIM World Sidecarcross Championship dawned at Brou in France. If we thought the crowd was big for qualifying, then raceday looked almost double the number.
Race Report by Barry Nutley – Images courtesy of WSC
The track had been extensively graded and watered ahead of proceedings and was in good shape. The hot weather would certainly guarantee some dust later.
Morning warm-up gave the teams the chance to shake off those nervous overnight thoughts, and on the evidence of qualifying, we had much to look forward to. Which National Anthem would be playing at the end of the day? We were about to find out!
Race One –The gate went down, and it was game on to turn one.
From the extreme left, Etienne Bax/Ondrej Cermak had a terrific hole shot ahead of Vanluchene/Musset and a brilliant start by Tim Prummer/Jarno Steegmans.
Others were not so fortunate, with Wilkinson/Millard falling victim to the muddy right side, getting bogged and boxed in on the first turn. Jason van Daele also had a shocking start and capsized in turn one, appearing in almost last place once he recovered. The Prunier brothers were then holding Hermans/Van Den Bogaart at bay for the first few laps.
Wilkinson/Millard were making ground hand over fist but there was work to do all race-long for them. At the front, Bax was looking through a clear window and had the choice of line on what was a difficult track to overtake.
He was five seconds clear of the red plate holder Vanluchene with eight laps gone. Hermans/Van Den Bogaart were now past Prunier and chasing down Prummer for third. This they did on lap nine, with Prummer holding off Prunier and Keuben/Rietman. Eight minutes and two laps left on the board and Wilkinson was now ninth behind Sanders/Rostingt with the other left-handed chair of Heinzer in sixth.
Seventh place and it was the Lielbardis twins having fun until they got it wrong over a jump, almost collapsing the sidecar wheel and exiting Bruno the passenger. They were to struggle in for twelfth at the flag.
Still Bax persevered, lapping consistently like a machine, extending the gap from Vanluchene/Musset. Heinzer moved past Keuben with Wilkinson next to try his hand.
Into the final two laps and Bax had it all but won with the Prunier boys in a very creditable fifth place ahead of Heinzer and a flying Wilkinson.
Heinzer would be a harder nut to crack but there was no stopping Wilkinson. He was now sixth and hunting down both Prunier and Prummer. The top three were now done and dusted with Prummer/Steegmans hanging on for a fine fourth place.
Result
Race Two – It was hard to see who could stop Bax/Cermak in this form, but for sure they would all try.
The hole shot went once again to Bax/Cermak, but all hopes of clearing off were dashed on lap three when Marvin Vanluchene/Nicolas Musset, who had started right on Bax’s tail, passed them over a jump at the bottom of the hill.
Brett Wilkinson/Joe Millard had a much better start, slotting into third place from Prunier and Hermans.
Once again, Prummer and Steegmans had a strong start to grab sixth place from van Werven, Keuben and Lielbardis. The young German Weinmann brothers were next, going well with their left-hand outfit. Heinzer/Betschart and Van Daele/Beleckas were out on the opening lap, so it was not a good day for them.
At the front, Vanluchene was going like a train with the partisan crowd going bonkers with the success of Vanluchene/Musset.
Lap nine and Bax was still on the red plated leaders, never giving an inch if there was a chance to lift the overall win. Wilkinson was a further five seconds back, still third and fighting.
Hermans now firmly fourth did not appear to be closing on the British crew, so he was on for fourth place unless things changed dramatically. The Lielbardis boys were right on Prummer with six minutes remaining, so this was going to be a tight call for the German. Sure enough, he succumbed and was then threatened by the Prunier boys. This was a nervous time for Prummer but proof if proof be needed, that he and Jarno could run at the front.
Marvin Vanluchene and Nicolas Musset had done what they needed to do in Musset’s back yard. Race two and overall victory was a good day’s work.
Result
Overall Result
