Superside

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Superside is the name of the FIM World Sidecar Championship. The name was coined when the sidecars moved from being support events for Grand Prix Motorcycles to being support events for the .Superbike World Championship.

The championship is raced over a number of rounds(8 in 2005) at race circuits, mainly in Europe, although in other years they have been held in USA(Laguna Seca)South Africa(Kyalami)and Australia(Phillip Island). In 2004 the Superside World Cup was held over one round at Schleiz in Germany, due to the original schedule being cancelled when the organisers were uanble to negotiate an agreement with the promoters of the Superbike World Championship.

The Sidecars raced in Superside are modern high tech machines related to motorcycles only by the engines that are used. The chassis are purpose built and owe more to open wheel race car technology and the tyres are wide and have a flat profile.

The rider is positioned kneeling in front of the engine with hands near the front wheel, while the passenger moves about the platform at the rear transferring their weight from left to right according to the corner and forward or back to gain traction for the front or rear. The two must work together to be a successful team.

The most successful sidecar racer in Superside has been Steve Webster MBE, who has won ten world championships between 1987 and 2004. The most successful manufacturer is LCR, the Swiss sidecar maker, whose founder Louis Christen has won 23 championships between 1979 and 2006, with a variety of engines, originally Yamaha and Krauser two-strokes, more lately Suzuki four-strokes.

The 2005 and 2006 Superside Champions are Tim and Tristan Reeves on an LCR-Suzuki.

The Festival of Sidecars is held annually in October at Mallory Park in England. The whole meeting is devoted to sidecars and elegible three wheelers such as those manufactured by the Morgan Motor Company.

[edit] External link

• Superside