Modern sidecars returning to Southern 100 in 2027

F2 machinery was excluded from this year's event over safety concerns

Modern sidecars will return to the Southern 100 Road Races in 2027.

Organisers of the meeting on the Billown Course have confirmed that F2 machines will be eligible next year having been excluded from this year's races over potential safety concerns.

The decision follows what officials say were 'positive discussions' with the sidecar paddock and the ACU to choose 'a path that addresses the key safety requirements while keeping costs manageable for our competitors.'

Southern 100 Clerk of the Course, Giles Olley, believes the new regulations will maximise safety for all involved and explains how important it is to them to be able to bring the class back:

The class will undergo some changes for next July which include aerodynamic undertrays being banned as well as 'other regulation improvements' being brought in which are yet to be announced.

Furthermore, the Southern 100 will also allow teams to use 600cc Supersport engines unlike next year's Isle of Man TT Races which will only allow Sportbike power units.

This year's decision in early June to omit modern F2 sidecars from the Billown Course mirrored the move taken a few days earlier by the Isle of Man TT Races which suspended the class part-way through the event over possible safety worries.

Just a few days after the move, the Southern 100 Road Races then announced that classic three-wheeled machines would take the place of modern bikes for 2026 as a 'contingency measure' whilst safety aspects of the modern F2 class were assessed.

This was possible at the time, officials said, because classic bikes were not subject to the same technical regulations and potential risks as their modern counterparts.

For next year, modern three-wheelers will operate under a 'refined' version of the F2 regulations from 2026

The Southern 100 Road Races also states that all sidecar outfits will be subject to 'rigorous pre-event inspections' to ensure compliance with the rules.

Full technical regulations for the class for next year will be released in due course.

The 2027 Southern 100 Road Races are scheduled to take place on the Billown Course from Monday, 12 July to Thursday, 15 July.

You can also listen to the full, extended interview with Mr Olley on demand via the Manx Radio SportsCast below: