FIM Sidecar World Championship - Round 2 - Grobnik (Croatia), 09 & 10 May
The 2026 FIM Sidecar World Championship breaks new ground this weekend when, for the first time in its long history that stretches back almost eight decades, the series visits the Pau-Arnos Circuit in South West France and with just four points separating the leading two crews as the season approaches the halfway point, the action could prove to be pivotal.
Following the opening two rounds of the six-round series – staged at Le Mans in France in April and Grobnik-Rijeka in Croatia last month – it is 2024 champions Harrison Payne (ARS Yamaha) and Kevin Rousseau who lead the field, but the British-French pairing face stiff opposition from a talented grid of rivals aiming to reel them in.
Their closest opposition comes from legendary Finn Pekka Päivärinta (ARS Yamaha) – a five-time FIM Sidecar Rider World Champion – and his British passenger Adam Christie who are only four points adrift of the leaders following a commanding performance at round two when they raced to a double win to match the maximum points haul claimed by Payne/Rousseau at round one.
By following Päivärinta/Christie across the line both times in Croatia, Payne/Rousseau successfully defended their title advantage, but with the points gap less than the difference between first and second-placed finishes it is a fragile lead that could disappear with the slightest mistake.
While the leading two crews have opened a gap over the rest of the field, defending champions Sam and Thomas Christie (LCR Yamaha) are still within striking distance of the top of the standings, although with a twenty-two-point deficit to Payne/Rousseau the British brothers know they need to start closing the gap this weekend.
Champion rider in 2021, Switzerland’s Markus Schlosser (LCR Yamaha) has teamed up with German passenger Lucas Krieg for the first time this season and the new pairing is showing plenty of promise.
With two fourth-placed finishes last time out in Croatia they are certainly podium contenders, but the gap to Christie-Christie is already nineteen points and they have two-time champions Todd Ellis (ARS Yamaha) from Great Britain and his French passenger Emmanuelle Clément only four points behind them.
Further French hopes rest with the son and father team of Ted and Vincent Peugeot (LCR Yamaha) who currently sit sixth in the standings, although they are counting the cost of a mechanical problem that forced them in out of the second race at Grobnik-Rijeka while running fourth.
Also suffering a mechanical DNF in the second race in Croatia, local hero Paul Leglise (LCR Yamaha) – who lives less than two hours’ drive from the circuit – and passenger Marjorie Cescutti scored a career-first podium together in the Czech Republic last year, but after a slow start to the season that has left them in thirteenth position they will be looking for strong home support to help push them up the rankings.
Adding to the international flavour, the Australian team of Corey and Danyon Turner (ARS Yamaha) – who lie ninth in the points – will make their second appearance together this season after Danyon missed the opening round through injury.
The opening fourteen-lap Sprint race from Pau-Arnos is scheduled to start on Saturday 20 June before the twenty-four-lap Main race gets under way the following day.
