Which of the three? Preview Final GP Sidecars Oss
A hot line-up ready for the final GP sidecar cross in Oss! A World Championship in which there are no fewer than three teams that are still really competing for the global title. That title will almost certainly remain in the Benelux, but whether it will go to the Dutch team Bax, the Belgian team Vanluchene or the Dutch team Veldman is still unknown! Which of these three will be the new Global Sidecar King?
The three matadors, or actually six of course in the case of the sidecar category, arrive in Oss after the GP in the Czech Republic with almost the same points. There is only a margin of 5 points within which the leading three sidecars are located. And with a maximum of 75 points to be earned in heats one on Saturday and heats two and three on Sunday, anything is possible!
#82 Bax/Musset did the best in Kramolin with a second place and two heat wins, which allowed them to finally regain their place in the upper regions of the World Cup standings. With a small deficit of only four points and full of confidence, baking player Nicolas Musset and rider Etienne Bax come to Oss, knowing that they will be supported by many supporters from neighboring Bergeijk. Etienne Bax will have to fight a real brotherly battle because the younger Robbie Bax is in the sidecar of the number two in the standings, # 2 Marvin Vanluchene. Vanluchene/Bax suddenly no longer seem to have the momentum in recent weeks. People were afraid of water during the Nations Sidecarcross two weeks ago when they thought the track was too muddy and would no longer be at the gate in the last heat. Driving did not go as usual last weekend in Kramolin either. The normally cheerful Vanluchene complained about arm pump and was clearly not feeling well.
Now for Oss, Vanluchene says that he has resigned himself to third place in the World Cup standings, because 'those Ollanders' are always better in loose sand. However, the track in Oss is no longer as sandy as before and Vanluchene/Bax also know how to find their tracks on the renovated track in Oss. Less than a month ago, in the Dutch Sidecar Masters in Oss, almost everyone was far behind in the second heat. Decisive and fast. Tight and based on experience.
So even though the West Flemish wants to believe us differently and acts from the underdog position, Vanluchene/Bax certainly does not rule out!
Where two fight for a leg, the third goes with it and so it turned out after Kramolin!
Vanluchene/Bax came to the Czech Republic as leaders, Bax/Musset won the GP with flying colors, but #31 Veldman/Cermak left for Oss as leaders in the World Cup standings. Veldman/Cermak were by far the most spectacular combination on the track, friend and foe agreed on that.
The 'frog' and the 'bee' together have a fantastic style that many purists look at with a smile. Every hole is being utilized and the team is now succeeding in consistently scoring in the World Cup.
One can finally reap the benefits of the many hours of hard work behind the scenes by constructor Mega and frame builder CPD and of course the team members of team Veldman themselves. The combination flies like a rocket across the track and when the tall Dutch 'frog' Veldman and the Czech 'bee' Cermak go wild, fireworks are guaranteed. And even if that doesn't happen on the track, it will still happen next to the track where the fanatical fans will undoubtedly provide a 'smoking' atmosphere!
So Veldman/Cermak come to Oss with the red plate and lead the World Cup dance. However, the dance is not a light-hearted foxtrot but a true tightrope walk with only one point team Vanluchene/Bax and three points Bax/Musset. As always with sidecars, who, oh who, best keeps everything in balance during the sometimes acrobatic antics on the track?
Which of the three will be the king of the circus of the Global Sidecar Cross?
An entire field of World Cup sidecar crossers normally consists of thirty, so in Oss we will see many other top class riders from the Benelux in addition to these three leading sidecars!
Davy Sanders is at the start with the Frenchman Lebraton in his sidecar. Lebraton will therefore not provide its services for the coming weekend to ten-time World Champion Daniël Willemsen who, we heard from various sources, was unable to cancel an already planned sun holiday for the later postponed Oss GP.
At the start, and certainly surprisingly, are Van Werven/Van den Boogaart. The fast TM men crashed hard during the GP sidecar cross in Estonia, where rider Gert broke his collarbone and driver Ben suffered a lot of neck and shoulder pain.
The doctors carefully gave the green signal and so just three weeks after this mega crash, Van Werven/Van den Boogaart are back at the starting gate!
Justin Keuben will be at the start again in Oss with Dion Rietman, just like in Kramolin.
Keuben's former partner in the bakery, Nikki Debruyne, feels recovered well enough to bake. He found a new comrade in arms in the always spectacular backflip king Jason Vandaele. In Oss we see a completely new Belgian combination at the start with Vandaele/Debruyne.
Unfortunately, the last GP in Oss comes too early for the injured baking player Paul Horton.
Horton, driver of Iljen Kops, who drives a left sidecar, broke his fibula in Kramolin. In a hurry, Pim Lambrechts was prepared to make a short-lived return alongside his old comrade-in-arms Kops for the last GP sidecar cross of 2021. A Grand Prix that will already become legendary anyway!
Tickets for the entire weekend, with two heats of NK sidecars on Saturday and two heats of ONK Quad Masters on Sunday, cost 40 euros. These are available online via the MC Oss website, but you can also get tickets at the box office at the circuit. If you are unable to make the trip to Oss, the Internet-streamed TV broadcast from promoter WSC is a good alternative. In the beautiful live broadcasts you don't have to miss anything of the World Cup sidecar action on the track. We at MXmag will of course also be present as always at the sidecar cross and will soon provide you with a report of the grand finale in Oss!
Standings World Championship Sidecar Cross 2021 for the final in Oss
text Emil Bilars/photos Orangehat.nl/Topfoto WSC
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