Racing sidecar to be displayed in new TT gallery

Volunteers have reassembled and refurbished a road-racing sidecar outfit which visitors to a new Isle of Man TT gallery at the Manx Museum will be able to pose in for one-of-a-kind pictures.

The bike and sidecar combination was donated by a former competitor based on the island and was restored by a team led by Norman Cowin.

It will feature in the ‘Superfan’ area of the new gallery, along with displays of memorabilia and souvenirs collected by visitors over the storied history of the TT.

Other exhibits on the premises include a restored Suzuki RG500 ridden to victory by Mike Hailwood in the 1979 Senior.

Matthew Richardson, Manx National Heritage’s Curator of Art and Social History, said: “Manx National Heritage are extremely grateful to Norman and his friends for their assistance with this part of the TT gallery project.

“There is a long tradition on the Island of visitors posing in novelty backdrops including cars and motorcycles.

“We are continuing that idea by giving our visitors an opportunity to try out the sidecar and snap a photo souvenir of their visit to the Manx Museum.”

The first TT sidecar race was held in 1923 and won by solo star Freddie Dixon and his passenger Walter Denney, comfortably beating the other 13 teams in their ‘banking’ outfit at an average speed of 53.15mph.

The new permanent exhibition gallery will tell the social history of the Isle of Man TT and will provide the opportunity to experience the TT atmosphere all year round through the real-life stories of everyone involved, from riders, families and mechanics to marshals and fans.

It will open in time for this year’s festival, with more information available at manxnationalheritage.im