The final Grand Prix race day for 2025 had arrived, and with it came anticipation, uncertainty, expectation, nervous excitement and a whole range of other emotions. For the teams, whatever they might be feeling was not on view, and for the three fighting at the top, they were giving nothing away. Every nut and bolt had been checked, every level topped up, tyres and chains fitted and set for action, and everything which needed to be done was done again, and again. The team and officials’ presentation was very well-received by the enthusiastic crowd, with air-horns in abundance. What evolved over the day was more dramatic than anyone could have imagined.
Morning warm-up - took place under much cooler conditions, with the sun hiding behind clouds, and a few spots of rain in the air. The close nature of this series was underlined by six teams all lapping within a half second of each other, as Koen Hermans topped the times with a 1.57.239 lap.
The crowd was already in good voice, so we were set for a magical day in Rudersberg.
The organisers had watered the track overnight, damping down the dust which became evident late yesterday. The track was in excellent condition, so we were set for a battle royal.
Race One – Gate position was vital, but they had to make it work. The short start straight into a tight right turn dropping down-hill would test the best.
Amazingly, four British teams hit the front, with Mike Hodges again getting the hole shot from Dan Foden and Brett Wilkinson. Stuart Brown was strong in fourth. The red-plated Prunier brothers and Hermans/van den Bogaart were not so lucky and had to fight through. They were both given a huge present when Wilkinson/Millard crashed, turning upside down on lap one. The British crew made a “win or bust” move to get to the front, which was a calculated, but unsuccessful gamble.
Tim Prummer/Jarno Steegmans were then battling in third with Benny Weiss and Patrick Schneider. Still Mike Hodges held the lead, but then Dan Foden wore him down and assumed control. Both Hermans and Prunier had to conquer all these teams ahead, as Prunier had Hermans matching his every move in what was one of the most thrilling races for a very long time.
Wilkinson, meanwhile, had rejoined in twenty-fourth, battling up the order to make it home in eleventh place. All was not lost for the British crew, but race two would be an uphill task. At the front the chase was on, then suddenly, Prunier was also upside down in a catastrophic move involving back-markers. Fortunately, as with Wilkinson, they were both fine to resume, recovering to fourth place. This made the title effectively a two-horse race going into race two, although Wilkinson was still in the hunt.
The Austrians Weiss and Schneider made it home third on the track as they vanquished Prummer/Steegmans in the closing stages. Ironically, Dan Foden was handed a noise penalty, affecting his points position. Morally though, he and Weinmann had been the men to beat. This penalty moved the top five up one place handing Hermans victory. The action all the way down the field was terrific but the drama befalling two of the top teams defied all expectations.
Result – 1/ Hermans/van den Bogaart, 2/ Weiss/Schneider,
3/ Prummer/Steegmans, 4/ Prunier/Prunier, 5/ Hodges/Henderson,
6/ Foden/Weinmann, 7/ Sanders/Vincent, 8/ Gordejev/Lebreton,
9/ Peter/Hoffmann, 10/ Wijers/van Hal, 11/ Wilkinson/Millard
Race Two – The sun had retreated, and it was much cooler for this one as the gate dropped. From the centre, the Prunier brothers led up the straight but were pipped into the right-hander by two British teams sliding sideways in and under. Mike Hodges and Dan Foden had a good scrap for the first two laps before Foden went ahead. Koen Hermans was fifth behind Tim Prummer whilst Prunier galloped off after the leaders. Wilkinson/Millard did not have the best start, but made the most of it, steadily working up to the leaders.
Foden meanwhile took off out in front, chased by Prunier. The French team could do no more and were unable to close Foden down. The success of this young Anglo-Grman pairing cannot be overstated. They never put a foot wrong and kept Prunier six seconds behind the entire race.
Once past Prummer and into third place, Hermans knew he had it. There was no point taking risks, so he and Ben brought it home for the overall GP win and the World Championship.
Behind was another spirited display by Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard, fighting up to fourth place and third in the world.
Credit goes to all the teams who made this finale special, and the marshals and officials who all played a part.
Result – 1/ Foden/Weinmann, 2/ Prunier/Prunier, 3/ Hermans/van den Bogaart, 4/Wilkinson/Millard, 5/ Hodges/Henderson, 6/ Lielbardis/Musset
7/ Weiss/Schneider, 8/ Prummer/Steegmans, 9/ Sanders/Vincent,
10/ Gordejev/Lebreton
Overall Result GP – 1/ Hermans/van den Bogaart, 2/ Foden/Weinmann
3/ Prunier/Prunier
World Championship Podium – 1/ Hermans, 2/ Prunier, 3/ Wilkinson
The highlights show, with interviews, features and all the excitement will be available shortly on FIM-MOTO.TV
All final standings and latest news items are available on www.fimsidecarcross.com along with all our social media outlets.
Next weekend sees the SQXoN team competition from Heerde in the Netherlands. Joi us there in person, or courtesy of Live Stream on
FIM-MOTO.TV
From Barry Nutley
