Lauder sidecar racing pair Steve Kershaw and Ryan Charlwood still in with chance of world title

Lauder’s Kershaw and Charlwood are currently third in the championship standings, with 220 points, behind Lincolnshire’s Todd Ellis and his French passenger Emmanuelle Clement, in pole position with 305, and Switzerland’s Markus Schlosser and Marcel Fries, in second place with 254.

Double points are up for grabs at the contest’s eighth and last round at Estoril in Portugal so all three top teams are still in contention to take the title.

Round seven was contested at the Oschersleben Sidecar Festival in Germany, 12 weeks on from round six at Donington in Leicestershire.

Some 13 crews took on the Saturday marathon of free practice, two qualifying sessions and race one.

Pole position for the race went to series leaders Ellis/Clement from Schlosser/Fries, Dutch-German pairing Bennie Streuer and Kevin Kolsch and Kershaw/Charlwood, winners last time out.

Ellis/Clement retook the lead on lap two and kept hold of it, ahead of Schlosser/Fries, Streuer/Kolsch and the Borders pair, only a second adrift of the front-runners until they caught backmarkers on lap 12, putting them a further second behind.

On lap 14, the heavens opened, bringing out the red flags. As two-thirds of the distance had been covered and there were only seven laps to go, the result was declared with the Borderers still in fourth place but determined to do better on Sunday, and that’s how it turned out for them.

Ellis/Clement won again on Sunday from Schlosser/Fries with Kershaw/Charlwood taking the third step on the podium after edging in front of Streuer/Kolsch on lap 17.

Kershaw was happy with that placing, saying: “We were over a second a lap faster this year than last year, and as it’s only our second visit to the circuit, we’re delighted at how close the racing was.”

Charlwood added: “It’s great to have a race-long battle like that. It’s just a shame the rain spoilt it yesterday.

“We’re so looking forward to Portugal now.”