Maria Costello MBE has spoken publicly for the first time in a video since the serious crash she suffered during 2026 Sidecar TT qualifying. Shared on Instagram on September 29, the update shows Costello speaking from a hospital bed about the spinal cord injury she sustained at the T5/T6 level.

Costello said the crash took place 18 weeks earlier at Brandish, during the second lap of the opening Sidecar TT qualifying session. The 2026 event marked her 30th year competing around the Mountain Course, making the interruption a major break in a career closely associated with the TT.

Injury and rehabilitation

A written statement from June described additional injuries: fractures to the spine, arm, nose and eye socket, together with a grade-four liver laceration. The same statement said the spinal cord injury had left Costello paralysed from the T5/T6 level down. In her video, she explained that she intends to show how her recovery has progressed, including rehabilitation at the Stoke Mandeville spinal unit.

Costello said she still does not know what her future will look like, whether she will ride a motorcycle again or whether she will complete another TT lap. She did, however, make clear that she intends to keep working towards a return to the activity she loves. Her message is therefore an account of the beginning of a lengthy recovery rather than an announcement of an imminent racing comeback.

Fundraising support

Financial support has continued alongside the recovery. The GoFundMe page established after the crash had reached £311,692 at the time of the update. Double British Superbike champion Kyle Ryde contributed almost £21,000 by riding a Honda Monkey 125 to the BSB meeting at Knockhill. Fellow champion Josh Brookes joined the initiative on a second Honda Monkey 125.