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It was not quite the result they were looking for but World Champion sidecar racers Tim and Tristan Reeves came away from Schleiz in Germany with a win and a second place from their three races as they begin the defence of their title.
The two qualifying sessions were held in completely different conditions, one wet and one dry but it made little difference as the Reeves brothers finished first in each period to claim pole position for their races throughout the weekend.
In the match races Tim and Tristan easily won their quarter- final heat before going into the semi-final later in the day.
Tim set off in fourth place, moving ahead to take up the lead, which he held to the final lap. Tristan made a rare mistake causing Tim to veer off the track and run across the grass, dropping down to third as he rejoined the race. But as they approached the final corner the Eastern Airways Suzuki moved into second place and was alongside Stuart Muldoon as they crossed the finish line – a hairs breath away from the win.
The final was a complete disaster for Tim and Tristan who became tangled with fellow competitors Richard Gatt and Paul Randall at the first corner. The outcome was a broken fairing mounting leaving Tim unable to steer the outfit and reluctantly pull in to retire.
“I am not really sure what happened out there,” said Tim. “We all went into the first corner as one and I think I may have been punted from behind. Whatever the cause I shot into Gatt and broke the fairing mounting so that was the end of that race!”
On to the sprint race and 11 laps of very scary racing in the wet. The sky was black and the rain pouring down but there was blue sky on the horizon. While most competitors went for a hard wet tyre Tim opted for a soft wet on the rear but as the race got underway it soon became apparent it was the wrong choice. |
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Tim and Tristan rode through to complete the 11 laps in second place but when they examined the tyre saw that it was completed shredded.
The 22-lap Gold race was on Sunday and again tyre choice was a lottery. Tim chose a wet front with and intermediate on the side and rear of the outfit. As the teams took their places on the grid in torrential rain Tim decided to stick with his original choice while others gambled on the track drying out later in the race if it stopped raining.
Tim made the most of the start and soon put a good distance between himself and the rest of the field. He built up a substantial lead of around 38 seconds before the rain stopped and the riders with slick tyres began to mount their challenge.
But it was too late and although the two Finnish crews put up a good show Tim and Tristan took the chequered flag for the win over 13 seconds ahead of Manninen/Kuismanan in second and Paivarinta/Aalto who finished third.
Manninen now leads the series on 61 points from Tim and Tris who bagged 55 points. But with a further five races to follow the championship is wide open.
The next round is on home tarmac at Castle Combe on June 11 where Tim and Tris Reeves will be looking for a win to claim the series lead. |
