Kenny van Gaalen (born 29 January 1988) is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and the 2012 Sidecarcross World Champion, riding as passenger with Daniël Willemsen.Kenny van Gaalen biography FIM website, accessed: 1 January 2013
Biography Kenny van Gaalen began his sidecarcross career as the passenger of Belgian driver Ben Adriaenssen in 2004, racing in the Netherlands in the competition of the Motorsport Organisatie Nederland, a Dutch amateur motorsport organisationBen Adriaenssen official website accessed: 14 October 2013
In 2009 the pair moved up to semi-professional level and entered the World Championship, making their debut at the Swiss Grand Prix at Wohlen. They finished the season in 18th place overall with three sixth place finishes as their best race results.2009 Sidecarcross World Championship FIM website - Official results, accessed: 14 October 2013 In the team's second World Championship campaign, in 2010, Adriaenssen and van Gaalen finished sixth overall, with a second place in the first race of the Danish Grand Prix as their best result.2010 Sidecarcross World Championship FIM website - Official results, accessed: 14 October 2013
In 2011 van Gaalen did only race sporadically, at the side of fellow Dutchman Bjorn Roes. In the 2012 edition van Gaalen replaced Haralds Kurpnieks who broke his wrist in the first Grand Prix of the season as Daniël Willemsen's passenger but himself suffered a knee injury in the second French Grand Prix, and being in turn replaced by Lauris Daiders for the last five GP's.NEWS: Race-report Pernes les Fontaine Team Willemsen website, accessed: 17 September 2012DANIËL WILLEMSEN ZET MET VERVANGENDE BAKKENIST JACHT OP DE WERELDTITEL VOORT Team Willemsen website, accessed: 17 September 2012Willemsen grijpt tiende wereldtitel De Stentor, published: 16 September 2012, accessed: 17 September 2012Tiende wereldtitel zijspancrosser Willemsen De Telegraaf, published: 16 September 2012, accessed: 17 September 2012 Van Gaalen took out the World Championship as a passenger because he earned more than 50 percent of the total points Willemsen took out in the 2012 championship, the necessary requirement for a passenger to become World Champion as per FIM regulations.FIM SIDECAR MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP APPENDIX FIM website, accessed: 7 January 2012
In 2013 van Gaalen did not race at World Championship level while his former partner, Ben Adriaenssen, took out the World Championship.2013 Sidecarcross World Championship FIM website - Official results, accessed: 14 October 2013 He returned for the 2014 season, now as passenger of then 17-year-old Koen Hermans.Gespann-WM: Willemsens aufgewärmte Beziehung Speedweek, published: 9 April 2014, accessed: 24 April 2014 The pair raced together again in 2015, now coming sixth overall.
Season by season The season by season results in the world championship for Kenny van Gaalen: Season Driver Equipment Position Points Races Wins Second Third2009 Ben AdriaenssenKTM-VMC1810814———2010KTM-VMC632227—122011 Bjorn RoesZabel-VMC4154———2012 Daniël WillemsenZabel-WSP 1249105412014 Koen HermansZabel-WSP1510013———2015Zabel-WSP636830———2016Zabel-WSP Overall 2009 – 20151,25298553
Honours
World Championship Champions: 2012
References
External links The World Championship on Sidecarcross.com