Welcome to Yorkshire
Published on September 16th, 2026
•Three riders from Beverley are firmly involved in the battle for the 2026 FIM Sidecar World Championship as the series heads to the Netherlands for its penultimate round at TT Circuit Assen from 18-20 September.
Adam Christie sits just four-and-a-half points from the championship lead alongside Finnish rider Pekka Päivärinta, while his brothers Sam and Thomas Christie remain in contention as the defending world champions.
2025 FIM Sidecar World Championship at Assen, The Netherlands © Mark Walters
2025 FIM Sidecar World Championship at Assen, The Netherlands © Mark WaltersAdam Christie closes in on championship lead
After a six-week break, the championship resumes at Assen with very little separating the leading crews.
British rider Harrison Payne and French passenger Kevin Rousseau have led the standings since the opening round at Le Mans in April, but their advantage was dramatically reduced following a race-two retirement at Cremona in Italy.
That result has brought Beverley’s Adam Christie and five-time world champion Pekka Päivärinta to within just four-and-a-half points of the leaders.
The Finnish-Yorkshire pairing have already demonstrated their pace this season, dominating the second round at Grobnik-Rijeka in Croatia. With only Assen and the season finale at Oschersleben remaining, every championship point is increasingly important.
Sam and Thomas Christie remain in title fight
Adam is not the only member of the Christie family challenging for the world title.
Beverley brothers Sam and Thomas Christie, the defending FIM Sidecar World Champions, are just fifteen-and-a-half points behind the championship leaders.
The pair took full advantage of Payne and Rousseau's retirement during the previous round in Italy to significantly reduce the gap.
With the title race still open, a strong weekend at Assen could put the Yorkshire brothers in an even stronger position ahead of the deciding round in Germany.
The involvement of all three Christie brothers means Beverley will have a significant presence at the sharp end of one of international motorcycle racing's closest championship battles this weekend.
Other contenders at Assen
Several other leading crews will also be looking for podium finishes in the Netherlands.
French father-and-son pairing Ted and Vincent Peugeot arrive after claiming their first podium together in Italy, while former champion Markus Schlosser of Switzerland and German passenger Lucas Krieg currently occupy fourth in the championship standings.
Two-time champions Todd Ellis and Emmanuelle Clément are sixth after missing the previous round, while Dutch pairing Bennie Streuer and Manon Vissenberg are also among the crews to watch.
Assen race schedule
Action at the TT Circuit Assen begins with qualifying at 11.05am local time on Saturday 19 September.
Sunday 20 September will feature two championship races, with the ten-lap Sprint scheduled for 11am before the sixteen-lap Main Race at 4.50pm.
The Assen meeting is the fifth and penultimate round of the 2026 championship. The title will then be decided at Oschersleben in Germany from 2-4 October.
Both remaining rounds will be streamed live on FIM-MOTO.TV, including race coverage, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and analysis.
With Adam Christie only four-and-a-half points from the championship lead and defending champions Sam and Thomas Christie also within striking distance, Yorkshire's three Christie brothers head to Assen with everything still to race for.