The atmosphere on the Isle of Man is relaxed. The sidecar and its crew are both in one piece. Mike Roscher and Shaun Parker completed the first TT race of 2018 in the sidecar class and finished in 13th place after three laps covering a total of 106 miles. “We’re satisfied,” sums up the IDM fourth-place finisher.
Others weren’t so lucky. Tony Parker crashed with his sidecar during the first lap. The race was immediately stopped. Baker had suffered a broken leg. He was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery. His passenger is also doing well under the circumstances. After the restart, the sidecar crews set out to chase the fastest lap times over three laps. Unlike in most other races around the world, however, the TT does not start with the entire field together; instead, the teams are sent onto the track one by one at short intervals. Roscher caught up to the rider in front of him. “For one lap, there were even three of us. I passed one rider, and the other pulled away. But he remained within sight of us until the very end.”
What’s in store for the next race this coming Friday, June 8, 2018? Can Roscher do better than 13th place? In 2017 and 2016, Roscher finished 12th both times. Those are the F2 driver’s best results so far in his nine-year TT career. Yes, the 53-year-old would like to achieve even more, “but that has a lot to do with engine performance. And at a certain point, that really costs money. For the really good engines, you have to shell out 10,000 pounds.” That’s the equivalent of just under 11,500.00 euros. “The top teams bring four engines with them,” Roscher continues. “For the British, the TT on the Isle of Man is the ultimate prestige event. They give it their all for that.”
The race was won by the Birchall brothers, Ben and Tom, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. They celebrated a one-two finish at the TT in 2015. And in 2017, the siblings set a new lap record in the sidecar class with a speed of 117.119 mph (188.48 km/h).