The 160 mph acrobatics of sidecar racing

• Sidecar racing involves two people controlling a three-wheeled motorcycle that can go over 160 mph.
• One person uses handlebars, a throttle, and brakes; the other uses nothing but their body weight.
• It's got acrobatic stunts and crashes, and it makes race-car driving look like a walk in the park.

Narrator: It's unlike any motorsport you've ever seen. Sidecar racing involves two people operating a three-wheeled motorcycle that can go over 160 miles per hour. While one person sits behind the throttle and brake, the other uses nothing but their body weight to help steer the vehicle. This requires a degree of acrobatics you don't often see in motorsports. Teams race at circuits worldwide, including the Mount Everest of motorcycle racing, the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races. As expected, there are plenty of ugly crashes. Since 2000, 10 sidecar racers have been killed during different stages of the competition.

Most people associate sidecars with the campy, even cartoonish bubbles that attach to motorcycles. But the machines used for sport are nothing to smirk at. These vehicles are built to be high-powered single units and look more like futuristic three-wheeled motorbikes. But they handle much differently because of their asymmetrical wheel setup, which changes the vehicle's balance completely. That's why, unlike motorcycles, they're equipped with wide racing slicks that resemble the tires you'd find on a Formula 1 race car. With these tires and the massive car brakes on all three wheels, they can outbrake almost any superbike and achieve far more grip when navigating corners.

But with such an awkward shape, it's not enough for drivers to optimize their lap time without flipping off the track. In this sport, the key to success lies with the passenger. In sidecar racing, there's no room for fear when you're riding shotgun. These competitors don't have time to coast or even really a seat to kick back in. Their sidecar is nothing but a handle to grasp and a platform to kneel on when they aren't hanging their body off one side of the bike or the other.

The passenger has one crucial role: to stabilize the vehicle. That's necessary because of the imbalance that the third wheel creates when turning. This means climbing up behind the driver on a right turn to keep the weight on the inside tires or hanging so far off the bike on a left-hander that their back almost scrapes the pavement. This is all done while clutching onto handles placed strategically throughout the vehicle. Things can get chaotic for the passenger quickly, depending on how difficult the track is. On a fast straightaway, they may be forced to duck as low as possible to minimize the aerodynamic drag on the bike. Seconds later, the team could be coming to a tight corner, forcing the passenger to pop into a different position to ensure the bike stays planted.

This dynamic of a driver relying on their teammate's shifting body weight to safely navigate race tracks requires an enormous amount of trust from both parties. The driver has to trust that the passenger will be where they need them to be at exactly the right moment, and the passenger has to trust the driver to navigate the track as skillfully and as safely as possible.

But even for skilled racers, things don't always go to plan. This is especially true at the Isle of Man. The 38-mile-long circuit boasts over 200 turns and little to no runoff spaces and has been home to some of the motorsport's ugliest crashes. In 2022's Isle of Man TT, three sidecar racers were killed in crashes, including a father-and-son team. Frequent tragedies like this are why many of the riders hug their loved ones before even taking so much as a practice lap at the Isle of Man.

Every type of motorsport, from stock cars to superbike racing, involves some degree of risk, but only sidecar racing features two people relying on one another's every movement to keep from veering off the track. This symbiotic relationship is what sets this sport apart and what ultimately can be the difference between triumph and tragedy.