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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127377
eROADRACE m The team .of Steve Webster and Gavin Simmons (3) lead the way on the opening lap of the Sidecar GP at Laguna. Streuer/Essaff (2) and MiChellBirchall (2) follow. Webster and Simmons ended up winning by a comfortable margin after Michel and Birchall slowed with brake problems. Webster/Simmons start season with awin at Laguna Seca By Paul Carruthers Photos by Ken Faught MONTEREY, CA, APR. 21 t was a fine day for the British at Laguna Seca International Raceway a s. five-sixths o f . th e men standing on the winner's rostrum at th e opening round of th e Sidecar World Championship were English. Three-time World Champion Steve Webster and his passenger Gavin Simmons stood on the top step after holding off the advances of defending World Champion Alain Michel and Simon Birchall. The Steve Webster Racing duo ended up topping the Elf Krauser team by 9.465 when Frenchman Michel , the non-Brit in the top three, was slowed midway through the race by.fading brakes. I 12 Third place went to another British pair, the Dixon brothers - Darren and Sean - in their first sidecar 'Grand Prix. It wasn't Darren Dixon's firstever GP, however, as the 1988 British Formula On e motorcycle champion rode a Suzuki in the British 500cc GP in 1989, becoming possibly the onl y rider to ever race in both a sidecar and 500cc GP. Fourth place in today 's opening round of the championship went to Switzerland's four-tim e World Champion Rolf Biland and his passenger . Kurt Waltisperg. Biland and Waltisperg crashed in qualifying with Biland su ffering a small fracture in his left shoulder, but the team soldiered on to finish fourth. " We just needed to get some points," Biland said . . Another Swiss pair, Markus and Urs Egloff, rounded out the top five finishers. Team Lucky Strike Streuer's Egbert Streuer enlisted the services of American passenger Peter Essaff for the Gr and Prix after the team's regular passenger, Harry Horsteenge, suffered a broken collarbone during Friday's first practice session. Streuer and Essaff ran with the leading duo until encountering a flat tire. The race began with a heated battle between Webster, Streuer and Michel .as they q uickl y pulled clear from the pack. The Dixons, meanwhile, held fourth in a group that included Ralph Bohnhorst/Bruno Hiller, Yoshisada Kumagaya/Bryan Houghton and the Egloffs. The leading trio exchanged the lead repeatedly until Streuer pitted with his flat tire, leaving the battle to be decided between Michel and Webster. On the 21st of 30 laps, though, Michel started falling off the pace. " Everyth ing was right," Michel said. " We were ready to pass but the brakes went off and we nearly crashed. I slowed down for a safe second place. That's racing." His passenger, Birchall, found the brake problem to be : "Very frightening. " Following Michel's slow down, Webster was able to cruise to the win . "I thought it would be a lot more ' difficult at the end of the race," Webster said. " We had a few moments at the end, but no real problems." Webster had tested a new Austrianmade gearbox in their Krauser/LCR outfit, but went back to the Yamaha gearbox for the race: "The other one jumped out of gear a few times so for safety sake we went back to the Yamaha." The Dixons were all smiles after their third-place finish. "I'm very, very pleased," Darren Dixon said. "Practice went very, very well. On about the 10th lap I got a little bit tired because I'm not used to going that distance. I saw Streuer broken down and just thought, 'hang on boys, hang on.' Our bike was very, ' very fast, actually." Sean was ~ually happy: "The fact ' that I stayed 10 the chair makes me over the moon." Webster averaged 84.006 mph 10 winning the 30-lap Grand Prix. Results SIDECAR QVAUFYING: I. Michel /Birchall (1:32.023); 2. Webster/Simmons ( 1:32. 153); 3. Streuer/Essal/ (1:32.382); 4. Biland/Waltisperg (1:32.860); 5. DixonIDixon (1:32.773); 6. Abbot t! Smith (1;33.762); 7. KumagayaIHougton (1:33.805); 8. Egloll/Egiol/ (1:34.007); 9. Prog in /Irlam (t: 34.239); 10. Bohnborst/Hiller (1:34.243); 11. Gudel /Gudel ( 1:34.4 10); 12. Brindley/Ro.e (1:34.752); 13. Kumano/Roesinger (1:34.935); 14. Brindley/Roche (1:35.030); 15. Zurbruegg /Zurbruegg(l:35.434 ); 16. Kraus/Schroeder (1;35.791); 17. Smith/Sm ith (1;36.553); 18. Van Kempen/Kuyt (1:36.873); 19. Baker/Prior (1:37.861); 20. Voigt! Voigt (1:37.967); 21. Thomaa/Tvenstrup (1:40.849). SIDECAR GP: Webster/Simmon. (Kra ); 2. MichellBirchall (Kra); 3. DixonIDixon (Kra); 4. ' Bi1andIWalti.~ (ADM); 5. EglolllEgloll (Yarn 6. Abbou/Smith (Kra); 7. Bohnhorst!Hiller (Bon ; 8. Gudel/Gudel (Kra); 9. Progin/lrlam (LCR); I . KumanolRoesinger (Yarn); II. BrindleylRose (Kra); 12. VoigtlVoii{' (LCR); 13. ZurbruegglZurbruegg (Yam); 14. Smith/Smith (Win); 15. Van Kempen! Kuyt (Kra); 16. BakerlPrior (Kra); 17. Brindley / Roche (Yarn); 18. SueuerlEssaff (Yam); 19. KumagayalHougtOD (Kra); 20. Kraus/Schroeder (ADM); 21. ThomaslTvenstrup (Yam). Time: 47 min., 3.220 eec. _ 30 laps. 65.880 miles; An:rqe Speed: 84.006 mph. Maqin olVietorr- 9.465 sec. F _ Lap' MichellBirchall. 1:32.212.Lap 14. ; g