2014 Sidecarcross World Championship

2014 Sidecarcross World Championship
Season
Grands Prix10
Duration13 April 2014–21 September 2014
Drivers
ChampionsBelgium Ben Adriaenssen
Netherlands Ben van den Bogaart
Sidecarcross des NationsBelgium Belgium
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The 2014 FIM Sidecarcross World Championship, the 35th edition of the competition, started on 13 April and finished after ten Grand Prix weekends on 21 September 2014.[1]

The defending champions were Ben Adriaenssen from Belgium and his Dutch passenger Ben van den Bogaart,[2] who won their first title in 2013.[3] The pair defended their title while the Dutch-Latvian combination of Etienne Bax and Kaspars Stupelis finished runners-up for the third consecutive time. Third place went to the British duo of Stuart Brown and Josh Chamberlain, their highest-ever finish.[4][5]

Sidecarcross passenger in action

The Sidecarcross World Championship, first held in 1980 and organised by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, is an annual competition. All races, manufacturers and the vast majority of riders in the competition being in and from Europe.[1] Sidecarcross is similar to motocross except that the teams consist of two riders, a driver and a passenger. Races are held on the same tracks as solo motocross but the handling of the machines differs as sidecars do not lean. The majority of physical work in the sport is carried out by the passenger, who speeds up the sidecarcross in corners by leaning out. The coordination between the driver and the passenger are therefore of highest importance.[6]

While usually a male-dominated sport the 2014 season saw the participation of a woman driver in the competition. Belgian Sabrina van Calster was able to score two points in the first race of the Swiss Grand Prix.[4][7]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference calendar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ FIM SIDECAR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: Classification 2013 Archived 2013-10-16 at the Wayback Machine FIM website, accessed: 17 October 2013
  3. ^ World Champions Archived 2013-10-16 at the Wayback Machine FIM website, accessed: 17 October 2013
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Standings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Koenigsbeck, Axel (22 September 2014). "Gepann-WM: Zitterpartie für Champion Adriaenssen" [Teams World Championship: nail-biter for Champion Adriaenssen]. Speedweek (in German). Red Bulletin Schweiz AG. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  6. ^ The World Championship – Other: What is Sidecarcross.com, accessed: 17 October 2013
  7. ^ Koenigsbeck, Axel (14 April 2014). "Gespann-WM: Rennen der Überraschungen" [Teams World Championship: Race of surprises]. Speedweek (in German). Red Bulletin Schweiz AG. Retrieved 24 April 2014.