2006 Sidecarcross world championship
Encyclopedia
The 2006 FIM
Sidecarcross world championship, the 27th edition of the competition, started on 23 April and finished after eight race weekends on 17 September 2006 with Daniël Willemsen
taking out the title once more.
The 2006 season was the 27th edition of the sidcarcross world championship. It resulted in a fifth world championship for Daniël Willemsen, his fourth in a row and the second with his passenger Sven Verbrugge
from Belgium
. The two clearly dominated the season with 13 wins in the 16 races and a 83 point gap to the second placed Evgeny Scherbinin / Sergei Sosnovskikh from Russia
. A close third came Marco Happich / Meinrad Schelbert, the German-Swiss combination.
After ten seasons in the top ten and five world championships, it was the first time since 1995 for last seasons runner-up Kristers Serģis
not to finish in the top ten. Due to injury, the Latvian only took part in four races but still archived three podium finishes.
The eight races of the season were held in six countries, France
, Germany
, Croatia
, Belgium
, Latvia
and the Netherlands
.
Teams go through a qualifying, usually on Saturday. Typically, around 50 teams compete for 30 spots on the starting grid, meaning around 20 teams miss out on the race altogether. Some teams did not actually get a race start all season, failing in qualifying each time.
The first twenty teams of each race scored competition points, allocated accordingly to the following system:>
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
Sidecarcross world championship, the 27th edition of the competition, started on 23 April and finished after eight race weekends on 17 September 2006 with Daniël Willemsen
Daniël Willemsen
Daniël Johan Nico Willemsen is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and eight times World Champion.Willemsen is the most successful rider in sidecarcross history, winning the title nine times, in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011...
taking out the title once more.
Overview
Sven Verbrugge
Sven Verbrugge is a Belgian sidecarcross passenger and triple Sidecarcross World Champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011....
from Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The two clearly dominated the season with 13 wins in the 16 races and a 83 point gap to the second placed Evgeny Scherbinin / Sergei Sosnovskikh from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. A close third came Marco Happich / Meinrad Schelbert, the German-Swiss combination.
After ten seasons in the top ten and five world championships, it was the first time since 1995 for last seasons runner-up Kristers Serģis
Kristers Sergis
Kristers Serģis is a retired Latvian sidecarcross rider and five times World Champion.Kristers Serģis came to the sidecarcross sport through his father, himself a rider in the days of the Soviet Union. He made it possible for his son to take up the sport after Latvian independence in 1990...
not to finish in the top ten. Due to injury, the Latvian only took part in four races but still archived three podium finishes.
The eight races of the season were held in six countries, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Format
Every Grand Prix weekend is split into two races, both held on the same day. This means, the 2006 season with its eight Grand Prix had sixteen races. Each race is currently 30 minutes plus 2 rounds long.Teams go through a qualifying, usually on Saturday. Typically, around 50 teams compete for 30 spots on the starting grid, meaning around 20 teams miss out on the race altogether. Some teams did not actually get a race start all season, failing in qualifying each time.
The first twenty teams of each race scored competition points, allocated accordingly to the following system:
|
|
Calendar
The 2006 season had sixteen races:| Date | Place | Race winners | GP winner |
| 23 April |  OssOss Oss is a municipality and a city in the southern Netherlands, in the province of Noord Brabant.- Population centres :-Transportation:* Railway stations: Oss, Oss West, Ravenstein- The city of Oss :... |
Daniel Willemsen Daniël Willemsen Daniël Johan Nico Willemsen is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and eight times World Champion.Willemsen is the most successful rider in sidecarcross history, winning the title nine times, in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011... /  Sven VerbruggeSven Verbrugge Sven Verbrugge is a Belgian sidecarcross passenger and triple Sidecarcross World Champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011.... |
Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
| Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
|||
| 21 May |  ZabokZabok Zabok is a town and municipality situated in northwest Croatia in the Krapina-Zagorje County. It has a total population of 9,365 . Zabok is situated on the main crossroads in the heart of Hrvatsko zagorje region... |
Daniel Willemsen Daniël Willemsen Daniël Johan Nico Willemsen is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and eight times World Champion.Willemsen is the most successful rider in sidecarcross history, winning the title nine times, in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011... / Sven VerbruggeSven Verbrugge Sven Verbrugge is a Belgian sidecarcross passenger and triple Sidecarcross World Champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011.... |
Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
| Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
|||
| 4 June |  BrouBrou Brou may refer to:* Brou, Eure-et-Loir, a village and commune in France* Brou-sur-Chantereine, a village and commune in Seine-et-Marne, France* Brou people, a Khmer Loeu ethnic group in Cambodia-Also see:... |
Daniel Willemsen Daniël Willemsen Daniël Johan Nico Willemsen is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and eight times World Champion.Willemsen is the most successful rider in sidecarcross history, winning the title nine times, in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011... / Sven VerbruggeSven Verbrugge Sven Verbrugge is a Belgian sidecarcross passenger and triple Sidecarcross World Champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011.... |
Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
| Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
|||
| 18 June |  KegumsKegums -Sport:Ķegums has been host to the Latvian Sidecarcross Grand Prix numerous times and will be hosting it again in 2010, on 8 August.In the 2009, Ķegums also hosted the Latvian Motocross Grand Prix.-See also:*List of cities in Latvia... |
Daniel Willemsen Daniël Willemsen Daniël Johan Nico Willemsen is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and eight times World Champion.Willemsen is the most successful rider in sidecarcross history, winning the title nine times, in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011... / Sven VerbruggeSven Verbrugge Sven Verbrugge is a Belgian sidecarcross passenger and triple Sidecarcross World Champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011.... |
Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
| Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
|||
| 2 July | Neeroeteren Maaseik Maaseik is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. The city is located on the river Meuse , bordering the Netherlands. The Maaseik municipality includes the town of Maaseik and the villages of Neeroeteren and Opoeteren... |
Daniel Willemsen Daniël Willemsen Daniël Johan Nico Willemsen is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and eight times World Champion.Willemsen is the most successful rider in sidecarcross history, winning the title nine times, in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011... / Sven VerbruggeSven Verbrugge Sven Verbrugge is a Belgian sidecarcross passenger and triple Sidecarcross World Champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011.... |
Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
| Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
|||
| 20 August |  TeutschenthalTeutschenthal Teutschenthal is a municipality in the Saalekreis district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.... |
Maris Rupeiks / Haralds Kurpnieks |
Maris Rupeiks / Haralds Kurpnieks |
| Josef Brustmann / Stefan Urich |
|||
| 13 September | Saint-Jean-d'Angle Saint-Jean-d'Angle Saint-Jean-d'Angle is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-Sport:Saint-Jean-d'Angle has been host to the French Sidecarcross Grand Prix numerous times and will be hosting it again in 2009, on 6 September.... |
Daniel Willemsen Daniël Willemsen Daniël Johan Nico Willemsen is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and eight times World Champion.Willemsen is the most successful rider in sidecarcross history, winning the title nine times, in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011... / Sven VerbruggeSven Verbrugge Sven Verbrugge is a Belgian sidecarcross passenger and triple Sidecarcross World Champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011.... |
Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
| Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
|||
| 17 September | Rudersberg Rudersberg Rudersberg is a municipality in the Rems-Murr district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located 10 km southeast of Backnang, and 28 km northeast of Stuttgart.-Sport:... |
Marco Happich / Mark Watson |
 Henrik Soderqvist / Collin Dunkley |
| Daniel Willemsen / Sven Verbrugge |
|||
| 24 September | Kegums Kegums -Sport:Ķegums has been host to the Latvian Sidecarcross Grand Prix numerous times and will be hosting it again in 2010, on 8 August.In the 2009, Ķegums also hosted the Latvian Motocross Grand Prix.-See also:*List of cities in Latvia... |
Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
|
- The Sidecarcross des Nations in Kegums on 24 September 2006 is a non-championship event but part of the calendar and is denoted by a light blue background in the table above.
- Passengers in italics.
Riders
The final standings in the overall table of the 2006 season were:| Position | Driver / Passenger | Equipment | Points | Wins | Second | Third |
| 1 | Daniël Willemsen Daniël Willemsen Daniël Johan Nico Willemsen is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and eight times World Champion.Willemsen is the most successful rider in sidecarcross history, winning the title nine times, in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011... / Sven VerbruggeSven Verbrugge Sven Verbrugge is a Belgian sidecarcross passenger and triple Sidecarcross World Champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011.... |
Zabel-VMC Vruwink MotorCycles The Vruwink MotorCycles company, short VMC, is a Dutch Sidecarcross frame manufacturer, having won eleven riders and six manufacturers world championships in this sport.-Company history:... |
341 | 13 | — | — |
| 2 |  Evgeny Scherbinin / Sergei Sosnovskikh |
MTH MTH Racing engines MTH racing engines are two-stroke lightweight engines, built by an Austrian company, MTH. They are used in motocross sidecars and ultra lightweight aeroplanes.... -APZ |
258 | — | 5 | 3 |
| 3 | Marco Happich /  Meinrad Schelbert * |
Zabel-VMC | 243 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Maris Rupeiks / Haralds Kurpnieks |
KTM KTM KTM Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and moped manufacturer.The company was founded in 1934 by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighofen. It started out as a metal working shop and was named Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen... -AYR AYR AYR is an Estonian Sidecarcross frame manufacturer, competing in the sports world championship.The most prominent team in the 2008 world championship to use an AYR frame is the former world champions Kristers Sergis / Kaspars Stupelis. AYR has yet to win a world championship.-History:The company... |
231 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | Jan Hendrickx / Tim Smeuninx |
Zabel-VMC | 217 | — | — | 1 |
| 6 | Andy Burgler / Martin Betschart |
KTM-VMC | 211 | — | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | Joris Hendrickx Joris Hendrickx Joris Hendrickx is a Belgian sidecarcross rider and the 2009 World Champion, together with his passenger, the Latvian Kaspars Liepiņš.... / Eli Piccart |
KTM-AYR | 180 | — | — | 1 |
| 8 |  Stuart Brown / Luke Peters |
Zabel-VMC | 165 | — | — | 1 |
| 9 |  Vaclav Rozehnal / Marek Rozehnal |
Zabel-VMC | 157 | — | — | 1 |
| 10 | Marcel Willemsen Marcel Willemsen Marcel Willemsen is a Dutch sidecarcross passenger and 1999 World Champion.Marcel won the 1999 world championship as the passenger for his older brother, the seven times world champion Daniël Willemsen... / Bjorn Roes |
Zabel-VMC | 137 | — | — | — |
| 11 | Josef Brustmann / Stefan Urich |
KTM-NPH | 117 | 1 | — | — |
| 12 | Janis Daiders / Lauris Daiders |
Zabel-VMC | 115 | — | — | — |
| 13 | Nicky Pulinx / Ludo Somers |
KTM-AYR | 113 | — | — | — |
| 14 | Jarno van den Boomen / Henry van de Wiel |
MTH-VMC | 100 | — | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Carlo van Duijnhoven / Christian Verhagen |
MTH-VMC | 100 | — | — | — |
| 16 | Ueli Müller / Reto Grütter Reto Grütter Reto Elias Grütter is a Swiss sidecarcross passenger and the 2007 and 2008 Sidecarcross World Champion.Reto Grütter's name can sometimes be found to be, wrongfully, spelled Reto Grutter.- Sidecarcross world championship results :... |
Zabel-MTH | 100 | — | — | — |
| 17 | Eric Schrijver / Ramon van Mil |
MTH-VMC | 93 | — | — | — |
| 18 | Tomas Cermak / Ondrej Cermak |
JAWA-VMC | 68 | — | — | — |
| 19 | Kristers Sergis Kristers Sergis Kristers Serģis is a retired Latvian sidecarcross rider and five times World Champion.Kristers Serģis came to the sidecarcross sport through his father, himself a rider in the days of the Soviet Union. He made it possible for his son to take up the sport after Latvian independence in 1990... / Kaspars Stupelis Kaspars Stupelis Kaspars Stupelis is a Latvian sidecarcross passenger and double World Champion.As of 2008, he is part of the Team Serģis, operated by five times world champion Kristers Serģis. However, his two world championships were gained when being the passenger in Daniël Willemsen's team... |
KTM-Mefo | 64 | — | 2 | 1 |
| 20 | John Watson / Mark Watson | Zabel-VMC | 57 | — | — | — |
| 21 |  Bertram Martin / Bruno Kaelin |
Zabel-VMC | 57 | — | — | — |
| 22 | Martin Walter / Andre Saam |
Zabel-VMC | 54 | — | — | — |
| 23 | Henrik Söderqvist / Collin Dunkley |
Husaberg Husaberg Husaberg is a manufacturer of off-road and supermoto four-stroke and two-stroke motorcycles. Husaberg motorcycles are known for their larger displacement engines and for their race-oriented construction... -VMC |
52 | — | 1 | 1 |
| 24 | Scott Wilkinson / Gary Burt | Zabel-VMC | 52 | — | — | — |
| 25 | Kristof Santermans / Patrick Nieuwenhuizen |
Yamaha Yamaha Motor Company , is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized... -VMC |
47 | — | — | — |
| 26 | John Lyne / Michael Turner | Zabel-VMC | 26 | — | — | — |
| 27 | Laurent Devoldre / Sebastian Devoldre |
Husaberg-VMC | 20 | — | — | — |
| 28 | Thijs Derks / Roy Derks |
Husaberg-BSU | 17 | — | — | — |
| 29 | Michael Poirier / Bertrand Poirier |
KTM-VMC | 14 | — | — | — |
| 30 | Geert Devoldere / Guennady Auvray |
Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... -EML |
13 | — | — | — |
| 31 | Werner Wittmann / Mario Wohlfart |
Zabel-AYR | 10 | — | — | — |
| 32 | Andreas Clohse / Guido Schlabertz |
Zabel-VMC | 10 | — | — | — |
| 33 | Marcel Grondman / Martijn Geerdink |
Zabel-VMC | 9 | — | — | — |
| 34 | Roland Sutter / Sandro Michelleto |
KTM-VMC | 9 | — | — | — |
| 35 | Patrick Fagerberg / Daniel Fagerberg |
KTM-AYR | 9 | — | — | — |
| 36 | Wim Janssen / Henk Roenhorst |
Zabel-VMC | 8 | — | — | — |
| 37 | Maikel Kuster / Wilfried Keuben |
Zabel-VMC | 8 | — | — | — |
| 38 | Johan Smit / Bart Notten |
Husaberg-BSU | 7 | — | — | — |
| 39 | Patrick Greup / Marc van Deutekom |
KTM-VMC | 7 | — | — | — |
| 40 | Imantas Tamuliunas / Egidijus Karaliunas |
KTM-AYR | 6 | — | — | — |
| 41 | Jens Bochmann / Stefan Progscha |
Zabel-AYR | 6 | — | — | — |
| 42 | Jean Marie Ains / Bernard Jayet |
Zabel-VMC | 5 | — | — | — |
| 43 | Baptiste Bigand / Julien Bigand |
MTH-BSU | 5 | — | — | — |
| 44 |  Andrus Vaks / Raimo Kaul |
KTM-AYR | 4 | — | — | — |
| 45 | Boudewijn Gommeren / Steve van Tongerlo |
KTM-AYR | 4 | — | — | — |
| 46 | David Keane / Andy Heighes | MTH-VMC | 3 | — | — | — |
| 47 | David Surcin / Landry Tessier |
Zabel-VMC | 3 | — | — | — |
| 48 | Otomars Skreija / Gastons Skreija |
MTH-BSU | 2 | — | — | — |
| 49 | Herve Boursaud / Edouard Chereau |
KTM-VMC | 1 | — | — | — |
| 50 | Guillaume Martin / Jacques Pilleir |
Zabel-VMC | 1 | — | — | — |
- Equipment listed is motor and frame.
- Marko Happichs only win of the season came with Mark Watson as passenger, who raced at the German GP with him.