Latvia's Lielbārdis Brothers Sit Out Final Round, End World Championship 11th
Latvia's sidecarcross duo Daniels and Bruno Lielbārdis skipped the final round's main races in Germany after illness left them short of full fitness, finishing the season 11th overall, while Belgium's Marvin Vanluchene and Ben Van den Bogaert retained their world title.
Fifth in qualifying, then a withdrawal
On Saturday, the Lielbārdis brothers placed fifth in their qualifying group at the season's final round in Germany. However, having not fully recovered from a virus, the pair concluded their physical condition was not yet good enough and chose not to start Sunday's main races.
Prunier brothers take the round
In the first race, France's Kilian and Evan Prunier took victory, finishing roughly six seconds ahead of Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard. Tim Prummer and Patrick Schneider were third, while outgoing world champions Marvin Vanluchene and Ben Van den Bogaert could only manage sixth. The second race went the champions' way, as Vanluchene and Van den Bogaert beat the Prunier brothers by five seconds, with Wilkinson and Millard third. The Prunier brothers topped the round's overall classification, ahead of Wilkinson/Millard and Vanluchene/Van den Bogaert.
Champions retain title by a wide margin
With all 12 rounds of the season complete, Vanluchene and Van den Bogaert secured the world championship, having won 14 of the season's 24 finals and finishing 86 points clear of second place. The Prunier brothers took second overall, while Prummer and Schneider claimed third, 13 points behind the runners-up.
A difficult year for the Lielbārdis brothers
Latvia's Daniels and Bruno Lielbārdis won one final during the season but battled various health problems throughout the year, forcing them to skip several rounds entirely. They ended the world championship in 11th place.
