Just heard on northwest news that there could be a potential ban on sidecars at the TT thats a serious statement !

I have a lot of respect for the competitors and I'll applaud their achievements on the course but if I'm being honest I've never really been a fan of the chairs and the field seems to get thinner every year so I wouldn't really lose any sleep if they went. It is after all first and foremost a motorcycle racing event and sidecars aren't really a proper motorcycle and sidecar.

Personally I'd like to see a massive re-jig of the TT, do we really need 4 1000cc races as they're proposing next year? Why not a class to cater for Moto3/Junior Supersport type bikes?

I'm torn on the sidecars, whilst i understand the concerns and also understand the passion that the fans and competitors have. Watching the outfits through barregarrow and Glen vine was truly breathtaking. There's not a lot of pure roads for the outfits these days, NW200, UGP and all Irish roads meetings have no sidecars in the line up

I don't know the answer to be honest, it were terrible this year though.

I do like the moto 3 idea though, i think there's room in the event for that and I'd happily sacrifice another class for it. Ultra lightweight TT has a long history on the island.

TT 2023 has an extreme schedule too, 2 of each class, only two days off in neck end of a fortnight. Has anybody thought about the marshals? The marshals do it for no reward but do it from loyalty and passion, are they being taken for granted?

It was before my time at the TT but they made the move to ban the F1 sidecars and go forward with F2 many moons ago after similar safety concerns. I'm assuming that there isn't a class that they could go to from F2 without making it something that only gets used at the TT (and hence un-viable)?

In terms of the event - foe me the sidecars have always added something to the TT - just the presence of them maintains some of the 'grass roots / racing for the sport' aspect to the TT which appears to be getting replaced with corporate razzle dazzle in the solos. So I think that it will be a poorer event without them (maybe that's just the traditionalist in me). So I'd rather see a solution than a ban (although I felt differently when they were forever dumping oil on the course and causing massive delays to the solo races a few years back).

But I don't think that there is any question that changes have to be made.

A Moto 3 class is a must for the event to remain relevant and accessible to small bike specialists IMO. So hopefully that's a given.

I agree entirely with your view on sidecars Sam. However, introducing Moto3 type racing at TT would be madness in the extreme. Pack racing, which Moto 3 or Talent Cup produce, is the most dangerous racing to participate in. I find it almost difficult to watch.

Personally I like the sidecars and think the event would be poorer for the lack of them. If push came to shove I'd rather watch the sidecars than a second twin or stock race which are on the schedule for 2023.

The more variety in machinery the better in my book and as AntG has said 4 big bike races does seem a little excessive. I'd quite like to see one or two production races - with little to no modifications to make it more affordable to privateers - with a wide range of manufacturers being competitive although quite what classes they would be I don't know.

That was the reasoning behind Supertwin, which now, are more expensive than a Superstock.

im a sidecar fan and for me and many others its part of the tt
will be a sad day for many if the sidecars are not allowed there anymore
theres more horses die in the grand national and the horses dont have the option to not race

I would be sad to see the sidecars go. At some parts of the corse they are amazing to watch. I think the 2 extra big bike races are to please the new TV world audience. Where sidecars are seen as old fashion and have no ties to Street machinery. If the do go and are to be replaced what is needed in my opinion is a race with a set cc limit with no mods except brakes  shocks and maybe fork internals. No engine mods. A safer and cheaper way to go racing. Maybe they should be asking some racers what would be the cheepest and safest options. The super twins where ruined by the Patons and KMRs. When someone said they could do the the 3 laps without a pit stop on a sv they all stamped there feet and had forced pit stops.

Back in 1978 Mac Hobson and passenger lost their lives at the top of Bray hill owing to a bump in the road which they smoothed out and I believe Jock Taylor did a test run on the new surface which seemed to have sorted the problem, so obviously they need to look what they have done in the recent work carried out there to see why the sidecars have been out of shape and get it sorted out. I`m not a big sidecar fan but I would be sorry to see it dropped from the calendar.

(15-06-2022, 11:11 AM)milestone 11 Wrote: I agree entirely with your view on sidecars Sam. However, introducing Moto3 type racing at TT would be madness in the extreme. Pack racing, which Moto 3 or Talent Cup produce, is the most dangerous racing to participate in. I find it almost difficult to watch.

My expectation is that it'd be just like bringing back the 125's? 

They'd still be off at intervals, why do you think it would be more dangerous?  More focus on corner speed perhaps?

I used to love watching the small bike specialists at the TT.  People like Gary Bennett, Mark Baldwin, Gavin Lee - broadened the appeal.