Couple take up sidecar racing in their 60s

Dave and Alison looking into the camera and smiling. They're both wearing black motorbike leathers. Dave has short grey hair with sideburns and is wearing a blue undershirt. Alison has short blonde hair and is wearing a pink undershirt. They're stood in front of their red van, which has 'Terrier Racing' printed on the rear window.

Dave is a retired builder, and Alison is a part-time gardener

Ellen Knight
BBC Radio Shropshire

A married couple have said sidecar racing has become "part of their normal life" since starting the sport in their 60s.

Dave and Alison Birch, from Whixhall in Shropshire, took up racing in 2024 and are loving every minute.

Their team name is Terrier Racing - in honour of their beloved dog Pip.

The pair spend their weekends hurtling around racetracks at more than 100mph and reckon being married "does help" their teamwork.

Retired builder Dave has been racing solo for years, and watching countless races inspired Alison to give sidecar racing a go.

After qualifying just before the pandemic, the couple were finally able to hit the track together in 2024.

"I am probably the oldest passenger," Alison said, noting that other passengers are often teenagers.

"But who cares? I'm doing it."

A white sidecar, with red writing reading 'Terrier Racing' on the side, and the number 96 printed above the wheel arch. The driver is wearing black and red leathers, a black helmet, and an orange hi-vis vest. To the right, you can see the passenger leaning over the right hand side of the sidecar to counterbalance it. She's also wearing black leathers, a black helmet, and an orange hi-vis vest. The sidecar and the racers are in focus, but the background is blurred.

Dave pilots the sidecar and Alison counterbalances it through the sharp turns

Sidecar racing is not a sport for the faint-hearted.

The sidecars run low to the ground, with the wheels barely visible, and they whip around racetracks, like Darley Moor in Derbyshire, at high speed.

Dave might be driving, but Alison is not just along for the ride - she uses her bodyweight to help counterbalance the bike, also called an outfit, around the sharp turns.

The pair are competing in the Darley Moor Club Championship, and despite being some of the newest riders on the grid, their fellow racers have been "very, very welcoming", Dave said.

"They're like a second family," Alison added.

"If you need any help with the outfit, they'll come and help you, they'll come and have a drink or a barbeque."

In the foreground is a border terrier, wearing a green harness and attached to a red lead. In the background, just out of focus, is the sidecar.

Dave and Alison's team name is Terrier Racing, in honour of their dog Pip

Darley Moor is their second race of the 2025 season - and with five more more to go, Dave and Alison are only just getting started.

Alison reckons they will keep racing until they "can't get the leathers on".

"It's just become part of our normal life," Dave said, adding that the pair are "improving every time they go out, and getting faster".

"You only get one lap in life, so make it a good one," he laughed.

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