The events of the 2026 Isle of Man TT's practice and qualifying were more than a bit scary in the sidecar class, which resulted in the entire class being suspended for the actual competition portion of the event. Sidecar racer Maria Costello, MBE's team is, at the time of writing, still fundraising via GoFundMe to help support her recovery, if you're interested in donating.
After months of analysis and discussion, the IOMTT organizers officially announced the path forward for the 2027 IOMTT Sidecar category. It's important to note that the rules changes for 2027 will be for 2027 only, and how the sidecar races evolve will be dialed in and adjusted for 2028 and 2029. The organizers say that this careful reconsideration over time, rather than a one-and-done rules change, is what they have determined is most likely to provide a sustainable way forward for sidecar racing as a whole.
The first (and possibly biggest) change to note is that the four-cylinder, 600cc engine that has previously lain at the heart of sidecar racing in modern TT history will be going away. Instead, the new regulations will allow teams to utilize modern middleweight motorcycle powerplants, including (but not limited to) the Aprilia RS660, Kawasaki Ninja 650, and Yamaha R7.
The new regulations, say the organizers, will also include something called a "Balance of Performance approach," meaning that the old way of teams simply pouring money into engine development will no longer be a sure path to victory. This approach is meant to bring more parity to performance, as a way to bring stronger competition across the field. Of course, paper is paper; we'll have to see how this plays out on the Mountain Course.
To balance technical safety concerns with team budgetary concerns, existing sidecar chassis designs will still remain eligible for competition in 2027. However, some new rules regarding elements of chassis construction, modification, and more will be in place.
Aerodynamic development, in particular, will be seriously curtailed for 2027. I'll quote the official announcement directly here so you can see the language used:
Bodywork regulations will also be revised, with clearer limits introduced around floors, undertrays, wheel arches and other aerodynamic features. Separate wings, aerofoils, fins and spoilers will be prohibited.
The intention is to reduce aerodynamic development while improving structural integrity, technical inspection and access for medical and rescue personnel.
Further measures covering weight, fluid containment, machine safety and technical compliance will form part of the final regulations.
Additional changes will include each of the two (2) sidecar race events for 2027 taking place over two laps of the course. Also, competitors will be required to show recent competitive activity, as well as medical fitness. The specific requirements for eligible competitors in the class will be spelled out in greater detail in the revised regulations.
To read the full IOMTT organizer announcement in its entirety, you can go here.
What do you think about these changes? Preliminarily speaking, it seems as though the organizers are trying very hard to take multiple things seriously, including racer and spectator safety, as well as the incredibly special nature of the TT and its Sidecar class. It's clear that things needed to change in order to move forward, but also similarly clear that a great many people (teams, racers, and fans as well) would have been incredibly sad to see sidecars go away completely.
This seems like a potentially positive outcome, but as always, it's difficult to say for sure on paper. Here's hoping that some good comes from these changes.
