The Classic TT will be a first for Ben Birchall, as the Sidecar legend makes the switch to two wheels.
Birchall has been 14 times a winner at the Isle of Man TT, all 14 coming in the Sidecar class with brother Tom Birchall as passenger.
Tom retired after the 2024 Isle of Man TT and Ben has not won since. The Sidecar class was removed from the schedule at this year’s TT road races because of safety concerns after multiple major incidents during practice week, including one for Ryan and Callum Crowe that saw their outfit flip over a crest, and another that left Maria Costello paralysed.
The 2026 Classic TT, which will run from 17–28 August, will see Ben Birchall make his solo debut around the Mountain Course.
Birchall will not be the only top name to race the Classic TT this year, as John McGuinness, Michael Dunlop, Dean Harrison, Davey Todd, Peter Hickman, and Michael Rutter are all also set to race.
For Hickman, it will be his first Classic TT appearance since 2015, while for Todd it will be his first chance to ride the Mountain Course since 2025 after being forced to miss out on this year’s TT races after his Daytona 200 crash that also cost him a spot on the North West 200 entry.
Similarly, Rutter hasn’t raced the TT course since his crash during a Supertwin race at last year’s Isle of Man TT.
On the other hand, Michael Dunlop and John McGuinness both raced the Classic TT last year when the event returned to the racing calendar having been missing before that since 2019. The event now run in conjunction with the Manx Grand Prix.
This year’s event will celebrate McGuinness’ 30th anniversary of racing the TT course, and will also feature two new classes: Ultra-Lightweight and Junior 600.
