Sidecar ace Steve Webster will be racing in Russia next season after Superside Management - organisers of the UEM and World Cup series in 2004 - confirmed that there would be a full eight-round world championship next season.
The return in 2005 of the FIM Superside World Championship was approved by the FIM President, and the head of the Road Race Commission, and ratified by delegates at the FIM's annual congress in Paris last week. With the FIM in its centenary year, Superside had presented a plan for the future of world championship sidecar racing, a proposal based around creating a new opportunity for sidecars which is less reliant on the promoters of other world motorcycle race series, and instead, running the events for the benefit and promotion of the sidecar world championship.
Successful talks had already taken place between Superside and the City Government of St Petersburg in Russia, resulting in the agreement to run the first ever world championship road racing motorsport event on Russian soil - a major coup for Superside.
Andrey Bereskin, head of tourism for St Peterburg said: "St Petersburg and Russia are looking forward to welcoming the 2005 FIM Superside world championship and its competitors next September. It will be a big day for motorsport in Russia."
With the agreement for the St Petersburg race, and the success of the 2004 FIM World Cup event at Schleiz back in September - where it was shown possible to run an event centred purely around sidecars - it was a natural progression for Superside to decide the time was right to make its own path in the international motorsport arena.
"For many years sidecar has played a Cinderella role within other championship events." explained Malcolm Haisell, general manager of Superside.
"We've never really received the full benefits of being involved with other series, despite the fact it was costing a lot of money for us to be there.
"By making our own way for the world championship and controlling the events we run at, we begin to create our own identity, become the headline attraction at the events, and can start to take the class forward to secure the long-term future for the sidecar world championship."
The 2005 FIM world championship will be held over a minimum of eight rounds. Four of these rounds will be run as sidecar-only events, while the remaining events will be run in conjunction with other promoters.
Negotiations have been underway since summer with some interesting options on where Superside will take the FIM World Championship for the other events.
The four confirmed dates are: May 7-8 Brands Hatch (UK); July 9-10 Rijeka (Croatia); August 6-7 Schleiz (Germany); September 10-11 St Petersburg (Russia).
With the strong possibility of a second German round, the remaining races will take place from a list that includes Holland, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain and France.
Added Haisell: "We have been approached by several other motorsports' promoters who see the world championship sidecar class as a great attraction for their events.
"Whichever route we decide to take for the remaining events will be announced in the next few weeks and could include taking the exciting spectacle to new audiences."
Updated: 10:57 Saturday, October 30, 2004
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