2008 Sidecarcross World Championship


The 2008 FIM Sidecarcross world championship, the 29th edition of the competition, started on 20 April and finished after twelve race weekends on 14 September 2008. Daniël Willemsen and Reto Grütter were the defending champions, having won the title in 2007, and repeated this achievement in 2008.

Overview

The 2008 season was the 29th edition of the sidecarcross world championship.
The twelve races of the season were held in ten countries, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Croatia, Belgium, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine and Denmark.
After 17 seasons in the Sidecarcross World Championship, five-time World Champion Kristers Sergis announced his retirement from the competition, finishing his career with a second place in the 2008 edition.

Format

Every Grand Prix weekend is split into two races, both held on the same day. This means, the 2008 season with its twelve Grand Prix has 24 races. Each race lasts for 30 minutes plus two rounds. The two races on a weekend actually get combined to determine an overall winner. While this overall winners receives no extra WC points, they usually are awarded a special trophy.
The first twenty teams of each race score competition points. The point system for the 2008 season is as follows:

Calendar

The calendar for the 2008 season:
  • The Sidecarcross des Nations in Genk on 28 September 2008 is a non-championship event but part of the calendar and is denoted by a light blue background in the table above.
  • Only Kegums and Rudersberg have been part of the 2007 race season, all other ten courses are new compare to last season.

    Classification

Riders

The top ten of the 2008 season were:
PositionDriver / PassengerEquipmentBike NoPoints
1 Daniël Willemsen / Reto GrütterZabel-VMC1531
2 Kristers Sergis / Kaspars StupelisKTM-AYR3434
3 Jan Hendrickx / Tim SmeuninxZabel-VMC2421
4 Joris Hendrickx / Kaspars LiepinsKTM-AYR8394
5 Marko Happich / Meinrad SchelbertZabel-MEFO7317
6 Maris Rupeiks / Haralds KurpnieksKTM-AYR6297
7 Vaclav Rozehnal / Marek RozehnalZabel-VMC5273
8 Janis Daiders / Lauris DaidersKTM-AYR10269
9 Nicky Pulinx / Ondrej CermakZabel-VMC14244
10 Etienne Bax / Marc van DeutekomZabel-VMC21240

  • Equipment listed is motor and frame.

    Manufacturers

Parallel to the riders championship, a manufacturers competition is also held. The final standings in the manufacturers competition were:
PositionManufacturerPoints
1VMC584
2AYR504
3KTM394
4Husaberg0
4BSU0

Race by race statistics

The numbers for every team are allocated according to their 2007 season finish, meaning the world champion received number one and so on. The numbers for drivers not participating this season were not re-allocated. New entries received a random number above the number 48 which is the last place achieved by a driver in the points in 2007. This system makes it possible to see a driver's improvement or decline from last year by comparing number with position.
The following teams have taken part in races this season:
Driver / PassengerEquipmentNo.Points123456789101112131415161718192021222324
1 Daniël Willemsen /
Reto Grütter *		Zabel-VMC15315311311111111x111D1111111
2 Kristers Serģis /
Kaspars Stupelis		KTM-AYR34341x2x122325x23122712D22222
3 Jan Hendrickx /
Tim Smeuninx		Zabel-VMC24212174861365223854452337345
4 Joris Hendrickx /
Kaspars Liepiņš		KTM-AYR839437352754843412268655105454
5 Marko Happich /
Meinrad Schelbert		Zabel-MEFO7317x466743243x1161118x83899583
6 Māris Rupeiks /
Haralds Kurpnieks		KTM-AYR629712x481257x1274756x7241123x79
7 Vaclav Rozehnal /
Marek Rozehnal		Zabel-VMC5273148x24341176782x1312107156810xx
8 Jānis Daiders /
Lauris Daiders		KTM-AYR10269191211x6116xx96x41096313646736
9 Nicky Pulinx /
Ondrej Cermak *		Zabel-VMC1424416x9165997914x61191419412454612x
10 Etienne Bax /
Marc van Deutekom		Zabel-VMC212404x810x1288610815103813997x14131316
11 Marcel Willemsen /
Marco Godau		Zabel-VSP172081011579812xx18910158551510x1413x1513
12 Carlo van Duijnhoven /
Christian Verhagen		Zabel-VMC121728615111713141215xx18x15x10116107x111612
13 Thijs Derks /
Gertie Eggink *		Husaberg-VMC271581321418x1517x108109x1810201781613171218x
14 Eric Schrijver /
Henry van de Wiel		MTH-VMC1011396519x1414191411121216914131918x11x14x
15 Martin Walter /
Andre Saam *		Zabel-WSP15127x201091110105xx11x1414x1618xx11x13
16 Peter Steegmans /
Dagwin Sabbe		Zabel-WSP401152017x95574xx12x98
17 Stuart Brown /
Luke Peters *		Zabel-VMC2410818911x313131720xx867
18 Thomas Morch /
Marius Strauss		Zabel-WSP2310212131018181017191619x15x141916171816x1019
19 Kristof Santermans /
Ben van den Bogaart		Zabel-WSP3393x16xx1519x17151217xx111611x12109xx
20 Henrik Söderqvist /
Tobias Sylwan		Husaberg-AYR1189x33315910
21 Lukas Cerny /
Tomas Huml		JAWA-VMC31741312161718xx13x20111714x19141917
22 Jarno van den Boomen /
Bjorn Roes *		Zabel-VMC166811x171513xx147914xxx
23 Margo Sonn /
Maarek Mill		KTM-AYR10365161415162020191514xxx1618x181315x
24 John Lyne /
Pete Girling		Zabel-VMC26551715x1316xx2012xxxxxx191111
25 Baptiste Bigand /
Julien Bigand		Zabel-VMC3545xx161513xxxx19xxx12x1215xx
26 Andy Bürgler /
Daniel Fagerberg		KTM-VMC43191013x
27 Andreas Clohse /
Robbie Bax		JAWA-VMC2827x1614xxx2014xx1817xx
28 Josef Brustmann /
Stefan Urich		KTM-NPM2925167x15
29 Patrick Fagerberg /
Daniel Fagerberg		KTM-AYR122241817xx2015x15x17
30 Jan Visscher /
Jeroen Visscher		Zabel-VMC38217x201620
31 Josua Luscher /
Markus Gloor		Husaberg-VMC8721x1720111917
32 Bertram Martin /
Bruno Kaelin		Zabel-VMC6821xxx16x12x14
33 Scott Wilkinson /
Gary Burt		Zabel-VMC1918x14xx17xxx1718
34 Gert Godejev /
Keit Kivaste		KTM-AYR15116201918xx172016
35 Daniel Millard /
Joe Millard		Husaberg-WSP9913x18xx18x15xx20
36 Wim Janssen /
Bart Notten		Zabel-VMC5591518
37 Tomas Cermak /
Ondrej Cermak		JAWA-MEFO98x13
38 Jens Bochmann /
Sandro Michelotto		KTM-VMC695xx19x18x
39 Urmas Sugasep /
Veiko Parksepp		KTM-AYR911520x19x19x
40 Patrick Greup /
Roy Derks *		MTH-VMC1114xx17x
41 Benjamin Daniel /
Guennady Auveray		Husaberg-VMC1164x1820x
42 Dmitry Anochin /
Maxim Scherbak		Zabel-MEFO14232019
43 Oskars Liepiņš /
Ilvars Ameļkins		KTM-AYR452xxx19
44 Sonny Van Niewenhuse /
Birger Beernaert		Husaberg-VMC132219x
45 Kert Varik /
Erkki Koiv		KTM-AYR392x19xxx
46 Sverre Lamp /
Alar Lamp		KTM-AYR501xxx20
47 Argo Poldsaar /
Indrek Aljes		KTM-AYR481x20
48 Gert van Werven /
Rick Sellis		KTM-VMC891x20xx
49 Liutauras Variakois /
Artūrs Linters		KTM-AYR571x20xx
50 Anton Wanger /
Michael Gabor		MTH-MEFO521x20
Geert Devoldere /
Edouard Chereau		Husaberg-MEFO250xxxxxx
Johan Smit /
Peter Holleman		Zabel-BSU1150xxxx
Romas Kišūnas /
Mantas Kišūnas		Zabel-BSU600xx
Willi Lieble /
Vaclav Hotovy		MEFO650xx
Sonnie Folkesson /
Mattias Andersson		MTH-MEFO1720xx
Jaroslav Kriz /
Milan Gazik		MTH-EML1120xx
Andre Michel Bernard /
Jacques Pillier		VMC820xxxxxxx
Vadim Briuhov /
Vitaly Babic		Zabel840xx
Vasyl Kolisnichenko /
Dmitro Sorokin		BSU830xx
Sergei Ivanov /
Atho Jalas		AYR530xx
Oleh Kuklin /
Vasyl Nesterenko		MEFO850xx
Dmytro Grychanuk /
Oleksandr Litovchenko		BSU860x
Valeriy Starchenko /
Evhen Potanin		VMC810x
Mark Kinge /
Gary Kinge		KTM-VMC710xxxxxx
Marko Schulz /
Mario Meusburger		Zabel-VMC720xx
Kevin Bitsche /
Johannes Vonbun		Zabel-WSP670xxxx
Jean-Marie Ains /
Bernard Jayet		MEFO370xxxx
Andy Eastman /
Steve Krwin		KTM-VMC360xx
Robin Karlsson /
Richard Karlsson		AYR1180xx
Madis Olt /
Tõnu Valdma		AYR700x
Marko Dammert /
Mika Hietala		AYR960xx
Florian Blanco /
Vincent Blanco		Husaberg1170xx
Herve Boursaud /
Emeric Poirier		VMC780x
Patrik Gorardin /
Dominique Desplaces		VMC1130x
Jürgen Blank /
Rainer Semet		VMC800xx

  • Where there is only one flag shown, it indicates driver and passenger are from the same country.
  • Placings below the first twenty not shown.
  • Teams who took part in the qualifying but failed to qualify for a race are not shown.
  • x denotes qualified for race but finished outside of points.
  • Passengers in italics.
  • Equipment is engine and frame.
  • Daniël Willemsen used Bruno Kaelin as his passenger in the first two races.
  • Jarno van den Boomen used Guennady Auvrey as his passenger in race one and two, Premysl Novotny in race three and four and Sven Verbrugge in race five and six.
  • Thijs Derks used Tom van Duijnhoven as his passenger in race one and two.
  • Nicky Pulinx used Sven Verbrugge as his passenger in race one to four.
  • Stuart Brown used Wilfreid Keuben as his passenger in race one and two and Colin Dunkley in race seven to ten.
  • Patrick Greup used Jimmy van Gennip as his passenger in race one and two.
  • Martin Walter used Thomas Weinmann as his passenger in race 23 and 24.
  • Only 30 teams registered in time for the Jinin race, therefore every team qualified for the race.
  • 1 In race fourteen of the season, the team Willemsen/Grütter was disqualified due to Grütter losing a glove, after a protest by Kristers Sergis. The lost glove disabled the emergency-stop system of the bike, which is a break of FIM rules.
  • 2 In race twenty of the season, the team Sergis/Stupelis'' was disqualified after winning the race due to the team mechanic refusing an inspection of the bike. The bike supposedly did not comply with noise level regulations.
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