The sun shone, and the action was hot at Canada Heights on Sunday when it hosted the British Sidecarcross GP and Round four of the 2026 FIM Sidecarcross World Championship.
Report by Barry Nutley – Images courtesy of WSC
Qualifying saw the speed of two or three top teams who would be hard to beat on a track which seemed to be enjoyable to ride, but difficult to race, simply because passing opportunities are rare.
The start would be even more important here than any we have seen so far this season. Vanluchene/van den Bogaart were very fast, with Ben getting fitter all the time and seemingly enjoying the experience. As we approach one-third distance in the championship, Hermans, Wilkinson and the Leilbardis twins all know they need to close the gap.
Morning warm-up – Saw everyone using the session to look, learn and memorise, with the Lielbardis twins getting a 2.07.966 very early on. Their speed in the qualifying race was good, and they seem to be getting back to where they were. Wilkinson/Millard also looked tidy, with the knowledge they must finish both races, and finish well. They were second fastest ahead of Sanders/Vincent.
Very few teams play their hands in warm-up, it is always saved for the races, but they all know here the start is vital. As the morning unfolded, the crowds were building as the officials and teams were presented to the fans in the traditional ceremony.
Race One
A brilliant hole shot by the Prunier brothers took them into the lead with Wilkinson/Millard very much in touch and Vanluchene/van den Bogaart sitting third. Off they went, with Dan Foden/Noah Weinmann in pursuit along with Stephan Wijers/Joel Hoffmann also very much in touch. Further back the Lielbardis brothers and the Leferinks sat ahead of slower starting Koen Hermans/Dion Rietman and Mike Hodges/Ryan Henderson. Hodges got his act together and made his way into around sixth place.
Prummer/Schneider also had a bad start compounded by a problem which caused them to later in the race to drop out of the action, giving Wilkinson a boost in the points table.
Vanluchene passed Prunier early in the race, and Wilkinson did the same on his way to staying with Vanluchene. This he did and was soon past, making a great block pass on the former champion to take control of the race.
The Lielbardis twins and Leferinks had a race-long battle which ended with the Leferinks claiming fourth place ahead of the Latvians. Dan Foden slipped out of the top five, probably due to the thumb injury which he aggravated last weekend. In his post-race interview, Marvin was rueful and complained of arm-pump, promising to do better next time.
A magnificent home victory in front of jubilant local fans gave Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard the twenty-five points and a huge incentive for race two.
Result
Race Two
A second quad race had further complicated the track, plus the veteran heavy bikes had added their own special set of conditions to the going. The start was once again going to be crucial, and it was a frantic rush to the first corner when the gate went down. It was yet another hole shot for the Prunier boys, but Marvin was very quickly on their case and forced past. Their early pace was rapid and they pulled a lead. Brett and Joe made it into third, but their pace was not as hot as race one. They settled into third and could not improve on that. Behind them, a great fight opened between the Leferinks and Koen Hermans. Koen had a much better ride, resulting in him finishing in fourth after forcing past Leferink. Tim Prummer from another bad start, made it through to pip Dan Foden and Noah Weinmann for seventh place.
The top three were now away, and the crowd was behind Brett and Joe as they battled on but were unable to repeat the earlier success. Behind, the field became stretched, due to the heat and track conditions, so credit where credit is due. This was a tough GP. Marvin’s victory closed him on the red plate, with the gap now reduced to twelve points but with the Pruniers still in control. The Lielbardis twins were unable to start due to a sickness befalling Bruno the passenger, whilst Kelly Debruynne scored her first 2026 Championship point.
Result
Overall Result GP
Round Five comes from Gdansk in Poland next weekend, followed immediately by round six in Karksi Nuia, Estonia.
