Isle of Man TT racer, Maria Costello MBE has issued her first video statement following a Sidecar TT qualifying crash that left her with a life-changing spinal cord injury at level T5/T6.
In a video shared to her Instagram page on September 29, Costello said: “Today, 18-weeks-ago, my life changed. In a devastating crash in practice for the Sidecar TT races on the Isle of Man, I suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury at level T5/T6.
“This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever faced, and I haven’t been in a place where I’ve been able to talk to you. That is, until now.”
Speaking from a hospital bed, she said: “Over the coming weeks, I’m going to show you what’s been happening since the start, including my rehabilitation here at Stoke Mandeville spinal unit.
“I really hope that you will stay with me as I try and piece together my new life because your support has been incredible. I can’t thank you enough and I really think it’s made the difference with getting me to where I am now.”
Costello was celebrating her 30th year of competition around the Mountain Course at the 2026 event and crashed at Brandish during the second lap of the first Sidecar TT qualifying session.
In a written statement issued in June , Costello revealed the full extent of her injuries, which also included a broken back, broken arm, broken nose, broken eye socket and a grade four large liver laceration, alongside the spinal cord injury that has left her paralysed from the T5/T6 vertebrae down.
“What will my future look like? What will my new life look like? A lot of it is very unknown. Will I ride a bike again? Will I finish that TT lap? I don’t know,” Costello added. “But what I do know is that I’m not stopping here, and I’m going to fight to get back to what I love.”
A Gofundme page set up in the aftermath of the crash had raised more than £267,000 by the time of that June update and now stands at a total of £311,692.
Double British Superbike (BSB) champion Kyle Ryde also helped add almost £21,000 to the total by riding to the Knockhill round of the BSB championship on a Honda Monkey 125 , joined by fellow champion Josh Brookes on a second Monkey 125.
Although we can’t imagine the difficulty of dealing with such injuries, it is great to see Maria up and talking to the camera. All of us here at MCN wish her all the best with the ongoing recovery process.
Dan is a fully-trained journalist, with a Gold Standard Level 3 Diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists. He has a passion for motorcycles of all capacities, but feels at home aboard a sportsbike. He's been working for MCN in print and digital for the best part of 10 years, with regular contributions to RiDE Magazine on the side.
News Editor, trackday fan, lover of 90s sportsbikes