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Roads: Classic Sidecars to race at the 2026 Southern 100 races following ACU approval

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Classic Sidecars will race at the Southern 100 Races event on the Isle of Man this July following approval from the sport’s governing body, the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU).

The implementation of the Classic Sidecar class follows the safety-led suspension of the modern Sidecar category at both the Isle of Man TT and Southern 100 Races.

This decision was made following an incident involving Ryan and Callum Crowe at Crosby which saw their outfit flip off the road. An official Sidecar Sustainability Review has since been launched by the organisers of the Isle of Man TT.

“To go from a blank sheet of paper to an excellent grid of Classic Sidecars in such a short space of time is a testament to the incredible spirit of the road racing community,” Southern 100 Clerk of the Course, Giles Olley said.

“We are deeply grateful to Greg Lambert [Sidecar competitor] for his tireless work on the ground with the drivers and passengers, and to Dr Paul King at the ACU for helping us clear the administrative hurdles so efficiently.

“This has been a monumental team effort. Thanks to them, our anonymous benefactor, and the teams who stepped up, the Southern 100 crowds will still get to enjoy the unique spectacle of sidecar racing at Billown this year.”

Classic Sidecar entries are fully funded by a private benefactor. Competitors can find full details, technical regulations and submit their entries via the official Southern 100 website.

According to the technical regulations, the Classic Sidecar racers must use either two strokes built before 31/12/1967, or four strokes built before 31/12/1972. Additional outfit information includes:

  • 1.4.3. Sidecars must comply with the ACU standing regulations.
  • 1.4.4. Classic three-wheeler machines with front exit sidecar over 300cc but not exceeding 1300cc.
  • 1.4.5. The use of Suzuki GT750 engines built before 31/12/1975 is at the discretion of the event organisers.

Further details regarding the updated race schedule and practice sessions will be published on the official Southern 100 website and social media channels in due course.

The Southern 100 uses the 4.25-mile Billown Circuit in Castletown on the Isle of Man and is due to take place on July 6-9. The classic Sidecar machines were last run on the island during the Pre-TT Classic races, which uses the Billown Circuit.

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