TT sidecar racing 'fighting for its future'

Riders taking part in the Classic Sidecar Parade at the Classic TT have spoken about what a future without sidecars at the TT would mean.

A 'sustainability review' is underway after sidecar racing was suspended during the Isle of Man TT in June because of safety concerns.

The review into the suspended class is still ongoing, with early findings in July suggesting sidecars could return in 2027 after major reform.

Sidecar racing legends are keen to see the class return in 2027, but said the sport needed to become safer and more affordable.

John Stephenson, 71, said the TT was now "really the biggest event that sidecars have got left".

"MotoGP dropped the class, and other events are struggling."

"It attracts a lot more interest, a lot more people, than it's given credit for," he added.

John, who said he had been a sidecar rider for more than 40 years, bought the bike he now rides to restore it, but then decided to race it himself.

He said he backed changes to the rules "as time progresses" but not a speed limit.

"I don't think restricting the speeds is the answer," he said.

Derek Brindley called sidecars "an integral part of the TT".

"It's not a normal race by any means," he said.

"We've just got to find a way, technically, to make it safer. We might have to slow them down a bit, but importantly make the aerodynamics better."

He said the expense of competing had spiralled.

"Naturally, when you push the boundaries with development, the costs get pushed too."

Brindley did the TT at 19, working as an apprentice machinist on £90 a week.

"You could afford to do it then," he said.

A bike good enough to win the TT in the late 1980s cost around £5,000 at the time, a fraction of what competitive machines costs today.

"We've lost the way a little bit with the sport," he said.

"We want to encourage young guys to start and fill the grids again."

Alan Cavey and Leila Williams, who rode a 1963 Triumph Bonneville 750 in the parade, said the sidecars' pull for spectators should not be underestimated.

"There were so many people at the TT who came to see the sidecars," they said.

They recalled meeting Spanish visitors at this year's Grand Prix and Classic TT who had never seen a sidecar race before, and were "stunned".

Cavey said aerodynamics, blamed for some of the safety concerns around the modern class, are not an issue for older sidecars like his own.

"If anything, they almost need to devolve the modern ones," he said, "and rethink the design of the aerodynamics."

Rob and Dafne de Jong were on the island when the sidecar class was suspended in May.

"We spoke to all the sidecar racers at the time. They're all unbelievable people," Dafne said.

The couple work, who work as marshals and also race, called it "a real honour" to be invited to ride the parade lap.

Rob has been involved in sidecar racing since 1972, though the pair have raced together for eight years.

They travel to the island twice a year for the TT and the Manx Grand Prix.

Manxman Neil Christian said "the class is underappreciated in what they bring to the TT", adding: "It would be a huge step backwards if it disappeared from the calendar."

In terms of the review, a final decision has yet to be made on the future of the class.

Organisers say they are aiming to confirm the future of Sidecar racing at the TT during the autumn.

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