Full points for Payne/Rousseau in Assen, a crucial step towards the title

After the sprint race, there was plenty for some teams to get on with, as they had to get ready for the main race just a few hours after crossing the finish line. Ted and Vincent Peugeot had to fit a new engine in a flash following an engine failure, whilst Tim Reeves and Luca Schmidt had a front-wheel shock absorber that had given out, and Lewis Blackstock and Oscar Lawrence had to sort out problems with the fuel pump.

The winners of the sprint race, the British-French duo Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau from Team Steinhausen Racing, pulled away straight from the start. With the exception of the 14th of 16 laps on the 4.542-kilometre TT Circuit in Assen, they were faster than the rest of the field and, on the fifth lap, they also broke their own lap record. At the finish line, they had a lead of almost 13 seconds over the runners-up.

Behind them, Ted and Vincent Peugeot initially took second place, only to lose it to Sam and Tom Christie (CES Performance) on the fourth lap. Having exceeded the track limits once in the chicane, they were handed a long-lap penalty and dropped back to fifth place.

Whilst the Christie brothers cruised to an unchallenged second place, Pekka Päivärinta and Adam Christie (Hänni Racing) engaged in a fierce battle with Blackstock and Lawrence (DHR/DAO Racing). Whenever Blackstock found a way past, a counter-attack followed immediately. Although Päivärinta crossed the line in the lead, he was demoted because he went off the track on the approach to the chicane on the final lap.

Behind the Peugeots, Markus Schlosser and Lucas Krieg (Gustoil Sidecar Racing), who had started from 16th on the grid, were rewarded for their comeback with sixth place. As in the sprint race, Bennie Streuer and Manon Vissenberg, and Patrick Werkstetter and Valentin Pirat (Sattler Motorsport/Bonovo Action) gave each other no quarter. However, as they crossed the finish line, the German-French pairing once again came out on top against the local hero.

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There was also a relentless battle for ninth place. Corey and Danyon Turner, who had been rammed in the very first corner of the first race and lost the sidecar wheel cover as a result, managed to squeeze past Thomas Eder and Kevin Kölsch on the final lap. Robb Biggs/Ferry Segers, Markus Venus/Thomas Hofer (ITW Racing), Paul Kriby/Ema Salmon, Kevin Cable/Yann Druel and Wiggert Kranenburg/Loris Carteau finished in 11th to 15th places.

Sidecar World Championship results, Assen, main race

Championship standings after 10 of 12 races