Isle of Man TT: Dave Molyneux praises Birchall brothers' 'special' sidecar lap record

Dave Molyneux holds the record number of Sidecar TT wins

TT racer Dave Molyneux says seeing the first 120mph sidecar lap being recorded at the Isle of Man TT in the centenary of the class was "pretty special".

Ben and Tom Birchall set the new record during the first race at the 2023 event, breaking it again in the second.

It marks a stark contrast to the top speeds of 50mph reached by Freddie Dixon and Walter Denny in the inaugural race in 1923.

Molyneux said development in the class over the years had been "radical".

The 17-time TT winner said: "It's tyre development, brake development, engine development most of all, even fuel - everything is that bit better - hence the rise in speeds and that phenomenal lap that Ben and Tom Birchall put in at over 120mph, which is pretty special at the 100th anniversary."

The 59-year-old said the first 100mph lap in the class, which was recorded in 1977, had been a "huge milestone".

That was followed by his own achievements of the first 110mph lap record in 1996, and the first 115mph lap in 2005.

Reflecting on the latest record, Molyneux said: "I think it was maybe a little step too far for me at my age to be looking at the first 120mph, but it's just fantastic that it's been achieved within 100 years of the event."

Dave Molyneux has been racing sidecars at the TT since 1985

Molyneux, who along with passenger Dan Sayle was forced to retire from both of the 2023 TT races because of mechanical issues, said the outfits had remained popular with TT fans over the years.

He said: "I was unfortunate enough to break down a few times out on the track and the fans are just all over it like a rash. They are fascinated by sidecars to this day."

"And I do believe it's because there's two people on there, you've got this acrobat on the side and it's ultra special and ultra crazy. Everything about it is just so not right. But it provides a great spectacle."

The Manxman, who followed his father into the sport in the 1980s, said he hopes enough can be done to attract younger competitors to the sidecar class.

"Going forward I just hope that we can come up with a new formula that is going to get kids into this, like when I was 19 or 20 years old in the mid-1980s, and give them the opportunities that I had, because as dangerous as it can be, it can be an extremely good life," he said.

"I think I was just born totally obsessed with sidecars. It was my dad's fault, from having my little trike with a plank of wood beside it, lying on it and pretending to be dad hanging out as the passenger there.

"I was only ever going to go one way and that was racing. And I can't grumble, I've had a great career out of it."

Saturday's schedule for the 2023 Isle of Man TT races includes a special lap featuring the three-wheeled machines to celebrate the centenary, before concluding with the six-lap Senior TT.