The ballot for qualifying gate slots of the 2025 FIM Sidecarcross of Nations took place on Thursday evening and was transmitted on a live Facebook link. The Heerde sand, in Holland would soon cut up, so a good start position was essential. The air temperature was very chilly, with little sign of any sun breaking through the thick cloud.
Race Report by Barry Nutley – Images by WSC
The atmosphere on qualifying day was good, as the crowd began to grow, with people waking up to the realisation something good was about to happen.
Free Practice – demonstrated what a good job the organisers had done with the track, as all the teams circulated well.
Group “A” kicked off and the speeds on a flat track were incredible. Once the ruts began to form, that would change. Tim Leferink, with Jens Vincent alongside put in a 1.52.257, a speed which would be unassailable as the track settled in. The Prunier brothers showed well, second fastest. They would be pleased with that.
Group “B” saw a very fast showing by Tim Prummer/Jarno Steegmans, with Stephan Wijers/Han van Hal and Davy Sanders/Robbe de Veene riding very well, ahead of Dan Foden/Noah Weinmann. A time of 1.54.106 underlined the deterioration of the surface and the deepening of the sand.
The final group session featured newly crowned world champions Koen Hermans and Ben van den Bogaart, so they could be expected to be fast, but it was Guennady Auvray and Rodolphe Lebreton who shot to the top with a flying lap of 2.04.904.
That time was soon overtaken as Hermans flexed his muscles, banging in a 1.57.6 ahead of Wilkinson/Millard’s 1.59.8.
Qualifying – Group “A” got off to a flying start with Marco/Remo Heinzer heading off down the straight in front, only to be pipped through the first corner by Tim Leferink/Jens Vincent as they grabbed an immediate lead, charging away in complete control. They were followed by Team Belgium, in the shape of Neils Hendrickx/Tayim Kaethoven. This pair were going well but gradually gave way to superior competition as the Prunier brothers got their heads down in pursuit of Adrian Peter/Joel Hoffmann and a very fast Ular Karing and Sten Nitsoo. The Estonians were tough fighters and even when Killian and Evan Prunier caught them up, they were not giving way. Gradually, the Heinzer brothers slipped back, but still wound up seventh after nearly two years away. Later in the race, Kaethoven slipped from Hendrickx’s sidecar, dropping them to sixth.
Meanwhile, out front, Leferink was supreme, extending his lead to well over one minute at the flag. Peter/Hoffmann had a good solid ride, waving the flag for Germany.
Result
Group “B” – This involved a great start by Davy Sanders/Robbe de Veene heading Dan Foden/Noah Weinmann into turn one as Tim Prummer/Jarno Steegmans became hooked up with another outfit, capsizing in the process. Prummer had to regroup and start again, which he did with great success. Foden/Weinmann had a great battle with Sanders, eventually taking the lead, with Stephan Wijers/Han van Hal also giving chase and battling with Sanders.
The Belgian outfit eventually settled in third, with Foden out in front and looking very good. Wijers could not go the extra place and settled for a strong fourth.
Meanwhile, Prummer was lapping four seconds faster that the leaders, and one by one picked his way through the pack. With two laps remaining, he moved past Foden into the lead.
This did not go down well, and into the closing stages, Foden almost landed on Prummer as he made a bid to regain the place. It was a move which almost tipped the Anglo-German outfit upside down, but he recovered and brough it home second.
Ironically, Davy Sanders suffered a five-place noise penalty, bumping him down five places.
Result
Group “C” – This race involved the new world champions Koen Hermans/Ben van den Bogaart and number three in the world Brett Wilkinson/Joe Millard. It was no surprise that Hermans got the hole shot and cleared off into the distance. His eventual margin was around fifty seconds from Wilkinson. It’s fair to say the British team, once in that position, had nothing to fight for, so kept it safe and tidy to the end.
The story of the race was the spirited battle between Leon Hofmann and two chasing young teams.
Remo Kaser and his brother Luca, eighteen and sixteen years respectively, gave a fantastic performance resulting in an eventual third place.
Equally impressive was the ride by Kevin and Kenny Vahter from Estonia with their AYR chassis with tele-forks, and the thumping KTM engine.
They have grown in strength and hopefully will find the funds to do a GP season at some point.
Result
The three main races are tomorrow for the Nations Team Event trophy. Stay tuned on FIM-MOTO.TV with all other updates here on www.fimsidecarcross.com.
Overall Qualification Standings
Sunday Schedule
