Steve's Sidecar Place

WIRRAL 100 IS BACK!!         

Anglesey – 21st to 23rd March 2025
Since we published our decision to suspend the Club’s racing activities, we have been inundated with messages of sadness, sympathy, understanding and best wishes from the ACU, from other clubs, from the circuit-owners, and of course the W100 paddock community at large, all of whom wished us to continue operating if at all possible. In addition five members (including three present-day riders) have stepped forward to join the Committee,  and we understand others could follow; in their discussions with us they have indicated their keenness to help the Club reconnect with its riders and supporters to make our paddock a much larger, more united and happier place, in particular by improving our marketing and social media presence.

Now the most significant news! One particular message was from friends at the NG Road Racing club, offering to provide short-term clerical and other assistance to enable us to re-group and to organise a W100 test day & new riders’ course and race meeting at Anglesey on 21st to 23rd March 2025. We are delighted to report that we have accepted that generous offer and the intention is to finalise the arrangements and to publish the regulations and entry forms, and proposed timetables, within the next few weeks. We are, of course, still in the planning phase but we expect that the meeting will include our usual classes, and we are pleased to report that it will also include the first round of the 2025 ACU UltraLightweight series.

The W100 plan, with the encouragement of the ACU’s Road Race Commission, is to seek further race dates in 2025, but this, of course, will be dependant on the availability of circuits and particularly the support of our own officials, marshals and riders at this first meeting; we are hopeful that the timing of this meeting is such that it could also attract riders from other championships, including BSB support classes, NG of course, and those of other clubs, particularly the local clubs in the North West, all looking to benefit from significant amounts of track-time ahead of their 2025 seasons.

As a Club we have undoubtedly made mistakes in the past and now we can only apologise for that, but we hope now is the time, not to look backwards, but to look forwards – so we would ask everyone to please support us in our efforts to get the Club back on a firm footing.

We will re-open our Club membership platform shortly, in particular to assist those riders seeking to renew their ACU race licences, so watch this space.

And finally and very importantly, we are organising a 2024 Championship Trophies Presentation & Dinner, hopefully in February. The date and the venue will be finalised shortly and published online. Unfortunately the timeline will be tight, but as we now have a new Social Secretary, Helen Buckley, and a new Media Secretary, Sarah Knowles, we are now in a position to contact the successful riders, and they and the officials & marshals will soon receive personal invitations to the Presentation Evening & three-course sit-down Dinner, and we hope that, if at all possible, they will be able to give our new ‘team’ their full support and encouragement.  Thank you.

CLUB OFFICERS & COMMITTEE CONTACTS FOR 2025 – or via our website www.wirral100.co.uk, and via Facebook and Twitter

CHAIRMAN: – Dave Edwards – email: david.edwards10@ntlworld.com; tel: 07801 539214
VICE CHAIRMAN & ASSISTANT TREASURER: – Andy Wilmore – email zippie01@gmail.com
GENERAL SECRETARY   – Neil Broughton – email: w100mc@gmail.com: tel: 07702 889194
TREASURER  & ROAD RACE CO-ORDINATOR – Dave Francis – email: davidfrancis_is@yahoo.co.uk; tel: 0151 336 4940
ROAD RACE SECRETARY – (Position vacant)
SOCIAL SECRETARY – Helen Buckley – email: helen@customlandscape.co.uk
MEDIA SECRETARY – Sarah Knowles – email: mediaofficer@wirral100.co.uk
AWARDS SECRETARY – (Position vacant)
ROAD RACE CHIEF MARSHAL – Angie Jacques – email: angie.jacques54@gmail.com; tel: 07956 291985
CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER – Martin Crook – email: crookmec@talktalk.net; tel 07423 056280
RIDERS’ LIAISON OFFICER – David Jones – email: david8992@icloud.com
   

PRESIDENT: Margaret Dewsnap
VICE PRESIDENTS:   John Barnett, Martin Crook, Joe Edwards, Pete Kelly, John Watkin

COMMITTEE: All above plus John Jones, Steve Jones, Gaz Knowles, Gary Uttley, Steve Wood

Have a very merry Christmas!

Posted by FIM

🇫🇷 18-19 April – Le Mans, France: 24h Motos
🇵🇹 26-27 April – Estoril, Portugal: Campeonato National de Velocidade
🇭🇺 14-15 June – Pannonia Ring, Hungary: Alpe Adria International Motorcycle Championship
🇨🇿 21-22 June – Most, Czech Republic: IDM – Supported by Motorpress Stuttgart GmbH
🇳🇱 16-17 August – Assen, The Netherlands: IDM – Supported by Motorpress Stuttgart GmbH
🇳🇱 20-21 September – Assen, The Netherlands: BSB
🇩🇪 04-05 October – Oschersleben, Germany: IDM, Sidecar Festival / Supported by Motorpress Stuttgart GmbH

#FIM | #FIMsidecar

Entries are now open for TT2025, click read more for the link

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Michael Salmon (aka Mick or Mike) died on Tuesday 5 November. He had lived with Lewy Body Dementia since January 2020 but it was only in 2024 that his health deteriorated significantly.

Michael had raced sidecars for 34 years, since 1975, initially at Club and National level, before racing in Europe from 1987, making many long term friends. There are so many happy memories from this time.

The funeral will take place on Friday 29 November at 3pm at Cam Valley Crematorium, Great Chesterford. It would be great to see anyone from the good old days but it would be appreciated if anyone planning to attend the wake could let us know, for catering purposes. The funeral will be streamed and details will be available nearer the time.

We had a load of spammers register (don’t know how they get through the anti spam measures but they’ve found a way again) and some real people got caught up in the lists.. I have just been through and activated a few – if you did register and are not active please just mail me steve@steveenglish.com and I’ll have a look for you!

Credit – Mark BigWally Walters

The last round of the 2024 FIM Sidecar World Championship once again took place at the circuit of Estoril in Portugal.

Only seven points separated the two top teams of Schlosser/Schmidt, & local racer Harry Payne with his French passenger Kevin Rousseau. The teams have been neck and neck throughout the 2024 season and it all came down to a last round fight for the title.

Harry and Kevin with Sidecar Legend Rolf Steinhausen – photo by Mark Walters

It was to be Harry & Kevin who drew first blood by topping the practise and qualifying leaderboards.
Starting from pole position, the Steinhausen racing duo of Payne/Rousseau took the honours on the 10 lap sprint race, reducing the championship deficit to just 2 points with one race to go.

With everything on the line in a winner takes all scenario, the race got underway. It was a duel all race long with the two teams swapping places multiple times. It all came down to a last lap drag race to the line with Harry & Kevin taking the victory by 0.053 seconds, and in turn won the 2024 ‘FIM Sidecar World Championship’ by just 3 points!

It’s been a long road to the top for Harry, who starting competing in motorcycle trials at the age of 10. He went on to race classic Sidecar Motocross as a passenger from the age of 18, and moved into road racing at the age of 23. Harry worked his way up the ladder winning international level events as a Sidecar passenger. He then began driving sidecars full time just 4 years ago, in the midst of Covid time. Winning the ‘Isle of Man Centre Sidecar Championship’ in 2020, the ‘FSRA British F2 Cup’ in 2021, and now the ‘FIM Sidecar World Championship’!

You can find out more on their social media: @team45racing

To Apple,

We wish you a Very Happy 80th Birthday

From Rob Sirrell, Family and all Sidecar Racers