By World Sidecar Champion back-to-back in 2022 and last year, TT 2024 marks Todd Ellis first roads scene foray.
Chipping away with his pace, confidence on the unparalleled Mountain Course, last afternoon saw Ellis, lap close to the 113-mph lap-mark (112.991).
Such was the pace from the Yamaha powered driver (same spec engines as for World Championship outings), passenger Emmanuelle Clement, like Ellis a TT newcomer, unofficially became the speediest female Sidecar racer in TT Races history.
Speaking a few days ago, CES (Christie Engineering Services) mounted Ellis gave his thoughts on the main differences between TT riding, explorations around circuits across the UK and Worldwide.
“The biggest thing is, we’ve done a lot of homework, we’ve been here three or four times in the winter but it’s just getting used to how long you are fast for.
You’re only doing the same speeds as what you’re doing elsewhere but you’re doing them for two or three seconds you’re not sat for it, your sat on the throttle 100 percent from the minute up past to Crosby.
Wasn’t as rough as where I expected, then it was bumpy where I didn’t expect it to be bumpy, just get used to it been banged about, lumps and bumps, feels like you’ve been in a washing machine for twenty minutes.”
“That newcomers lap was the best, that was the one where you really didn’t know what to expect.
Then when we set off on our own you can then let it flow, you’re going a bit quicker, you do then tend to miss the bumps, you jump them instead of hitting them.”
Before TT 2024, Ellis alongside Clement, had emerged victorious from the inaugural Sidecar shootout at Goodwood, that was incorporated into the members meeting.
Commenting enthusiastically about this topic, he said:
“Goodwood, it was good for the sport, it was embarrassing the amount of interest at Goodwood. To say we was there with Bugatti’s, Ferrari’s some exotic stuff, from 8 in the morning to 8 at night, you just couldn’t move in the Sidecar paddock.
The presentation on the Sunday evening, there was Indy 500 winners, World Touring Car Champions and the round of applause and that we got it was almost embarrassing but for the sport it was fantastic, hopefully it’s something we can go back to and maybe integrate into some of the car meetings.”
Adding about how it felt to retain in 2023, the World Sidecars crown, Ellis whose stepdad is respected, long term TT racer Gary Bryan, stated:
“It was nice to do it last year, to do it back-to-back it’s not a fluke, to do it as well with Tim (Reeves), Birchall (Ben), the people who have won it the last ten years, it kind of proves a point, so lovely to do it back to back.”
Photo credit: Mark Corlett
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
