Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard continued their strong 2026 FIM World Sidecarcross Championship campaign with a podium finish at the penultimate round of the series at Varsseveld in the Netherlands.
Images courtesy of WSC
The British pairing were right in the mix throughout a brutal day of racing in the Dutch sand, twice firing their outfit to the holeshot and eventually securing third overall after another impressive performance on the world stage.
Fellow Brits Dan Foden and Noah Weinmann also enjoyed a strong day, putting together two top-ten finishes with tenth in the opening encounter and eighth in race two.
At the front, the weekend belonged to Marvin Vanluchene and Ben van den Bogaart, who wrapped up the 2026 FIM World Sidecarcross Championship with a round to spare before completing their Varsseveld weekend with the overall Grand Prix victory.
Read the full race rundown from Barry Nutley – WSC below.
Race One
The opening Quadcross World Championship race had already modified the track somewhat when the sidecars came to the line, but a sighting lap gave them some idea of what to expect. Thirty outfits sprinting fifty metres to the first turn was a tantalising spectacle not to be missed.
In addition, a holeshot prize of 100 euros for each race sponsored by “Auto Brusselers” was an added incentive.
A disastrous start to the day for the Prunier brothers saw them working on a clutch problem during a ten-minute delay, only getting to the line when everyone else had formed up. When the gate dropped, Wilkinson/Millard got the holeshot from Vanluchene/van den Bogaart, with the Leferinks, Koen Grondman/Ross Vincent, Davy Sanders and Veldman/Lebreton all jostling for position. Two bends later, Veldman was in front with Marvin chasing.
Several lower order teams went into the fence, but the leaders were away with it. The rain was falling heavily, making the track progressively worse as the race went on. Wilkinson battled with the Leferinks and Davy Sanders ahead of Stephan Wijers/Han van Hal and Grondman/Vincent.
Sanders was as consistent as ever, as indeed were the top three. Veldman’s skill on picking lines was impressive as outfit after outfit became stranded or beached. To keep going was itself a feat, but the leaders did it well.
At half-distance the Leferinks once again fell foul of the conditions and ended up getting stuck sideways. They did recover, but seventh place was the best they could do. There bad luck was good fortune for Wilkinson, who was in a safe third place.
Meanwhile the Prunier brothers had crept to nineteenth, only to fall back out of the points. This result placed them in jeopardy of losing second place in the standings to Tim Prummer/Patrick Schneider who managed eighth place and thirteen points. They were then just three behind the Frenchmen going into race two. Into the closing stages, Marvin Vanluchene and Ben van den Bogaart had the title won riding cautiously, even looking at the track marshals for guidance when approaching tricky areas. Their title victory had all the hallmarks of two calculating and vastly experienced campaigners.
Veldman became the seventh rider to win a GP race this season, with huge promise of more to come.
Race Two
It was another storming holeshot for Wilkinson/Millard, but they ran a touch wide on the exit, allowing Marvin and Ben through on the tight inside. With them went the Leferinks, Veldman/Lebreton and Prummer/Schneider. Killian and Evan Prunier started on row two behind Vanluchene aware of the fact they had just a three-point margin over Tim Prummer. Even that start position did not benefit the hapless French Champions. It simply was not their day, and they around eighteenth place on lap one.
By contrast, Prummer gated well and was around fourth place first time around, well placed to serve defeat on his French rivals. Once Vanluchene hit the front, there was little Veldman could do to catch him. Those two outfits were line astern for half the race, with Wilkinson and the Leferinks giving chase, but not lapping at the leader’s pace. The scrap between these two teams was race-long until Brett dropped out of it. Tim and Sem Leferink had a safe, if lonely ride, to third place for the remainder of the race.
Track conditions were brutal, trapping team after team in the deep ruts, causing the leaders to do their best, but to prepare for the worst. Wilkinson’s moment came when Tony Milliar and Jon Hunt got stuck, taking Brett and Joe with them.
The British pair then began an impressive fight-back from a lowly position, passing the Prunier brothers in the process. They had made great progress through the field to eighth place until Wilkinson nailed them. On the last lap, Stephan Wijers passed Prummer, removing him from fourth as he did so. This effectively kept Prunier in second spot in the standings by one single point.
Meanwhile, Vanluchene had opened a twenty-second gap on Veldman to seal the overall win, stamping total authority on the weekend.
Brits battle through in Varsseveld
For Wilkinson and Millard, it was another weekend that demonstrated their pace at the front of the World Championship. Two holeshots and a third-place finish in the opening race helped the British crew onto the third step of the Varsseveld GP podium.
Foden and Weinmann also continued to show their consistency on the world stage, bringing the outfit home inside the top ten in both races.
While the 2026 World Championship has now been secured by Vanluchene and van den Bogaart, there is still plenty for the British crews to race for as the series heads to Germany for its final round.
The Grand Finale takes place at the traditional Rudersberg venue on 19–20 September, where the 2026 FIM World Sidecarcross Championship will draw to a close.
Overall Results
Current Standings
