SidecarCross-NC in Lierop: Leferink brothers win Dutch title

With a 15-point lead over Koen Hermans and Dion Rietman, and a 40-point lead over Davy Sanders and Jens Vincent, Tim and Sem Leferink travelled to Lierop for the final round of the Dutch Championship. In perfect weather conditions, the brothers didn’t put a foot wrong and won the first race ahead of Dan Foden/Noah Weinmann and their only remaining title rivals, Sanders/Vincent. World champion Hermans was not on the starting grid and, according to Radio Fahrerlager, will not be competing in the final two Grands Prix following his head injury sustained at the Latvian GP.

With their race victory, the Leferinks were just one point short of the title – provided Sanders could win the final race. So they played it tactically smart and let the fast British duo Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard take the lead. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough for Stephan Wijers in the battle for the runners-up spot. Joel Hoffmann, as co-driver, had played a key role in securing his third place overall in the first two races at Eersel and Oldebroek.

Dan Foden and Noah Weinmann – who had largely recovered from his crash at the Lithuanian Grand Prix – would also have been in contention at the front in the second race, but a faulty fuel pump threw a spanner in the works for the English-German duo. The Prunier brothers, Killian and Evan Prunier, had also competed in Lierop to complete some intensive training on the Dutch sand ahead of next weekend’s Grand Prix in Varsseveld. Consequently, the French riders were able to confidently sit out the final round of their domestic championship in Huismes, having already secured their fifth French Championship title.

Tim Prümmer and Patrick Schneider would also have liked to take part in the Dutch final on the sand, particularly as they had good prospects of a top-10 finish in the overall standings. However, the World Championship bronze medallists crashed during training the previous Sunday. Prümmer sustained such severe bruising to his chest that he found breathing extremely difficult in the days that followed. “I wouldn’t have been able to perform at my best in Lierop,” noted the World Championship bronze medallist. Schneider set off for home in Vorarlberg with a sore shoulder. Both will, however, be competing in Varsseveld to challenge the Pruniers for the runners-up spot.

At the Dutch Grand Prix, Marvin Vanluchene and Ben van den Bogaart could celebrate their World Championship title ahead of schedule. The Pruniers are already 64 points behind, whilst Prümmer trails by as many as 81 points. The final will then take place on 19–20 September in Rudersberg.

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Tim Leferink won his first title in 2019 alongside Sam Veldman in the second division of the Dutch Championship. Since 2023, he has been competing with his brother Sem. The following year, the brothers were runners-up in the ONK. In 2025, they finished third with Jens Vincent. In the World Championship, the Leferinks have all but secured fifth place and, trailing by seven points, are in close contention with Wilkinson/Millard.

Results: Motocross Sidecar NC Lierop/NL:

Round 1: 1 . T. Leferink/S. Leferink (NL), VMC-KTM. 2. Foden/N. Weinmann (GB/D), WSP-AMS. 3. Sanders/J. Vincent (B/NL), WSP-Mega. 4. W. Derksen/van Dommelen (NL), WSP-KTM. 5. Wilkinson/J. Millard (GB), WSP-Husqvarna. 6. K. Prunier/E. Prunier (F), WSP-KTM. 7. Wijers/van Hal (NL), VMC-Zabel. 8. Mulders/M. van Deutekom (Netherlands), WSP-Zabel. 9. I. Kops/Koenst (Netherlands), WSP-Husqvarna. 10. S. Veldman/Lebreton (Netherlands/France), WSP-KTM. 11. Hotze/N. Debruyne (NL/B), WSP-Husqvarna. 12. K. Grondman/R. Vincent (NL), VMC-Zabel. 13. Ru. van Werven/Buitenhuis (NL). 14. K. Debruyne/Schlinnertz (B), WSP-AMS. 15. P. van der Venne/N. van der Venne (WSP-Husqvarna).

Race 2: 1. Wilkinson. 2. Leferink. 3. Derksen. 4. Wijers. 5. Prunier. 6. Mulders. 7. Kops. 8. Sanders. 9. B. van den Heuij/S. van den Heuij (NL), EML-Mega. 10. Van Werven. 11. Hotze. 12. Debruyne. 13. De Cock/Vanhamel (B), VMC-AMS. 14. J.-P. Clohse/Swennen (D), VMC-Mega.

NC final standings after 6 races: 1. Leferink 281 points. 2. Sanders 220. 3. Wijers 216. 4. Mulders 190. 5. Hermans 171. 6. Van Werven 170. 7. Grondman 164. 8. Van der Heuij. 9. Derksen 146. 10. Prunier 140. 13. Prümmer 107. 30. Dan Foden 45.