More than just a demonstration of talent: Thomas Eder finishes ninth twice on his World Championship debut

“First and foremost, the aim in Italy is to gain experience in sidecar racing, but secretly I’m already hoping for a place in the top 10,” Thomas Eder told SPEEDWEEK.com following his class victory – which came as a surprise even to him – at the International Sidecar Trophy at the Red Bull Ring. Highly motivated, he and his experienced passenger Kevin Kölsch travelled to the ‘Angelo Bermamonti’ circuit.

With two ninth-place finishes, the German duo made a clear mark, although the driver wasn’t entirely satisfied. “It has to get better,” was his clear message. “I’ve seen where I’m falling short. I’m still struggling, particularly in left-hand bends, and my starts were far from ideal. And at the braking points, I found myself in ‘solo mode’ a few times. I need to get that out of my head.”

“After every session, Kevin and I analysed each corner one by one, and he told me where he still sees room for improvement. That was an incredibly important building block for me, enabling me to keep improving throughout the weekend. But without Maik Steinhausen’s help with the set-up – an area where I lack any experience whatsoever – these results wouldn’t have been possible. Harry Payne also gave me some valuable tips.”

On the way home, we stopped off in Sterzing to raise a proper toast to my successful World Championship debut. “I was simply too tired to carry on driving. We seized the opportunity and really went for it again whilst celebrating.”

Until the next World Championship round in Assen (19 and 20 September), there’ll be no more partying or sitting back and doing nothing – instead, we’ll be working consistently to improve our performance. “At the end of August, we’ll be having a few more days of testing at the Balaton Park Circuit, and a start in the International Sidecar Trophy at the Slovakia Ring could also be on the agenda,” says the ambitious Bavarian, showing no signs of letting up.

Results, Sidecar World Championship Sprint Race, Cremona, 8 August 2026

Results, Sidecar World Championship Main Race, Cremona, 9 August 2026

World Championship standings after 8 of 12 races