Sven Verbrugge

Sven Verbrugge (Schoten, 21 August 1967) is a retired Belgian sidecarcross passenger and triple Sidecarcross World Champion, winning the title in 2005, 2006 and 2011.

Sven Verbrugge
Nationality Belgium
Born (1967-08-21) 21 August 1967
Schoten, Belgium
Bike number6
Websitewww.svenverbrugge.be
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Sidecarcross World Championship
Active years
  • 1993 - 1997
  • 1999 - 2006
  • 2008 - 2012
Championships(3) 2005, 2006, 2011
2012 championship position3rd
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
327 89 155 4,717

Verbrugge started racing motocross in 1983 in the 125 cc solo class before becoming a sidecarcross passenger in 1986. In his career, he has raced for over 20 years in the Belgian, Dutch and the world sidecarcross championships. After his second world championship in 2006, Sven retired from the world championship, but felt, according to himself, "homesick" for the GP circus and returned for the 2008 season alongside his countryman Nicky Pulinx.[1]

Apart from two world championships, he also won the Belgian title in 1993, 1994, 2004 and 2006 and the Dutch in 2001 and 2006.

Sidecarcross world championship results

Sven Verbrugge joined the sidecarcross world championship in 1993 as the passenger of his countryman Gunther Gooverts, whom he raced with quite successfully for four seasons. He made his debut at the French GP in Pernes Les Fontaines on 4 April 1993. He won his first race in this season in Roggenburg, Switzerland on 15 August 1993. In 1995, an ankle injury prevented him for three month from taking part in most of the season but the year after the pair returned with a sixth place overall finish. After those four seasons, Verbrugge had two lean ones with only four races in 1997 and none in 1998 after Gooverts choose not to take part in the world championship and only race in domestic events in Belgium. He raced successfully with two different drivers in 1999, Martin Gölz and Gerton Kops, who finished 12th and 9th overall this season. After a short stint with Peter Steegmans he returned to Daniël Willemsen for a second time and the pair finished second overall in the 2000 and 2001 world championship. In 2002, apart from Willemsen, he also raced with Are Kaurit, with both drivers finishing in the top four. Another second-place finish, now with Kristers Serģis, in 2003, when his old partner Willemsen won the championship was followed by a seventh place in 2004 due to a three-month-long injury for Serģis. After this, the two drivers, Willemsen and Serģis, swooped partners, with Verbrugge returning to Willemsen for a third time and Kaspars Stupelis joining Serģis instead. This move proved very successful for Verbrugge as he managed to win two world championships with Willemsen. After the second one, Verbrugge left the world championship in 2006, seemingly for good, at the age of 39. After a year away from the GP circus however, he decided to return, now with his new partner, fellow Belgian Nicky Pulinx.

In 2009, he was back as passenger of Daniël Willemsen once more, except in the first race of the season, when he raced with Gerrit van Werven. The pair dominated the early part of the season but an injury to Willemsen forced them to miss three events and a lack of good form upon return caused them to finish only fifth in the world championship. In the last event of the season, Verbrugge broke his thumb and the team was unable to score any points. Daniël Willemsen however declared already before the race that he would try to win title number eight in 2010.[2]

After riding with fellow Belgian Peter Steegmans in 2010, Verbrugge started once more with Willemsen in 2011, after an injury to first-choice passenger Roman Vasyliaka. It is the fifth time that the two are racing together in the competition.[3] As Willemsens passenger, Verbrugge has also won two Dutch national titles, in 2001 and 2006. Willemsen temporarily switched to Ondrej Cermak as his passenger for the first of two German GP's because of an injury to Verbrugge. Willemsen and his passenger clinched the World Championship at the second-last race of the season, at Slagelse, Denmark, having a 53-point lead over Latvians Jānis and Lauris Daiders at the time.[4][5]

The last race event of the 2011 season saw the World Champions, Willemsen and Verbrugge, failing to score any points. A dispute during qualifying between the two lead to Verbrugge walking out during the first qualifying session. He later returned to take part in the "last chance", where the team qualified for the race after all. Verbrugge however was injured during a fall and had to be taken to hospital where his arm was placed into a plaster, ruling the team out of the race.[6]

In the 2012 season Verbrugge was racing with fellow Belgian pilot Ben Adriaenssen, finishing third in the world championship.

Season by season

Sven Verbrugge's season by season world championship results:

Season Driver Equipment Position Points Races Wins Second Third
1993 Gunther Gooverts KTM-EML 11 182 27 2 3
1994 Gunther Gooverts KTM-EML 8 135 18 1 2 1
1995 Gunther Gooverts KTM-EML 21 27 8 1
1996 Gunther Gooverts KTM-EML 6 155 16 3 2
1997 Gert Devoldere 23 3 2
Daniël Willemsen Zabel-BSU 3 40 2 2
1999 Martin Gölz Zabel-VMC 12 90 20
Gerton Kops MTH-EML 9 17 2
2000 Peter Steegmans Zabel-EML 21 16 2
Daniël Willemsen Zabel-BSU 2 320 22 5 4 7
2001 Daniël Willemsen Zabel-BSU 2 377 22 8 5 3
2002 Are Kaurit MTH-AYR 4 268 16 3 2
Daniël Willemsen Zabel-VMC 2 88 4 4
2003 Kristers Serģis MTH-BSU 2 501 26 12 7 1
2004 Kristers Serģis MTH-BSU 7 246 12 6 1 2
Frank Hofman Zabel-VMC 12 22 2
2005 Daniël Willemsen Zabel-VMC 1 478 22 15 4
2006 Daniël Willemsen Zabel-VMC 1 341 16 13
2008 Nicky Pulinx Zabel-VMC 9 22 4
Jarno van den Boomen Zabel-VMC 22 8 2
2009 Gerrit van Werven KTM-VMC 16 6 2
Daniël Willemsen Zabel-VMC 5 341 17 11
2010 Peter Steegmans KTM-WSP 12 212 20 1 1
2011 Daniël Willemsen Zabel-WSP 1 437 21 14 3
2012 Ben Adriaenssen KTM-WSP 3 385 22 6
Overall 1993 - 2012 4,717 327 89 37 29
Source:"The John Davey Pages - Sven Verbrugge". John Davey. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  • Passengers in italics.

Honours

World Championship

  • Champions: (3) 2005, 2006, 2011
  • Runners-up: (4) 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003

Belgium

Netherlands

Germany

References

  1. Sven Verbrugges loopbaan (in Dutch)
  2. Rudersberg schreibt Geschichte (in German), Race report for the last event in 2009, accessed: 25 September 2009
  3. Seitenwagen: Willemsen mit Verbrugge (in German) Speedweek, published: 24 March 2011, accessed: 3 April 2011
  4. Sven Verbrugge samen met Nederlander wereldkampioen zijspancrossen De Morgen, published: 4 September 2011, accessed: 6 September 2011
  5. Willemsen/Verbrugge wereldkampioen De Stentor, published: 4 September 2011, accessed: 6 September 2011
  6. Janis und Lauris Daiders beenden die WM in Rudersberg mit GP-Sieg (in German) www.offroad7.de, published: 12 September 2011, accessed: 15 September 2011
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Kaspars Stupelis
Sidecarcross World Champion (passenger)
2005, 2006
Succeeded by
Reto Grütter
Preceded by
Gertie Eggink
Sidecarcross World Champion (passenger)
2011
Succeeded by
Kenny van Gaalen
Preceded by
Wiljam Janssen
Dutch national sidecarcross champion (passenger)
2001
Succeeded by
Dagwin Sabbe
Preceded by
Christian Verhagen
Dutch national sidecarcross champion (passenger)
2006
Succeeded by
Reto Grütter
Preceded by
Gino Strubbe
Belgian national sidecarcross champion (passenger)
1993 - 1994
Succeeded by
Wiljam Janssen
Preceded by
Christian Verhagen
Belgian national sidecarcross champion (passenger)
2004
Succeeded by
Dimitri Vandeursen
Preceded by
Dimitri Vandeursen
Belgian national sidecarcross champion (passenger)
2006
Succeeded by
Reto Grütter
Preceded by
Martin Betschart
German national sidecarcross champion (passenger)
2010–present
Incumbent
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