2026 season calendar

Race Dates 2026

MARCH

12/13/14(m) brands

APRIL

11/12 (m)Darley

24/25/26 (b)east fortune

MAY-JUNE

20 - 7 (m)TT

JUNE

26/27/28(b)snetterton

JULY

4-12(m)Southern

24/25/26(b)Donnington

AUGUST

14/15/16(b)Cadwell

SEPT/OCTOBER

24-5(b)jurby-Knockhill

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Welcome on board Watsonian Sidecars for 2026! Continued support from this iconic company based at Northwick Business Park near Moreton in Marsh. Not only do they create the unique sidecars for private use and film work but the also build and design Barefoot Caravans! Absolutely gorgeous homes on wheels, all bespoke to your personal needs! Check out Mr Watsons Cafe too…. The best toastie in town!!

www.watsonian-squire.com

2025 round up

Hi everyone….. it’s been a while! Well what happened in 2025? TT…. The weather was atrocious! Everything suffered, the awnings, the paddock and especially the racing! We did manage the bear minimum practice/qualifying and that lead us to a solid couple of finishes, race 1- 13th race 2- 15th, however, Wayne and Matty have found a new confidence in the outfit after years of problems with engines, programming and handling….. so going forward, we are looking forward to being able to get back to racing as Wayne knows he can! There’s no guarantee to finish at the TT so we’re still proud of our achievements…..

The Southern 100 proved to be an exciting and interesting time with great results for Wayne and Matty combined, P8 & P6, but also Matty’s first Southern 100 on his solo! Literally jumped off the sidecar and came into the paddock and straight on to his solo!! Great stuff and 100% dedication!! Well done Team!

Brands Hatch with FSRA and Ben back in the chair! Reset the outfit to accommodate the different sizes in passenger is important for handling and with everything running better it’s set to be a better meeting going forward! We were honour to he asked to take our fellow competitors ashes around on his ‘last lap’! Dean Nicholls was a regular at Brands, but also across many circuits both here, the continental scene and the Isle of Man. He sadly passed awsy early in the year and we were asked by his former passenger and friend, Kenny Cole, to do the lap! His son was present and it was a very emotional day!

Back Croft with Ben…. Looking great, outfit now back on top form and both Wayne and Ben starting to enjoy the racing again! P8 x2

Cadwell Park…. Absolutely loving being back out…. We have enjoyed this meeting more this time than the previous few year! Bikes running sweet as and the confidence is building! Thanks for all the support and help from everyone in the team…. P6 & P5!

September….. the worst news for the team….. our wingman and friend, Phil Bridge, passed away suddenly, on his way back from a successful and fulfilling trip with his daughter Kelly, racing his classic on the continent. We are all heartbroken and will miss Phil so very much. We have Phil bear now, made from his old faithful hoody and he will travel with us to every meeting. RIP our friend…

CTL Motor company

Real Racing are very excited to welcome on board this season CTL Motor Company near Cirencester. Check out the stunning array of quality bikes and cars currently for sale and on show. First class cafe on site too serving breakfasts, hot food and drinks throughout the day. Scan the QR code for a direct link to their website!

IMS Racing ltd

We’re very pleased and proud to announce that we have continued support from IMS Racing ltd, Stephen Caffyn….. who will also be the title sponsor for Race 2 at the TT. As a close friend of the extended team, we cannot thank you enough!

Mallory

Wondering if it was worth the one days racing, Ben, understandably, was nervous to travel with the great distance again knowing full well things weren’t 100%, however, we said…. ‘its up to you, we’ll give it our all and kick its ass!’…… so they all came and thank god they did! Going steady in the first race, Wayne wanted to make sure the handling to right, suspension was better and running a new engine in after the problems at Croft. A solid finish, no prizes but confidence gained. Race 2….. BETTER….. What a change and what a result…… 6th place. Much happier team, actually thought I saw Wayne smile at one point, and Ben was so pleased he was there, of course we were too! Massive turn around for the team and we have some substantial changes to make to the outfit over the next few weeks along side our friend and engineer, Gus!

Croft - round 1

A cold and sunny start to Saturdays events, Ben and family arrived Friday evening as did Matty, full team meeting! Qualifying for both saw Ben and Wayne in 11th and Matty and Wayne in 8th……. different teams to be up against so no pressure to beat each other boys!!

Wayne and Matthew had a DNS for their first race so we had work to do. 8th place in their second race was, at least the finish they needed. Ben and Wayne finished in a disappointing 13th with clutch problem that let the team down and that was more than frustrating as everything was running well. Hence they couldn’t get out in time for the second after Matty and Wayne had pushed hard to finish with the slipping clutch to get the signature on Sundays racing. Really tough mentally for everyone to start off on a sour note again but we will not give up! Round 2 at Mallory Park, 2 races in one day….. busy busy!

matty and wayne going out

Ben and Wayne out in FSRA race

2025...... New Season

Here we are again…. to do it all over again with the force and determination of a bulldog, and hopefully without the problems! We’re making a start to the season with another trip out to Mallory Park for a test day to get Matthew settled back in, as he’s kindly agreed to be our number 1 road man for a third season and we’re over the moon! With Ben joining us for his third season along side Wayne in the British Championship, we have our dedicated team back together. New leathers have been ordered from Scott Leathers, expensive job for 3 team members but we know we’ll have great quality and first class safety, not to mention I’ve designed them this time so hopefully they’ll look the mutts!

Made some radical changes to the suspension which didn’t work as Wayne found out travelling backwards, full tilt round Gerards then again coming out of the esses with a side flip and spin! well held by both Wayne and Matty but not for the faint hearted…… needless to say it need further adjustments in the opposite direction! Next outing was much better, control was back although the vibration is still with us! Just doesn’t want to go…… We’ve got the first of our FSRA British Championship rounds coming up next and need some resolve asap. Ben will join us for the championship race and Matty for the club race in preparation for the TT.

Mallory Park

EMRA were hosting the last round for 2024 and we’d like to finish the year on a positive! Initial set up change for different passenger first and additional suspension and tyre pressure alterations to see if it helps. Qualifying was better on the iconic short circuit and they had a 3rd place on the grid with a time of 59.298…. Race 1 finished with a better time of 57.591 in 3rd place.

Race 2….. 4th place with a 57.612…. a couple of close calls with a near coming together at Gerards meant they lost a place but no harm done and we’ve finished the day, the season and 2024…… finally…… its been a bit like that!

Many thanks to Matty, on the roads, and short circuits, all of his supporters, Lisa and Reggie, Barry and Pauline and everyone that has helped the team throughout the year. Truly grateful and sorry we did not achieve our potential but we all get to go home to our loved ones and race another year, so for that we are eternally grateful!

Southern 100

Probably one of Waynes’ favorite races of the year…. set down on the Billown course in Castletown, its a awesome circuit and very challenging for the sidecars! Set up in the paddock with Matthew on board.. hoping for good weather and better racing. The vibration issue seems to be slightly improved on the roads due to the nature of the surface of the track being pretty bumpy anyway, so its not quite such an issue, although Wayne and Matty are more than aware its still there. Practice sessions have gone ok, nothing to jump up and down about but fairly happy with it all. Had a bit of bad weather which halted play for the race so 2 races to be held in one day, tomorrow!

Race one……. 11/07/24……… 93.623 ….. 8th place

Race 2 ……..11/07/24……..95.240……..7th place

Not too shabby but no where near where the team should be….. glad to of had a safe and successful Southern 100 though! Again, so many thanks its impossible to remember everyone, but we truly are forever grateful for your support, and will always give it our best!

Next round is at Castle Coombe….. see you there!

Knockhill

A lovely drive up to this beautiful part of the world! The air is so clean and fresh…. I love it! Its turning out to be one of Waynes’ favorite short circuits and Louisa is enjoying testing here too. The last round of the FSRA 2024…. its been a season of many ups and downs….again!

Wayne knows that there’s a possibility of this being a bit of a wasted journey due to the problems we’re having, but both him and Ben have committed to the championship and each other and will not let either down.

Race 1 was pretty mid range with a 3 second loss on time from the leaders…. however, they had a finish despite ongoing issues. over the next few hours, the team had lots of ‘advice’ from other teams, experts, and professionals, all of which were still left scratching their heads at not being able to help fix the problem!

We didn’t get out for race 2 on Sunday…. to be fair, there’s no point in wearing an engine out when the prize was unobtainable! Wayne and Ben have tried absolutely everything to get the problem of front end vibration sorted, but no further forward!

Real Racing still has a meeting to go at Mallory Park with Matty to aim for TT 2025…… but we would like to say a huge thank you to Ben and his family, Helen and John for all the support, travelling, commitment throughout the season, Nikki-Leigh for letting Ben come to race with us…. and all of the Manx supporters that have helped Ben and the team through this very trying year!

Donnington

Litrally a week after Croft and we’re at Donnington! Ben, Nikki and Miley, hot off the plane and with John and Helen here to get them all sorted, we’ve got to pull a better result out this weekend!

Qualifying was disappointing, still some vibration issues but the boys did their best to get 11th ready for the race grid. No change in the race position either…. an 11th place finish. You cannot begin to imagine how disheartening this is for us all, least of all Wayne who works tirelessly on the outfit to fix and solve issues, and for Ben and his family who travel so far for what has become a mid range ride!

Race 2 on Sunday wasn’t meant to be and they didn’t get out on the grid due to the extremity of the problem, we have to put safety first! Thank you to everyone for your help and understanding!

Croft

Matty joined us for this round as Ben was dragged off on a sunny holiday with his girls!! We know he’s enjoying it and he’s certainly earned it! A change of passenger settings on the outfit and we’re ready for the off…. Having a good race but getting held up by a clever blocking technique by another team, always very annoying, however, got past on second to last lap to take a finish in 9th place….. 4 seconds off the leaders…. still vibration problems but driving on!

Race 2, Sunday….. absolutely awful finish…. way down in 10th…… handling, blocking….. and generally disappointing overall….. sorry team…. we can only do so much!! A huge thank you to Matty for stepping in…. it can only get better!!

Cadwell Sidecar Revival

Always a great weekend run by BEMSEE, lots of track time and a full paddock…. F1’s, F2’s, Classics, pre injection, Bears…. alsorts out on track…. a great weekends racing! Louisa on board friday test day, needless to say she absolutely nailed it and loved it!

With Ben on board, the boys went out for qualifying and prepped for their first race of the weekend. Still not 100% happy with the handling when hard braking but its something Wayne and Ben decide to deal with and cope with safely….. Race 7 of the day but our 1st, a 7th place but down on time due to the issues, 1.42.640……

Sunday was a little better with a race finish of 6th place an a slight improvement in time to a 1.41.533…. Its more than frustrating as the team are so much better than these times and places…. we are desperately trying to resolve this! We have literally replaced every component on the front of the outfit but its still not 100%! Madness!

Castle Coombe

Our local circuit for Wayne but a million miles away for Ben and the gang, luckily the weather is on our side! A full paddock at the Wiltshire circuit and lots to get done ready for practice. After the relatively good Southern, Wayne and Ben are still having the vibration issues after practice, so need to change a component before the first race, however, the timetable doesn’t allow enough time and frustratingly they miss getting out onto the grid, even more annoying it means they have to start from the back of the grid for the second race on Sunday! Not happy!!

Its bad enough having mechanical issues without timetables not sitting right within the boundries of adequate time allowences. However, they got out for the second race and managed to finish in 10th, albeit well down, they didn’t have a great start position!

Anglesey

With the warm sun beating down, who wouldn’t want to be at a race track by the sea!! 2 weeks home from the TT and we’re off again, FSRA round 2 with Ben and Wayne contesting the championship. Got some bad vibration on the front end which is proving to be a problem especially when braking… its an uncomfortable ride! After having to change a bearing and a brake disc at the TT, they thought that would cure it but it hasn’t! Numerous suggestions from many other people havn’t solved it and its proving to be a real issue. Ben and John are all over it trying different ideas, Wayne trying set up changes, but its not improving.

Qualifying in 8th place was not where they wanted to be but they couldn’t resolve the issue in time. Quite a battle of a race and the team took a 6th place finish despite the handling issues.

Sundays race was a similar experience for the boys with another 6th place finish and unfortunately 4 seconds off the leaders pace. Got to get this sorted but its proving to be a mystery! Onwards to the Southern 100, needs to be right for the roads!

TT 2024

Always an exciting and anxious time but we’re looking forward to getting back to the Island! I’m not going to bore everyone too much with the day to day goings on of the team as we have so much that we get up to, getting things set up, fuel delivery, stickering up the fairing, laps of the course, data checking, tyre fitting….. the list is endless. The weather is always a worry on the Island during the TT, its makes or breaks it, and no ones in control of that! We’ve had some heavy showers which has put a spanner in the works for some of the practice sessions and the paddock suffers from water and wind damage , but with the sun drying it all up we can get out for some laps and set up ready for Race 1.

Race 1….. #16 but have a qualifying time to take us up to #13…… Wayne and Matthew get a good start off down Bray Hill, following on the radio and timing as best as I can….. then I lose them on timing app….. they’ve broken down at Glen Lach campsite, leaving Union Mills, not sure what the problem is but i’m sure it’ll become evident when they get back! That’s the end of our race but both are ok and we will see them later!!

Engine change and run in on the sidecar shakedown session….. lets get Race 2 done…..

Race 2…….. come on team! Its a quiet grid for the sidecars, we’d like to see double the amount out there….. teams… get your outfits ready and entered for 2025!!

Away they go, steady lap before the full on lap…. making good times and back through the grandstand at great pace….. team heading for a top 10 finish …… across the line in a solid 8th place, absolutely brilliant….. 109.665 with another 110 mph average lap done too! A silver replica to be proud of!

Weldone to Wayne, Matty and the whole team for another 100% dedicated and committed TT, one to be proud of, home safe and time to relax for an evening!

Huge thank you to absolutely everyone who helped us get there, supported us throughout the fortnight and beyond! We cannot do it without you all, the vast orange army, medics, organisers and everyone behind the scenes, thank you!

Croft FSRA and club race

Team back together, Ben and Matty with Wayne in the driving seat. This is the first round of the FSRA British Championship and we have our legendary Ben Binns in the chair for our 3rd season together, along with Matthew Rostron doing the club race for signatures towards our 2024 TT preparation! Mathew did the test day on the friday and Ben cracked on with the qualifying for the FSRA qualifying, finishing the session in 10th place, slippy track in the corners. Qualifying for Wayne and Matty in the club race saw them in 10th as well…… not our usual higher places but we’ll push on!

NEMCRC race 3/first race for us…… Started from 10th and finished in 7th, a respectable finish but the times still a little bit down.

Race 6 with Wayne and Ben, a good grid and challenging race. Speeds are still down, some issues we have to deal with but a solid 7th place result and a happyish team!!

Second race of the weekend for Wayne and Ben with FSRA saw the teams time remain at an even keel, never without its problems but at least we remain positive and focused to get the finish. Front runners have picked up slightly which meant the team falls back to 9th unfortunately, however, 1st round done and we make changes, improvements and move forward.

Many thanks to all the marshals, medics and organisers at the circuit. Thank you to Ben and his family for their commitment yet again, great to see you all and have the team back together….. and Matty for making it to the track for the much need time in the seat!!

Brands Hatch

First race of the year took us to Brands Hatch with BEMSEE and passenger Matthew Rostron in the chair for a signature to go towards the TT. We had arrived on the Thursday to set up and booked in for testing on Friday , Louisa in the chair for testing and it was her first time around the Kent circuit! Very excited to test out our new engine, we’re on the later Honda 600rr now so a considerable upgrade for us and potentially more horse power to come. Testing went well and needless to say, Louisa absolutely loved the track, her favorite so far and she did a very professional job in the chair giving Wayne a good idea of the set up of the outfit ready for race day on Saturday with Matty.

The weather took a turn on Saturday and we had the usual challenge of a wet circuit, but also, we are testing the new Hoosier tyres which we are having to use as Avons are no longer in production and this is the only option at the moment. The main challenge with this is getting the set up of the outfit right to compensate the change in tyres, so the suspension, ride height, and tyre pressures all have to be altered to make the use of the Hoosier work with the outfit. It does take alot of trial and testing, and we really must get this 100% before we attempt to go down Bray Hill on them!

. Wayne is more than happy to set off mid pack and with Matty on board, they felt the engine was working well but a slight electrical problem meant that Wayne wasn’t able to bring it up to full speed, however, a first race finish in 9th and a signature under our belts means we can check a couple of things and crack on with the second race, finishing that one in 10th and ready to prep for Sundays race.

Still with a glitch in the electrics, Wayne and Matty opted to do the one race in the morning and finish the weekends racing with a bit of time free to go and collect the new fairing from Jed. The race went well and the team brought back another 10th place to secure the second signature. Huge thanks to Mike and all the team at BEMSEE for another well run meeting, massive shout out to the orange army…. Thank you! Huge thanks to our one and only Phil Bridge for looking after the outfit, and making the long journey down to be with us. Thank you to Matty, Lisa and the gorgeous Reggie for being with us and to Louisa for doing an awesome job testing!

Next meeting is the first of the FSRA British Championship round at Croft with the legendary Ben Binns in the chair and hopefully the weather will behave itself too!

Tim Langham

It is with a very heavy heart that we have had the sad news of the loss of our friend, and friend to so many…..Tim Langham.

An absolute gent, not a bad bone in his body, totally devoted to the sidecar community and the teams he joined and supported. Tim could answer virtually any question on sidecars, he’d help whenever he possibly could and was a true friend to many people. His race reports were legendary, knowledgeable on all the circuits and teams was first class. The life and soul of any party and loved to see everyone happy.

I don’t think he really knew how loved he was but there will be a massive hole in everyone’s hearts and in the sidecar paddock.

Rest in Peace Tim.

110 Draw Winners!

Huge congratulations to ……….

KEVIN AND ELAINE DAVIS of K-Tech Consulting

Absolutely made up for you both to receive our awesome prize and look forward to seeing you at one of our short circuit meetings during the FSRA British Championship or another of the meetings on our calendar. Obviously hope you both can make the Isle of Man TT again, where we’d love to welcome you to a bite and a beverage!