Payne and Rousseau lead FIM Sidecar World Championship charge into Cremona

The 2026 FIM Sidecar World Championship moves into the second half of the season this coming weekend (7-9 August) and makes its first visit to Italy in twenty-three years when round four is staged at Cremona in the north of the country.

Following the previous round at the Pau-Arnos Circuit in France in June that was shortened by a heatwave sweeping the area, former champions Harrison Payne (ARS Yamaha) and Kevin Rousseau have extended their advantage at the top of the table to eleven-and-a-half points after racing to a pair of victories in an abbreviated programme. Champions in 2024 and bronze medallists last year, the British/French pairing were top in qualifying before leading both races from start to finish and they will be aiming to carry this momentum into round four when a similar result at such a crucial point in the season could prove to be pivotal. However, their rivals are lining up to wrestle the lead away from them, led by Finnish rider Pekka Päivärinta (ARS Yamaha) who along with his British passenger Adam Christie swept to a double win at round two in Croatia. The five-time FIM World Champion and official FIM Legend – who took his first title in 2008 – is in fine form and will start in Italy as a genuine title contender, but while the fifty-five-year-old has the series lead in his sights, he must also stay ahead of the third-placed crew.

Champions for the first time last season, siblings Sam and Thomas Christie (LCR Yamaha) – whose brother is Päivärinta’s passenger – are twenty-four points adrift of second and will be very well aware that while this gap is not currently unsurmountable, they need to start reducing it in Italy if they are to head into the deciding two rounds in the Netherlands and Germany in contention. This year’s field features no shortage of in-depth talent and Swiss rider Markus Schlosser (LCR Yamaha) and his new passenger Lucas Krieg from Germany currently sit fourth, although at sixty-five points behind the series lead any realistic hopes the 2021 champion may entertain of regaining the title this season must be rapidly fading. Other crews to watch out for in Cremona include Germany’s Markus Venus (LCR Yamaha) and his Swiss passenger Thomas Hofer, the Netherlands’ Bennie Streuer (ARS Yamaha) and Manon Vissenberg, Australian brothers Corey and Danyon Turner (ARS Yamaha) and the French son and father team of Ted and Vincent Peugeot (LCR Yamaha). Although currently lying just outside the top ten, the French team of Paul Leglise (LCR Yamaha) and Marjorie Cescutti – who scored a debut podium together last season – were fifth in both races in France and must not be discounted in Italy. The action from Cremona gets under way with the twelve-lap Sprint race on Saturday (8 August) scheduled for 11:55 (local time) before the twenty-lap Main race is staged the following day at 11:45 (local time).

For more information on the 2026 FIM Sidecar World Championship click here.