Maria Costello backs TT sidecar suspension after Crowe crash
maria costello was part of a week that pushed the Isle of Man TT into a hard safety call, as sidecar racing was suspended for the rest of the 2026 event after Ryan and Callum Crowe crashed in qualifying. Organisers moved on Thursday after an immediate technical and operational review.
Ryan and Callum Crowe
The crash came in the third qualifying session at Crosby Leap on Wednesday evening. The session was red flagged at about 20:20 BST, and organisers then began reviewing the incident before taking the precautionary step of ending sidecar racing for the remainder of the meeting.
Nick Crowe, a five-time sidecar TT champion and the father of Ryan and Callum, said his sons had been travelling at more than 160mph when a crosswind destabilised the sidecar outfit shortly after they landed at Crosby Leap. He said, “For them to escape with relatively minor injuries considering the speed - it was a miracle that they're still here to be honest.”
Nick Crowe and TT safety
Crowe backed the decision to stop sidecar racing after the crash, saying, “A lot of people disagree with me but I think under the circumstances it's going to be the right thing to do.” He has also argued that the rules have not kept pace with the machines, saying, “These rules are 30, 40 years old” and “not following with the times.”
He warned that the class needs changes because there is “one wrong move now” risk of being pushed “from the event altogether” if safety concerns are not addressed. Crowe knows the cost of sidecar racing firsthand: he lost a leg and an arm in a crash in 2009.
Crosby Leap and Doran's Bend
The suspension followed a crowded and troubling stretch at the TT. On Tuesday, sidecar team Maria Costello and passenger Shaun Parker were involved in a crash, and on Wednesday competitor Daniel Ingham died in a crash at Doran's Bend during a qualifying event.
By Thursday, organisers had drawn the line for the rest of the 2026 sidecar programme. The class is off the schedule for the remainder of the Isle of Man TT Races 2026, leaving the crash review and the safety debate as the lasting outcome for teams and riders still at the meeting.
