Sidecar racer excluded from 2023 Isle of Man TT after positive drugs test

A Sidecar TT racer has been excluded from the event following a positive drugs test on just the second day of the 2023 event. 

Jake Lowther, the passenger of the sidecar outfit #7, has tested positive for a banned substance in a random drugs test following practice at the 2023 Isle of Man TT. The substance for which Lowther tested positive has, as yet, not been made public.

The result is that Lowther, passenger to two-time TT podium finisher Alan Founds this year and himself a 10-time TT race-starter, has been excluded from the 2023 Isle of Man TT. The matter has also been passed on to the ACU.

A statement from the Isle of Man TT reads: “ACU Events Ltd, race organiser of the Isle of Man TT Races, can confirm that Jake Lowther, passenger in sidecar outfit number 7, has been excluded from the 2023 event following a positive drugs test.

“Lowther, who has competed in 10 previous Sidecar TT Races, tested positive for a banned substance in a random drugs test carried out as part of the event’s drug and alcohol screening protocols.

“The matter has now been passed on to the Auto Cycle Union (ACU), governing body for motorcycle sport in the UK, to carry out their formal judicial process.

“The Isle of Man TT Races and the ACU share a strict zero-tolerance policy for the presence of drugs and alcohol for officials and competitors during an event period. As per their anti-doping policy, the ACU may impose a suspension on competition for individuals found to be contravening these rules.”

Lowther’s driver, the aforementioned Founds, says he is still hopeful of racing the remainder of the 2023 TT, but of course is in need of a new passenger in the #7 outfit.

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