Founded in 1949, the super-side era of the sidecar championship has been mostly dominated by a handful of racers

 

When it comes to motorsports, most of the world is aware of Formula One, MotoGP, WRC and the Dakar Rally. However, there are several other motorsports that fail to receive adequate limelight. For example, a sidecar championship is a form of motorcycle racing in which a sidecar is attached to the motorcycle and a passenger sits in the sidecar to help manoeuvre the vehicle by shifting his or her body weight in the correct direction. 

 

To many motorsport enthusiasts, a sidecar championship has always been a weird form of motorsport. However, that does not mean it is less competitive and dangerous. Over the years, several sidecar racers have lost their lives, while a few racers won several championships and created a legacy of their own. In the following paragraphs, we have named the racers with maximum championships in the super-side era. 

 

Tim Reeves

 

Hailing from Kent, English racer Tim Reeves is one of the biggest names in the world of sidecar championships with eight Superside FIM World Sidecar Championships. Reeves picked up seven championships in the 1,000cc category whereas one championship in the four-stroke, 600cc category. Not to forget, he is also one of the most decorated sidecar racers in the history of the Isle of Man TT. 

 

PekkaPäivärinta

 

PekkaPäivärinta is the first Finnish sidecar racer in the world to win the Superside FIM World Sidecar Championship. Representing team LCR-Suzuki, Päivärinta won his first title in 2008 and added four more in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2016. While Pekka won all his championships in a Suzuki, the 2016 title was achieved on a BMW. 

 

Tom Birchall 

 

Tom Birchall is a sidecar racer who has served in the passenger role for years. In the passengers’ category, Birchall has the greatest number of championships since 2000. He won his first title in 2009 with his brother Tom (rider) and a second in the F2 category in 2016. In 2017 and 2018, he won another two titles with his brother in the four-stroke, 600cc category.

 

Adolf Hänni

 

Hailing from Switzerland, Hänni is the most successful passenger in the 1,000cc Superside FIM World Sidecar Championship because of his three titles. Hänni was Pekka’s partner and won three titles in 2010, 2011 and 2013 for team Suzuki. While Pekka won a fourth in 2016, Hänni could not continue his run. Since 2013, Adolf Hänni has not won another title.