Steve Webster (sidecar racer)

Last updated

Steve Webster
MBE
LCR Krauser Sidecar 1989 Donington Park.jpg
Nationality Flag of the United Kingdom.svg British
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Isle of Man TT career
TTs contested1 (1983)
TT wins0
TT podiums0

Stephen Webster MBE (born 7 January 1960), is an English sidecar racer who has won six FIM Sidecar World Championships and four world cup, making him the most successful sidecar racer ever. [1]

Career

Born in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, Webster began as a 19-year-old racing at club level, first racing at the Elvington Airfield circuit near York, [2] and quickly moved up to national and then world championship in 1983, winning his first world championship in 1987 while partnered with Tony Hewitt, riding an LCR-Yamaha machine. From 181 Grand Prix and World Cup races entered, he has had 62 wins, 37 second places and 27 third places as well as 82 pole positions. He has won the FIM Sidecar World Championship on 10 occasions (1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2004), with Tony Hewitt, Gavin Simmons, David James and Paul Woodhead. [1]

In 1985 Webster and Hewitt had a massive crash at the Dutch TT at Assen, shown many times on television where the sidecar left the track at high speed, slid along the grass before hitting a drainage ditch. [1] The accident caused the pair to miss most of the season.

Webster was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1990 Birthday Honours for services to sidecar racing. [3] He was the recipient of the Segrave Trophy in 1991. [1]

In 2004 Webster won British, European, and World titles, but in 2005 Webster announced his retirement after health problems prevented him finishing the season. [2] [4]

In 2006, Webster received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Auto Cycle Union. [5]

In 2015, Webster was reunited with Hewitt on track, the pair taking part in a test event at Mallory Park. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Prix motorcycle racing</span> Premier championship of motorcycle road racing

Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of the twentieth century and large national events were often given the title Grand Prix. The foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme as the international governing body for motorcycle sport in 1949 provided the opportunity to coordinate rules and regulations in order that selected events could count towards official World Championships. It is the oldest established motorsport world championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Man TT</span> Annual motorcycle race held on the Isle of Man

The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May and runs for thirteen days. It is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world as many competitors have died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle speedway</span> Motorcycle sport

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only one gear and have no brakes. Racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt, loosely packed shale, or crushed rock. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways, powersliding or broadsiding into the bends. On the straight sections of the track, the motorcycles reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).

<i>Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme</i> International sport governing body

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the global governing/sanctioning body of motorcycle racing. It represents 119 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six continental unions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circuito de Jerez</span> Race track in Andalusia, Spain

Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, is a 4.428 km (2.751 mi) racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, 90-kilometre (56 mi) south of Seville and deep within the sherry-producing region in the south of Spain. The project was led by the Spanish engineer Manuel Medina Lara, based on a preliminary idea from Alessandro Rocci.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT Circuit Assen</span> Motorsport track in the Netherlands

The TT Circuit Assen is a motorsport race track built in 1955 and located in Assen, Netherlands. Host of the Dutch TT, it is popularly referred to as "The Cathedral of Speed" by motorcycle racing fans. The venue has the distinction of holding the most Grand Prix motorcycle races every year since the series was created in 1949. It has a capacity of 110,000 spectators, including 60,000 seats. Since 1992, the circuit has also been part of the World SBK calendar except for the 2020 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch TT</span> Motorcycle race held in the Netherlands

The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the TT Assen, and also sometimes known as the Dutch Motorcycle Grand Prix, is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Speed'. The event attained world championship status in 1949 when it was sanctioned by the FIM as part of the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship season, making it the oldest event on the MotoGP calendar. The venue holds the record for being the only circuit to have hosted a motorcycle Grand Prix event every year since the series was created in 1949, with the exception of 2020 when the race was cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The races were traditionally held on the last Saturday of June however, from 2016 onwards it has been held on Sunday of the last weekend of June, bringing it in line with all other MotoGP races. The event is due to take place at the TT Circuit Assen until at least 2026.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Walker (motorcyclist)</span> British motorcycle racer

Chris Walker is a British motorcycle road racer and former scrambler with the nickname The Stalker. He is a four-time runner-up in the British Superbike Championship, and a former race winner in the Superbike World Championship. For the 2015 season Walker signed for Tommy Hill's Be Wiser Kawasaki Team aboard a Kawasaki ZX-10R in the British Superbike Championship, following his 2014 season with Lloyds British GBmoto squad. Team manager Hill left in August, 2015, and the team folded in September, leaving Walker without a ride for the final two race meetings of the season.

FIM Sidecar World Championship is the international sidecar racing championship. It is the only remaining original FIM road racing championship class that started in 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salzburgring</span> Racing track in Austria

The Salzburgring is a 4.241 km (2.635 mi) motorsport race track located in Plainfeld, east of Salzburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Fogarty</span> English motorcycle racer

Carl George Fogarty, often known as Foggy, is an English former motorcycle racer and one of the most successful World Superbike racers of all time. He also holds the third highest number of race wins at 59 behind Jonathan Rea and Álvaro Bautista. He is the son of former motorcycle racer George Fogarty. He retired in 2000. In 2011, Fogarty was named a FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grasstrack</span> Motorcycle racing format

Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of track racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in the UK with the first meetings having taken place in the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle racing</span> Racing sport using motorcycles

The motorcycle sport of racing includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and land speed record trials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Vincent (motorcycle sidecar racer)</span> British motorcycle racer (1935–2021)

Chris Vincent was a British motorcycle sidecar road racer who was very successful in short-circuit (tarmac) racing in the 1960s and early 1970s. He entered Grands Prix using BSA, BMW and URS engines. He also rode solo motorcycles, particularly in the smaller race classes and production-machine categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillman Speedway</span> Motorcycle speedway in Gillman, Australia

Gillman Speedway is a purpose built, 300 metres long motorcycle speedway located in the Adelaide suburb of Gillman in South Australia. The track opened in 1998 and runs approximately 13 meetings per season from October to March/April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florian Camathias</span>

Florian Camathias was a Swiss professional Grand Prix motorcycle and sidecar racer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raúl Fernández (motorcyclist)</span> Spanish motorcycle racer

Raúl Fernández González is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer competing in the MotoGP World Championship with Trackhouse Racing. His younger brother, Adrián, is also a motorcycle racer. They are not related to MotoGP rider Augusto Fernández. He was 2018 FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben and Tom Birchall</span> Motorcycle racing duo

Ben Birchall and Tom Birchall,, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, are English motorcycle-with-sidecar road race World Championship-winning competitors in both the F1 and F2 categories and again in the 2017 season – when all competitors used 600 engines.

Kirsi Kainulainen is a Finnish motorcycle racer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Whatever happened to Steve Webster MBE?", Motorcycle News , 9 February 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016
  2. 1 2 "SUPERSIDE: Steve Webster retired after Assen race", motorsport.com, 7 September 2005. Retrieved 5 August 2016
  3. "No. 52173". The London Gazette . 15 June 1990. p. 16.
  4. "Sidecar great Webster ends career", BBC, 7 September 2005. Retrieved 5 August 2016
  5. "Webster's Lifetime Award", Motorcycle News , 11 February 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2016
  6. Hansard, Natalie (2015) "Sidecar Racing Legends Webster and Hewitt Back on Track", malloryparkcircuit.com, 16 March 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2016
Sporting positions
Preceded by World Sidecar Champion
1987-1989
With: Tony Hewitt (1987-1989)
Gavin Simmons (1988)
Succeeded by
Preceded by World Sidecar Champion
1991
With: Gavin Simmons
Succeeded by
Preceded by World Sidecar Champion
1997-2000
With: David James (1997-1999)
Paul Woodhead (2000)
Succeeded by
Preceded by World Sidecar Champion
2003-2004
With: Paul Woodhead
Succeeded by