The Netherlands wins the Sidecarcross of Nations in Schwedt, a sad day for team Belgium!
The Dutch sidecar cross team consisting of Bax/Stupelis, Hermans/Kunnas and Van Werven/Van Gaalen have extended their national title in sidecar cross. In Schwedt, Germany, the Netherlands was unapproachable and put the surprising number two at the end of the day, Estonia, far behind. Team Great Britain took third place on the podium.
Team Belgium had a bad day. Already in the first heat, Dierckens/Bax had mechanical problems and this caused the other Belgian team, Vanluchene/Van den Boogaart, to start from the front row. However, this turned out to be illegal and even though Vanluchene/Van den Boogaart had managed to win the first heat, they, like Dierckens/Bax, were disqualified due to the illegal start. Very sad for contender Belgium, which also had so much bad luck in the Sidecarcross of Nations last year and with two immediate DQs behind its name, had no chance of winning the podium after the first heat.
This time, Schwedt, Germany, was the setting for the Sidecarcross of Nations. The sandy slope with relief would certainly suit the biggest contenders Belgium and the Netherlands. In the qualifications, both countries narrowly avoided each other and Belgium was allowed to start from the best places on Sunday, with the Netherlands close behind.
Heat 1
Dierckens/Bax already had problems with the fuel supply near the starting gate and they soon decided to go to the pits and give up their starting spot on the first row to the other Belgian team of Vanluchene. Vanluchene/Van en Boogaart then took the holeshot and the Belgian duo was only seen again at the finish where they clearly took first place. Dierckens was ultimately able to participate in the battle with one lap behind, but a good classification was logically seen. In itself there is nothing wrong, because one can delete 1 of the 6 results for the final result and with Vanluchene's first place, Belgium still seemed well in the race. However, the jury was told that both Belgian teams were disqualified as they had started the competition illegally. Vanluchene should have started from the second row of the grid and was not allowed to move to the front row despite the machine failure of his Belgian teammates. Very sad for team Belgium, who now had no chance of winning the final title with two DQs to their name.
Due to the disqualification of the actual winner Vanluchene, everyone in the standings moved up one place and the win now fell to Britt Stuart Brown, who saw his son and team mate Jake Brown fourth on the results list. The Netherlands came second with Bax/Stupelis and fifth with Van Werven/Van Gaalen. Outsiders for the podium, team France, already had bad luck in the first few 100 meters when both teams were forced to a standstill because British racing driver Joe Millard had fallen out of the box. Millard and his rider Jake Brown rode well to the front, while the French did not get further than tenth and fifteenth place. The Estonians also performed well with Varik (3rd) and Normak (7th).
Heat 2
Dierckens/Bax did in the second heat what they did so often earlier this season. They took the holeshot and Hermans and Brown immediately followed them. Stuart Brown was in good shape and knocked Hermans/Kunnas out of second place. However, at the end of the ride Hermans turned out to be the laughing third. They suddenly took both the second and first positions away from the competition and won the heat.
The second Dutch team also did well in this heat. Van Werven/Van Gaalen managed to displace Brown/Chamberlain from third place in the final phase to claim it for themselves. The Dutch sandwich then contained Dierckens/Bax who would come second.
The second English team of Kinge/Grey did not fare well and would only finish 20th, meaning that the Netherlands took over the lead in the standings.
Heat 3
Hermans/Kunnas took first place for the Netherlands after the start and everything looked good and the Netherlands was on course for the title.
At the finish Hermans/Kunnas would come third and they could celebrate the title. Dutch teammates Bax/Stupelis managed to win the race and individually achieved the highest ranking of the day, clearly showing that they are the rightful 2019 Sidecar Cross World Champions. Once again, as in heat 2, a Belgian team was in the Dutch sandwich with Vanluchene/Van den Boogaart who would drive a hell of a catch-up race. However, unfortunately there was nothing left to achieve for the country's first heat and Belgium would be classified as the very last due to the drama of the first heat. It was very exciting for the other podium places. Estonia would eventually finish second in the day's results. Varik/Daiders finished third in the all-deciding final heat. But people were anxiously awaiting the outcome. Hundreds of meters before the finish, the side of the other Estonian Gordejev, who had been ninth until then, stranded. Fortunately for the Estonians, this result was canceled and they surprisingly finished second in the final result. The British just managed to finish third in the day's results. Jake Brown only finished fifteenth after experiencing a major crash with the Belgian Santermans team. Kinge/Grey, however, now performed better than their twentieth place earlier and finished 13th, allowing the British to breathe a sigh of relief and take third place on the podium.
The Netherlands became the glorious winner of the Sidecar Cross of Nations, which seemed to have been decided after the first heat by the disqualification of Belgium. The Estonians surprisingly finished second, far behind the Netherlands, with the British in third place.
The Sidecar Cross of Nations 2020 is planned for the Dutch Varsseveld, where Belgium will have to perform strongly after two editions with bad luck when visiting the country of the title holder.
Daily results Sidecarcross of Nations 2019 in Schwedt-GER
Text: Emil Bilars
Photo: Stijn Vanoverbeke/WSC
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