2025 FIM SIDECAR RIDER WORLD CHAMPION - SAM CHRISTIE
Starting his top-flight career in 2013 as passenger for Frenchman Jean-Louis Hergott, Sam Christie – LCR Yamaha finally struck gold this season as the man behind the handlebars when he steered his outfit to the 2025 FIM Sidecar Rider World Championship.
Teaming up with younger brother Adam as passenger in 2018, the pair finished fifth in the world on two separate occasions before he joined forces with Adam’s twin brother Thomas in 2022 with the newly-formed partnership ending the season tenth.
Improving to fourth in 2023 and third last year, this season their consistency carried them to the title following a hard-fought seven-round series in which they enjoyed an incredible run of ten straight race podiums across the opening five rounds in France, Portugal, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
They missed the podium for the first time all season on the championship’s second visit to the fabled Dutch circuit at Assen when they finished fourth in the opening Sprint race, a result they backed up with second in race two.
Signing off with six-three finishes at Oschersleben in Germany, when Harrison Payne and Kevin Rousseau were disqualified from the final race for a technical infringement the title was theirs.
PALMARES
FIM Sidecar World Champion – 2025
2025 FIM SIDECAR RIDER WORLD CHAMPION - THOMAS CHRISTIE
Thomas Christie – LCR Yamaha, the 2025 FIM Sidecar Passenger World Champion, proved that consistency is key following a string of podium finishes that carried him and brother Sam to the title.
Christie made his debut as a passenger at the sport’s elite level in 2018, but it was not until 2022 when he replaced twin brother Adam as passenger for their older brother that he broke into the top ten and the brothers were fourth in 2023 and third last season before striking gold this year.
A pair of third-placed finishes at Le Mans in April was a solid start that they backed up one week later with three-two results at Estoril. June saw them score a pair of second-placed finishes at both the Pannoniaring and Most, with the Czech result tying them for the championship lead.
After running three-two on the series’ first visit of the season to Assen in August, the following month they went four-two when the series returned to the Netherlands’ famous ‘Cathedral of Speed’.
The series concluded at Oschersleben in October where six-three results earned them the coveted crown after Harrison Payne and Kevin Rousseau were disqualified from the final race for a technical infringement.
PALMARES
FIM Sidecar World Champion – 2025