Payne & Rousseau prepare for world championship opener

Duo already claimed double French championship victory this month

Sidecar competitors Harry Payne and Kevin Rousseau are feeling optimistic as they prepare for the opener of this year's FIM Sidecar World Championship.

The Steinhausen Racing duo will contest the first round of the series at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, France taking place from today until Saturday (18-20 April).

Heading into the weekend, the pairing will have been buoyed by taking double victory in the first phase of the French Sidecar Championship at the same circuit on 6-7 April.

Both say a lot of work has gone into their machine in pre-season and, as a result, they're confident of building on several positive performances in the last campaign: