The 2014 European Final was hosted by the 500cc Sidecar Association at High Easter on Sunday 7th September, and what a dramatic event it turned out to be.
For the first time since the inception in 1980 Great Britain has only ever had Ant Goodwin on the podium. Now we have the Champion and the runners-up. The name of Goodwin, synonymous with the Championship final, now has a proud place on the Champions Trophy. Josh Goodwin with passenger Liam Brown, in their first ever final, took a sensational win, and Nick & Abi Radley took a brilliant and much deserved second place.
The Championship got off to a cracking start with a brilliant race that was duly won by club chairman Shaun Harvey & Danny Hogg. Favourites before the meeting, William Matthijssen & Nathallie Stellingwerf, pulled up with motor problems. The first leg of heats was completed with success for the Radley’s in heat two. What a fantastic start for the Brits.
Josh Goodwin & Liam Brown won heat three, and a first Continental win came in heat four with a win for Dutchman Dennis Noordman & Patrick Kremer. Goodwin & Brown won again in heat six, and seven was taken by German’s Markus Venus & Markus Heiss. The heats were rounded off with a win for Matthijssen & Stellingwerf and a second for Noordman & Kremer.
The ‘B’ final was another great race which was ultimately won by Markus Brandhofer & Tim Scheunemann. Second, and also advancing to the ‘A’ final, was Mark Detz & Stephanie Vedder who just managed to keep Harvey & Hogg at bay.
The Final was a superb race with Goodwin & Brown and Venus & Heiss battling at the front for the first couple of laps. Goodwin then pushed Venus wide and Nick Radley nipped in to take the German crew. Goodwin & Brown went on to take the Championship with Nick & Abi Radley second.
In the support classes the Solos went to Dutchman Henry van der Steen, the 500cc chairs were won by Simon Beard & Ant Goodwin and the Right-hand Sidecars was taken by Rob Wilson & Terry Saunters.
Many congratulations have to go out to Shaun Harvey and the team for producing a superb event.