STim Weijers/Han van Hal won the penultimate Dutch Sidecarcross Championship in Holten, taking the win in the thrilling second heat. Tim Leferink, assisted in Holten by German Joël Hoffmann, finished second, and Hermans/Van den Bogaart took third place on the day's podium.
Acorns, pine cones, and mushrooms. It was definitely autumn in Holten! And autumn can make the weather stormy.
The local motorcycle club had a tough weekend, but as always, they kept their spirits up, and after rainy Saturday activities, a full-fledged Dutch National Sidecar/Quad Masters Championship was held on Sunday. The motocross track itself was tougher than usual this time due to the heavy rainfall that battered the acid mountain, especially on Saturday!
In the first heat, Hermans/Van den Bogaart took the holeshot, and no one could match their pace! They took a dominant head-to-tail victory ahead of Leferink/Hoffmann, who finished second in no-man's-land. The tension for third place was palpable! Wijers/Van Hal were third, but Sanders/Vincent were hot on their heels for almost the entire heat. Sanders was just unable to actually get the sidecar in between. The crowd was waiting for a final attack, but in the final stages, Wijers and Sanders passed a fighting train of stragglers, so the attack never materialized. Wijers finished third, with Sanders fourth. Van de Lagemaat/De Venne then rounded out the top five, with Mulders/Van Deutekom sixth.
In the second heat, Mulders took the holeshot, but quickly found Leferink breathing down his neck. On the second lap, Leferink took the lead from Mulders around the outside, and shortly after, Wijers also passed. Wijers/Van Hal had to close a small gap to Leferink, but they steadily closed in on the leaders. Wijers had to as well, because Sanders/Vincent were catching up behind him. This created a long, drawn-out train of three leading sidecars, which seemed to be getting shorter and shorter. Tension reigned! Leferink had to keep his foot on the gas at the front. His German sidecar passenger, Joël Hoffmann, certainly not used to this pace in the heavy sand, performed an astonishingly top-notch job all day, but unfortunately made a mistake. When Leferink brushed a few hairpin bends, as only the world's best sand riders can, Hoffmann suddenly nearly fell forward out of the box. This caused Leferink's speed to drop briefly, as he was just turning onto the long loop at the back of the forest. This gave Wijers the opportunity to launch an attack on that same long loop, and Wijers/Van Hal took the lead. The final stages remained exciting, but the standings remained unchanged. Wijers/Van Hal won the second heat and, with it, the overall Dutch National Sidecarcross Championship in Holten. Leferink/Hoffmann then finished second, securing second overall. It was an extraordinary performance by Hoffmann's passenger to compete so well on the very difficult sand track in Holten. Sanders/Vincent then finished third in the second heat but just missed out on the day's podium. That final spot on the podium went to Hermans. Hermans had a rough start and was struggling with his sidecar, which wasn't performing quite as planned. Almost "on Hermans," they finished fourth just a minute after Sanders. This was just enough to secure third overall in Holten and maintain a firm lead in the Dutch National Sidecarcross Championship.
The decision will be made this coming Saturday in Valkenswaard during the last Dutch Sidecarcross Championship of 2025.
