Isle of Man TT sidecar passenger Tom Birchall retires ending twenty-year partnership with brother

The most successful Isle of Man TT sidecar passenger of all time has announced he will be retiring from racing with immediate effect.

Tom Birchall has raced in partnership with his brother Ben Birchall for 20 years, but the 36-year-old from Mansfield says he wants to 'stat a new chapter in life'.

Ben and Tom Birchall have been the dominant force on three wheels for the past decade, winning every single race they finished since 2013.

At this year's TT, the pair set the first ever 120mph average lap speed record around the course in the Sidecar class.

Tom said: "Having achieved what we have and having broken that 120mph barrier this year, the timing feels as right as it can do.

"The TT is the pinnacle for me and while it might only be a couple weeks of the year, it takes a lot of sacrifices and hard work all year round to get to a level that allows us to keep pushing and pushing.

"Now feels like the time to take a break from that cycle and start a new chapter in life, but Ben knows I’ll always be there in any way I can to keep the Birchall name on top."

Away from the Isle of Man TT, Tom has also won the Sidecar World Championships on four occasions.

His brother, Ben Birchall, said: "It will feel totally different and take time to get used to competing without him, but I’m still totally committed racing and so it’s the start of a new and exciting chapter.

"It genuinely has been a journey, racing all around the world plus all the development of the bikes that people won’t see, too.

"None of it would have been possible without Tom."

He concluded: "We’ve made history and to have done that with my brother has just made it even more special."

Ben confirmed he will race with a new passenger in 2024, as he continues to close down on the record number of TT wins for a Sidecar driver.

A title currently held by Dave Molyneux with 17 race victories.

An announcement on who will line up alongside him is expected in the new year.

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