Qualifying showed the importance of a quick start at the ninth and penultimate round of the 2024 World Sidecarcross Championship in Rudersberg, Germany, for the two races. That was emphasised more in the morning warm-up, as the teams commented on the track condition. Saturday’s mud had become very sticky, and the tight nature of some bends made passing difficult.
The team’s presentation was warmly welcomed by the fans, with German hero Tim Prummer getting the second loudest cheer. The honour for the biggest reception goes to the young Latvian Lielbardis twins, with the big fan numbers seemingly following them wherever they go. Presentation over, and two key races looming, the paddock settled into a business-like mood ahead of the main action, due to kick off at 1pm sharp. Miraculously, out came the sun bang on cue, with the crowd building nicely. This was going to live up to Rudersberg’s traditional standard of high attendance in the party tent and trackside.
Race One – Another amazing start for Mike Hodges and Ryan Henderson took them into the lead at the downhill right-hander, followed by Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard. The Lielbardis boys hit the turn in third, but they were intent on bettering that. Ten times champion Daniel Willemsen with young Tayim Kaethoven alongside had another great start, leading Marvin Vanluchene/Glenn Janssens in the early stages, but the red plate holders were quickly up to fourth place. From that point on, Vanluchene simply had to ride for a strong finish, nursing his passenger’s injured ribs. That they did, bringing it home in a fine fourth place and eighteen points.
Hodges held the lead for two laps before Wilkinson took the advantage, quickly followed by Lielbardis. The French Prunier brothers were then pushing hard, chasing, and eventually passing Hodges for third. Those three outfits opened a gap from a mammoth fight between five teams as Davy Sanders/Jarno Steegmans, Benny Weiss/Patrick Schneider, Stephan Wijers/Han van Hal, Koen Hermans/Ben van den Bogaart and the Weinmann brothers were like a freight train lap after lap, with Sanders and Weiss making contact on more than one occasion. Hermans had the speed but on this track, passing was difficult at best, and he was increasingly thwarted. Then, sensationally, Hermans was out. His gremlins had returned, just when everyone was breathing a sigh of relief for him. This rewarded the Prunier brothers for their persistence and consolidated third place into an almost impossible position for Hermans to now reach. It was to be hoped the Mega/WSP of Hermans would be good for race two, so we could see what he is capable of. Out front though, Lielbardis now had a decent lead, with Wilkinson/Millard in a terrific runner-up spot.
Race Two – Expectations were high for this one, with Wilkinson aiming for victory and the overall win. Either way, he and Joe were in a strong position, as indeed were the young Latvians. The teams lined up, with Wilkinson once again hard on the right side and therefore closest to the bend.
Weather conditions were perfect if cold, with the track having seen support solo and quad races in the intervening period.
Down went the gate and the race was on, with six or seven outfits skating into the first turn. Again, to everyone’s astonishment, two left-handed sidecars hit the front in style. Mike Hodges was on fire as he led Brett Wilkinson for the second time today.
Jason van Daele/Loet van der Putten were next up, followed by the Prunier boys. The other big title names such as Vanluchene and Lielbardis were stuck a little in the pack, which was a bit disjointed as the Buob brothers crashed heavily on the start straight. Hermans was also down in eighth place and fighting through, eventually passing Vanluchene into third place. There was another set-back for the Lielbardis boys when they followed Jason van Daele into a tight turn, colliding with him when he almost stalled. This, added to an earlier incident when Bruno almost went over the handrail.
Once more, Benny Weiss was fast, battling through as one by one the chasers caught and passed the flying Mike Hodges/Ryan Henderson, who eventually brought it home eighth.
It was damage limitation once again for the red plate holder Vanluchene, as he and Glenn Janssens weighed up the sums and took a measured ride to fifth place, following Lielbardis home. The lead is now thirty-one points with two races left, so barring a “no score” in Italy, they have one hand on the title again. Wilkinson’s victory cements their fifth place and gives them a shot at fourth should Hermans falter more in La Colla.
Report by Barry Nutley – Images by WSC
Sourced from DirtHub.co.uk