2024 FIM SIDECAR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONS
Calling for courage, communication and supreme physical conditioning, Sidecar Motocross is one of motorcycling’s most demanding disciplines and this season Belgium’s Marvin Vanluchene cemented his position at the top of the sport when he was crowned FIM Sidecar Motocross Rider World Championfor the third time.
The twenty-eight-year-old first won the title in 2018 and has not dropped out of the sport’stop-three ranked riders ever since, although he had to wait until last year to add another gold medal to his collection after joining forces with passenger Nicolas Musset at the start of the season.
For 2024 he changed passengers again after Musset announced his retirement in January, this time around teaming up with experienced compatriot Glenn Janssens.
With team work playing a vital role in Sidecar Motocross, Vanluchene had only three months to prepare with his new passenger and they quickly gelled.
With ten rounds in eight countries standing between Vanluchene and back-to-back crowns, he put in a champion’s performance to take four overall wins and three further podiums, but it was close and he did not secure the title until the opening race at the final round as the championship fight went down tothe wire in Italy
PALMARES - VANLUCHENE
Rider’s World Title – 2018, 2023, 2024
Passenger’s World Title – 2018, 2016, 2014, 2013
Being askedat the start of the year to join forces with the reigning FIM World Champion was just too good an opportunity for Glenn Janssens to turn down and his decision in January to partner with fellow Belgian Marvin Vanluchene was rewarded with his first-ever FIM Sidecar Motocross Passenger World Championship title.
Despite the short notice, Janssens–an extremely experienced passenger and former amateur champion–quickly adapted to having a new rider behind the handlebars and the pair formed a strong partnership.
With less than three months to prepare, Janssens’first world championship appearance along side Vanluchene saw the pairing finish sixth at the opening round in Portugal in mid-April, but it was to be their worst finish of the ten-round campaign.
From round two at Heerde in the Netherlands through to round eight in Strass bessen bach in Germany the pair were a permanent fixture on the podium with four victories, one second and two thirds putting them in pole position.
However, thanks to season-long pressure from teenaged Latvian twins Daniels and Bruno Lielbardis it was not until the opening race at the final round at La Colla in Italy that they were able tofinally put the championship beyond doubt.
PALMARES - JANSSENS
Passenger’s World Title – 2024