The 2026 FIM Sidecar World Championship launched April 17-18 at Circuit Bugatti in Le Mans, France, as part of the 24 Heures Motos festival, officials said. The opening round of the six-race European series featured a large field of teams, with British brothers Sam and Thomas Christie defending their 2025 title through consistent top-five finishes.
The opening round featured a sprint race of 11 laps on Friday, April 17, starting at 3:35 p.m. local time, followed by an 18-lap main race on Saturday, April 18, beginning at 11:50 a.m., officials said. The event drew a large entry of teams competing at the iconic Circuit Bugatti, with the championship comprising six rounds across Europe in 2026. Subsequent races are scheduled at Grobnik-Rijeka, Croatia, on May 9-10; Pau-Arnos, France, on June 20-21; and Cremona, Italy, on August 8-9, according to the official championship calendar.
The Christies’ 2025 campaign was marked by exceptional consistency, finishing all 14 points-scoring races within the top five and achieving 12 podium finishes, which officials said would be key to their title defense in 2026.
British brothers Sam and Thomas Christie, riding Yamaha machines, entered the season as defending champions after securing the 2025 FIM Sidecar World Championship title by a narrow four-point margin over Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt, also on Yamaha, according to FIM records.
Other notable competitors included Markus Schlosser and Luca Schmidt, who finished second in last year’s championship, and Paul Leglise with Marjorie Cescutti, who secured a podium finish at Most in 2025, according to FIM-MOTO.TV coverage. Harrison Payne and Kevin Rousseau, the 2025 Le Mans race winners, returned to defend their title at the Circuit Bugatti, while former champions Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clement, winners in 2022 and 2023, sought to regain their standing. Finnish rider Pekka Päivärinta and Adam Christie aimed to improve upon their fourth-place finish in 2024, officials said.
The 2026 championship maintains the FIM Sidecar World Championship’s status as the sole original FIM road racing class remaining, with the series continuing to attract a diverse field of competitors from multiple countries. Last year’s opening round at Le Mans featured 22 teams from seven nations, with nine competitors holding a combined total of 20 FIM gold medals, according to FIM historical data. The 2025 title was decided in a dramatic final round, underscoring the competitive nature of the championship.
Circuit Bugatti has a longstanding history with the FIM Sidecar World Championship, having hosted events including the 2018 FIM round, officials noted. The 24 Heures Motos festival, which incorporates the sidecar races into its weekend program, provides a prominent platform for the championship’s European rounds. Selected rounds of the 2026 series will be streamed live and on-demand via FIM-MOTO.TV, allowing wider access to the competition, according to official sources.
The championship will continue through seven events held across six countries, combining established circuits and regional series such as the Alpe Adria and Championnat de France de Superbike, according to the official 2026 calendar. Detailed information on rankings, race results, and event schedules is available through the FIM website and related official channels.
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