European Grasstrack Sidecar Championship
Motorcycle championship organized by Union Européenne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The European Grasstrack Sidecar Championship is a motorcycle event and is organised by Union Européenne de Motocyclisme. The first championship took place in 1980 at Melsungen, West Germany. It has run every year since except for 2015 as it was cancelled due to Stefan Muller losing his life in practice. The most successful nation is Germany. The European Solo Grasstrack Championship start in 1978.
 | |
| Category | Motorcycle Racing |
|---|---|
| Country | Various |
| Region | Europe |
| Inaugural season | 1980 |
| Riders' champion | 2019: William Matthijssen & Sandra Mollema |
The championships are run for 500cc Sidecars only and to qualify for the Final there are semi-finals. From 1980 there were two semi-finals and from 2012 there has been just one semi with the others qualifying automatically through there domestic championships. The first ever semi-final took place at Assen in the Netherlands on 19 April 1980. The first winners were the West German team of Otto Bauer and Peter Stiegelbrunner, second were England's Rob Stoneman and Rowland Broomfield and another West German team took third on the podium Harald Haus and Dietmar Haus.
The sport is popular in Germany, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom although there have been teams from Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Russia also.
Most successful
Thomas Kunert is the most successful rider. He has taken the title on at eleven occasions and he also has five second and one third. He also holds the record for semi-final wins with 19. Kunert won a semi-final in every year from 1994 to 2007.
Medalists
| Year | Venue | First | Second | Third |
| 1980 |  Melsungen |
Otto Bauer & Peter Stiegelbrunner |
Egon Waller & Edgar Starke |
Michael Datzmann & Rosamunde Datzmann |
| 1981 |  Assen |
Michael Datzmann & Rosamunde Datzmann |
Heinz Pagel & Hans Werner Kempa |
Otto Bauer & Peter Stiegelbrunner |
| 1982 | Schwarme |
Michael Datzmann & Rosamunde Datzmann |
Heinz Pagel & Jurgen Zaddach |
Rudolf Meyer & Diter Held |
| 1983 | Assen |
Michael Datzmann & Rosamunde Datzmann |
Michael Lippmann & Willi Ganss |
Heinz Pagel & Jurgen Zaddach |
| 1984 | Berghaupten |
Michael Datzmann & Rosamunde Datzmann |
Heinz Pagel & Jurgen Zaddach |
Ulrich Wehrle & Stefan Rufat |
| 1985 | Kuinre |
Heinz Pagel & Jurgen Zaddach |
Ewald Heim & Robert Heim |
Karl Keil & Joachim Reeg |
| 1986 | Bad Waldsee |
Josef Onderka & Franz Onderka |
Karl Keil & Reiner Ganster |
Heinz Pagel & Herbert Bucker |
| 1987 |  Valence |
Josef Onderka & Franz Onderka |
 Hans Bolliger & Bernhard Gloor |
Karl Keil & Reiner Ganster |
| 1988 | Celle |
Karl Keil & Joachim Reeg |
Josef Onderka & Franz Onderka |
Marco Glorie & Erik van Dijk |
| 1989 | Berghaupten |
Josef Onderka & Josef Feigl |
Hans Bolliger & Bernhard Gloor |
Karl Keil & Joachim Reeg |
| 1990 | Haunstetten |
Josef Onderka & Robert Wolf |
Karl Keil & Joachim Reeg |
Bernd Soger & Heinz Brandt |
| 1991 | Eenrum |
Josef Onderka & Robert Wolf |
Karl Keil & Joachim Reeg |
Eward Heim & Robert Heim |
| 1992 | Berghaupten |
Josef Onderka & Walter Huber |
Thomas Kunert & Josef Feigl |
Laurent Sambarrey & Lionel Sambarrey |
| 1993 | Harsewinkel |
Karl Keil & Joachim Reeg |
Josef Onderka & Josef Feigl |
Marco Glorie & Harry Drenth |
| 1994 | Lattrop |
Marco Glorie & Harry Drenth |
Karl Keil & Joachim Reeg |
Eward Heim & Robert Heim |
| 1995 | Melsungen |
Thomas Kunert & Wolfgang Maier |
Peter Murmann & Stefan Muller |
Marco Glorie & Harry Drenth |
| 1996 | Eenrum |
Thomas Kunert & Marco Hundsrucker |
Josef Onderka & Uwe Kuhberger |
Jacues Leduc & Michel Gorget |
| 1997 | Melsungen |
Josef Onderka & Uwe Kuhberger |
Thomas Kunert & Marco Hundsrucker |
Oswald Bischoff & Mario Siebert |
| 1998 | Morizès |
Josef Onderka & Uwe Kuhberger |
Thomas Kunert & Hermann Bacher |
Oswald Bischoff & Mario Siebert |
| 1999 | Vechta |
Thomas Kunert & Hermann Bacher |
Josef Onderka & Uwe Kuhberger |
Oswald Bischoff & Mario Siebert |
| 2000 | Lattrop |
Josef Onderka & Martin Wamprechtshammer |
Thomas Kunert & Hermann Bacher |
Marco Glorie & Harry Drenth |
| 2001 | Melsungen |
Thomas Kunert & Marco Hundsrucker |
Oswald Bischoff & Mario Siebert |
Marco Glorie & Harry Drenth |
| 2002 | Siddeburen |
Josef Onderka & Martin Wamprechtshammer |
William Matthijsen & Erwin Boers |
Thomas Kunert & Markus Eibl |
| 2003 | Angenrod |
Thomas Kunert & Hermann Bacher |
Oswald Bischoff & Rainer Falter |
William Matthijsen & Erwin Boers |
| 2004 |  High Easter |
Thomas Kunert & Bernd Kreuzer |
Tjeerd Hoekstra & Henk Auwema |
William Matthijsen & Nathalie Matthijssen |
| 2005 | Siddeburen |
Sven Holstein & Desiree Daubert |
William Matthijsen & Nathalie Matthijssen |
Mark Detz & Gerald Eelding |
| 2006 | Melsungen |
Thomas Kunert & Bernd Kreuzer |
Markus Brandhofer & Helmut Beller |
Karl Keil & Berit Tralau |
| 2007 | Eenrum |
William Matthijsen & Nathalie Matthijssen |
Markus Venus & Florian Niedermeier |
Sven Holstein & Desiree Daubert |
| 2008 | Bielefeld |
Thomas Kunert & Markus Eibl |
William Matthijsen & Nathalie Matthijssen |
Stefan Brandhofer & Marco Hundsrucker |
| 2009 | Wimborne |
William Matthijsen & Nathalie Matthijssen |
Thomas Kunert & Markus Eibl |
Markus Brandhofer & Corinna Gunthor |
| 2010 | Uithuizen |
Thomas Kunert & Markus Eibl |
William Matthijssen & Sandra Mollema |
Sven Holstein & Anthony Goodwin |
| 2011 | Noordwolde |
William Matthijssen & Nathalie Matthijssen |
Mark Detz & Bonita van Dijk |
Stefan Brandhofer & Daniel Eibl |
| 2012 | Werlte |
Thomas Kunert & Markus Eibl |
Markus Venus & Markus Heiss |
Stefan Brandhofer & Daniel Eibl |
| 2013 | Loppersum |
Thomas Kunert & Markus Eibl |
William Matthijssen & Nathalie Stellingwerf |
Christophe Grenier & Gerben Sanders |
| 2014 | High Easter |
 Josh Goodwin & Liam Brown |
Nick Radley & Abi Radley |
Markus Venus & Markus Heiss |
| 2015 | Hertingen |
Cancelled as a result of a fatal accident during practice[1] | ||
| 2016 | Vries |
William Matthijssen & Sandra Mollema |
Markus Venus & Markus Heiss |
Markus Brandhofer & Michael Zapf |
| 2017 | Tayac |
William Matthijssen & Sandra Mollema |
Markus Brandhofer & Tim Scheunemann |
Markus Venus & Markus Heiss |
| 2018 | Werlte |
William Matthijssen & Sandra Mollema |
Mitch Godden & Paul Smith |
Markus Venus & Markus Heiss |
| 2019 | Eenrum |
William Matthijssen & Sandra Mollema |
Markus Venus & Markus Heis |
Mitch Godden & Paul Smith |
| 2020 |  |
Cancelled | ||
| 2021 | |
Cancelled | ||
| 2022 | Eenrum |
Markus Venus & Markus Eibl |
Mitch Godden & Paul Smith |
Wilfred Detz & Wendy Arling |
| 2023 | Bad Hersfeld |
Markus Brandhofer & Sandra Mollema |
Mitch Godden & Paul Smith |
Wilfred Detz & Bonita Van Dijk |
| 2024 | Uithuizen |
Markus Venus & Markus Eibl |
Mitch Godden & Paul Smith |
Guillaume Comblon & Baptiste Comblon
|
| 2025 | Haunstetton |
Markus Venus & Markus Eibl |
Mitch Godden & Paul Smith |
Guillaume Comblon & Baptiste Comblon |
| 2026 | Berghaupten |
Markus Brandhofer & Bridget Merijerink |
Mitch Godden & Paul Smith |
Raphael San Millan & Benedikt Zapf |
Driver champions
| Country | Passenger | First | Second | Third | Podium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kunert, Thomas | 11 | 5 | 1 | 16 |
| Onderka, Josef | 10 | 4 | 0 | 14 |
| Matthijssen, William | 7 | 5 | 2 | 14 |
| Datzmann, Michael | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Venus, Markus | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| Keil, Karl | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Brandhofer, Markus | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Pagel, Heinz | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Glorie, Marco | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Holstein, Sven | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Bauer, Otto | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Goodwin, Josh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Godden, Mitch | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Bischoff, Oswald | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Bolliger, Hans | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Heim, Ewald | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Detz, Wilfred | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Detz, Mark | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Waller, Egon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lippmann, Michael | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Murmann, Peter | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hoekstra, Tjeerd | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Radley, Nick | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Brandhofer, Stefan | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Comblon, Guillaume | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Meyer, Rudolf | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Wehrle, Ulrich | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Soger, Bernd | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sambarrey, Laurent | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Leduc, Jacues | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Grenier, Christophe | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| San Millan, Raphael | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Passenger champions
| Country | Passenger | First | Second | Third | Podium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eibl, Markus | 7 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Datzmann, Rosamunde | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Matthijssen (Stellingwerf), Nathalie | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Mollema, Sandra | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Reeg, Joachim | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Kuhberger, Uwe | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Bacher, Hermann | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Onderka, Franz | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Hundsrucker, Marco | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Wolf, Robert | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Wamprechtshammer, Martin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kreuzer, Bernd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Zaddach, Jurgen | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Feigl, Josef | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Drenth, Harry | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Daubert, Desiree | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Stiegelbrunner, Peter | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Huber, Walter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Maier, Wolfgang | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brown, Liam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Meijerink, Bridget | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Smith, Paul | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Heiss, Markus | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Gloor, Bernhard | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Siebert, Mario | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Heim, Robert | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Boers, Erwin | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| van Dijk, Bonita | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Starke, Edgar | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| WernerKempa, Hans | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ganss, Willi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ganster, Reiner | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Muller, Stefan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Falter, Rainer | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Auwema, Henk | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Beller, Helmut | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Niedermeier, Florian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Radley, Abi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Scheunemann, Tim | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Comblon, Baptiste | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Eibl, Daniel | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Arling, Wendy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Held, Diter | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rufat, Stefan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bucker, Herbert | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| van Dijk, Erik | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Brandt, Heinz | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sambarrey, Lionel | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gorget, Michel | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Eelding, Gerald | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tralau, Berit | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gunthor, Corinna | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Goodwin, Anthony | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sanders, Gerben | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Zapf, Michael | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Zapf, Benedikt | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Results by country
| Team | First | Second | Third | Podium | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Driver | Passenger | Driver | Passenger | Driver | Passenger | Total |
| Germany | 33 | 34 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 171 |
| Netherlands | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 59 |
| England | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Medal percentage
| Country | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Germany | 67.48 |
| Netherlands | 23.58 |
| England | 5.28 |
| France | 2.03 |
| Switzerland | 1.63 |
European Solo Championship
The European Solo Grasstrack championship first ran in 1978.