The 2012 FIM Sidecarcross World Championship, the 33rd edition of the competition, started on 1 April and finished after eleven race weekends on 16 September 2012.

Willemsen and Verbrugge were a team for a fifth time in the history of the competition, with the combination previously winning the 2005 and 2006 titles together.

[2] However, the two were racing in separate teams in 2012, with Willemsen having used three different passengers during the season because of injury woes, while Sven Verbrugge joined fellow Belgian pilot Ben Adriaenssen.

[4][5] The Sidecarcross World Championship, first held in 1980 and organised by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, is an annual competition.

[1][4] Sidecarcross is similar to motocross except that the teams consist of two riders, a driver and a passenger.

Races are held on the same tracks as solo motocross but the handling of the machines differs as sidecars don't lean.

The majority of physical work in the sport is carried out by the passenger, who speeds up the sidecarcross in corners by leaning out.

In comparison to the 2011 edition,[7] the Grand Prix of Poland, Ukraine and Denmark have been dropped off the calendar while the Czech GP made a return.

[3] The FIM stipulates that all drivers must be of a minimum age of 18 while passengers have to be at least 16 years old to compete, but no older than 50.

[8][9][10] The official calendar for the 2012 season:[1] The top ten teams in the final overall standings were:[4] Parallel to the riders championship, a manufacturers competition was also held.