Monday June 11, 2012 at 1:41pm
After an absence of 15 years the sidecar GP circus returned to the Kramolin track in the Czech Republic. The track has changed very little in that time but the Nepomuk club has done a lot of work to improve the facilities with two new shower /toilet blocks a small swimming pool and an electric supply to the paddock.
In the first qualifying race Dean Hyde / Steve Kirwin’s race was over before they left the line when their Zabel motor refused to start. Adriaenssen / Verbrugge took the holeshot from Hendrickx / Liepins & Bax / Stupelis. Daniel & Joe Millard tipped the outfit on turn two and rejoined in last place but one. Wilkinson / Parmenter and Hyde / France were both in the top ten. On the second lap Bax passed Hendrickx and on the next lap he took the lead. Millard worked his way up to 15th place before his Husaberg motor died.
Wilkinson dropped a couple of places on lap two but then held position for the rest of the race finishing eleventh. Hyde had problems possibly with dehydration and pulled out a couple of laps before the end. Bax won from Adriaenssen with Hendrickx third and Daiders fourth.
Race two was led from gate to flag by Daniel Willemsen / Kenny van Gaalen who didn’t put a wheel wrong and won by over twenty seconds. Giraud / Musset started in second ahead of Hendrickx / Smeuninx but on the second lap the Belgian took second. Brown / Chamberlain started in tenth and Jenkins / Chamberlain fourteenth. Brown was up to ninth on lap two which he held to the flag. Willemsen took the win from Hendrickx with Giraud third. Jenkins worked his way up and finished in eleventh.
In the last chance Millard was third, Dean Hyde was sixth and Alfie Hyde finished as first reserve in seventh.
Unfortunately on race day the rain arrived and stayed virtually all day long. As the day went on conditions deteriorated but not nearly bad enough to make racing impossible just more challenging.
The holeshot for the first moto was taken by Adriaenssen from Bax, Willemsen and Jan Hendrickx. Brown and Jenkins were well placed while Millard, Wilkinson and D.Hyde were near the back. Hyde stalled the engine on the first corner and was virtually last when he got going.
Adriaenssen led for the first eleven laps but on lap 12 Bax, Willemsen and Jan Hendrickx all got past. Brown was in ninth place for the first half of the race but then went out when the rear tyre came off the rim. Jenkins was safe in thirteenth and then went up to 12th when Brown went out. Millard nearly got into the points by half distance but then pulled out with a front wheel puncture. With three laps to go Jenkins was out with fuel problems which promoted Wilkinson to 20th place.
Bax took the win from Willemsen with Daiders just taking third on the last lap.
The second race was led by Bax from Willemsen with Adriaenssen third. All the Brits got away cleanly but Dean Hyde stalled his motor after turn three and was virtually last when he restarted. The front three plus Joris Hendrickx in fourth place kept in exactly the same positions for the duration finishing in that order. Jan Hendrickx was in fifth place until lap seven when he had mechanical problems and pulled out.
Of the Brits, Brown started in sixteenth and slowly worked his way up to finish twelfth. Millard and Jenkins both started around twentieth place. Millard finished in fourteenth but Jenkins had problems on lap twelve and dropped out of the points. He finally came home in 21st place. Wilkinson rode a steady race and was in the points after twelve laps. He finished in 18th place. Hyde pulled out before half distance.
Bax now leads the championship by 37 points from Jan Hendrickx with Adriaenssen in third a further three points adrift. The leading Brits are the Millards in 17th place just one point in front of Brown.
The next round is at Genk in Belgium on 8th July