Stevens and Charlwood take victory in high drama Sidecar opener

British championship regulars Ricky Stevens and Ryan Charlwood have taken their debut World Championship victory in an incident filled opener to the 2015 season at Donington Park.

Running under the Be Wiser Kawasaki colours of Tommy Hill’s MCE British Superbike team for the season, the duo were promoted from second to first when reigning world champions Tim Reeves and Greg Cluze were disqualified form the win.

It was Reeves and main rivals the Birchall brothers who led off the line, and the foursome escaped at the front of the nineteen-lap race. However, contact between their LCR outfits on lap seventeen saw the Birchalls retire to the pits with a puncture; Reeves was deemed at fault and was subsequently disqualified.

The series moves next weekend to Le Mans for round two, where it runs as a support race for the Le Mans 24hr.