Hardman switched to sidecar racing in 1982 and made his first appearance in the Sidecar TT as passenger for Brian Hargreaves.
A disappointing retirement for Hargreaves and Hardman in the opening race was followed by a 14th-place finish in their second outing (the event is raced over two legs with the overall winner performing the best in terms of aggregate).

Hardman teamed up with highly experienced driver Dennis Keen for the 1983 Isle of Man TT which saw them become an established partnership.
Campaigning a Yamaha outfit, disappointment featured in the opening race which resulted in a retirement, however they subsequently claimed their first top ten finish when 7th place was secured in the second sidecar race.
At the 1984 TT a retirement again befell Keen and Hardman in the opening race, however the second race saw a credible 6th-place finish.
Keen and Hardman took 7th place in the opening sidecar race at the 1985 Isle of Man TT, which also saw them take the outfit through the 100 miles per hour race average with an average race speed of 100.63 mph (161.95 km/h).

Hardman partnered Keen for a fourth consecutive season in 1986, and again they saw mixed results at the Isle of Man TT posting a retirement in the opening race before taking 8th place in the second race of the meeting.

Following his time partnering Keen, Hardman took the chair for Michael Burcombe which saw them finish in 13th place at the 1987 Sidecar Race 'A' followed by a retirement in the Sidecar Race 'B'.

A marked improvement in 1988 saw Burcombe and Hardman take their Ireson Yamaha home in 7th place in the sidecar 'A' race which in turn was followed up by 5th place in the 'B' race.

By 1989 Hardman was recognised as one of the leading sidecar passengers in the race paddock and this led to his partnership with Dave Molyneux.
For the 1989 Sidecar Race 'A' the duo took their place on the starting grid at the TT Grandstand alongside pre-race favourites Mick Boddice and Chas Birks and experienced crews such as Kenny Howles and Steve Pointer; Lars Schwartz and Leif Gustavsson; and Dave Saville and Richard Crossley.
After the 3 punishing laps of the Snaefell Mountain Course, covering 113 miles (182 km) of racing, Molyneux and Hardman brought their 750cc Bregazzi Yamaha across the line in 1st place, claiming victory by the narrow margin of one second on corrected time from Howles & Pointer in a race time of 1hr 4mins 57seconds, recording an average speed of 104.56 mph (168.27 km/h).
This was followed by 3rd place in the Sidecar 'B' race where Molyneux and Hardman upped their average race speed to 105.26 mph (169.40 km/h) allowing them to claim the Sidecar TT victory on aggregate over the two legs of the meeting.

The 1989 TT was the last time sidecars with an upper engine capacity of 1000 cc competed on the Snaefell Mountain Course.
From 1990, formula racing was introduced to the Sidecar TT with engine capacity restricted to either 350 cc two stroke or 600 cc four stroke.

Following his success with Molyneux at the 1989 meeting, Hardman did not appear at the TT again until 1993 when he teamed up with Richard Crossley.
Claiming a credible 6th place in their opening race, Crossley and Hardman then concluded the meeting when they took the 3rd place on the rostrum in Sidecar Race 'B'.
Hardman was again absent from the TT in 1994 before going on to accompany Alan Warner at the 1995 and 1996 meetings.
This partnership produced a somewhat poor return for Hardman, 13th place being the highlight in the Sidecar 'B' race at the 1996 Isle of Man TT.

Hardman joined up with the former Swedish Sidecar Champion Lars Schwartz for the 1997 season with the pair continuing their partnership until 2000.
Although they failed to make the grid for the Sidecar Race 'A' at the 1998 TT, a series of solid performances saw only one retirement in the seven occasions in which the duo competed at the TT with five top twenty finishes claimed.

The 2001 Isle of Man TT Races were cancelled as a consequence of the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the United Kingdom with racing resuming in 2002, and which saw
Hardman switched to sidecar racing in 1982 and made his first appearance in the Sidecar TT as passenger for Brian Hargreaves. A disappointing retirement for Hargreaves and Hardman in the opening race was followed by a 14th-place finish in their second outing (the event is raced over two legs with the overall winner performing the best in terms of aggregate).
Hardman teamed up with highly experienced driver Dennis Keen for the 1983 Isle of Man TT which saw them become an established partnership. Campaigning a Yamaha outfit, disappointment featured in the opening race which resulted in a retirement, however they subsequently claimed their first top ten finish when 7th place was secured in the second sidecar race. At the 1984 TT a retirement again befell Keen and Hardman in the opening race, however the second race saw a credible 6th-place finish. Keen and Hardman took 7th place in the opening sidecar race at the 1985 Isle of Man TT, which also saw them take the outfit through the 100 miles per hour race average with an average race speed of 100.63 mph (161.95 km/h).
Hardman partnered Keen for a fourth consecutive season in 1986, and again they saw mixed results at the Isle of Man TT posting a retirement in the opening race before taking 8th place in the second race of the meeting.
Following his time partnering Keen, Hardman took the chair for Michael Burcombe which saw them finish in 13th place at the 1987 Sidecar Race 'A' followed by a retirement in the Sidecar Race 'B'.
A marked improvement in 1988 saw Burcombe and Hardman take their Ireson Yamaha home in 7th place in the sidecar 'A' race which in turn was followed up by 5th place in the 'B' race.
By 1989 Hardman was recognised as one of the leading sidecar passengers in the race paddock and this led to his partnership with Dave Molyneux. For the 1989 Sidecar Race 'A' the duo took their place on the starting grid at the TT Grandstand alongside pre-race favourites Mick Boddice and Chas Birks and experienced crews such as Kenny Howles and Steve Pointer; Lars Schwartz and Leif Gustavsson; and Dave Saville and Richard Crossley. After the 3 punishing laps of the Snaefell Mountain Course, covering 113 miles (182 km) of racing, Molyneux and Hardman brought their 750cc Bregazzi Yamaha across the line in 1st place, claiming victory by the narrow margin of one second on corrected time from Howles & Pointer in a race time of 1hr 4mins 57seconds, recording an average speed of 104.56 mph (168.27 km/h). This was followed by 3rd place in the Sidecar 'B' race where Molyneux and Hardman upped their average race speed to 105.26 mph (169.40 km/h) allowing them to claim the Sidecar TT victory on aggregate over the two legs of the meeting.
The 1989 TT was the last time sidecars with an upper engine capacity of 1000 cc competed on the Snaefell Mountain Course. From 1990, formula racing was introduced to the Sidecar TT with engine capacity restricted to either 350 cc two stroke or 600 cc four stroke.
Following his success with Molyneux at the 1989 meeting, Hardman did not appear at the TT again until 1993 when he teamed up with Richard Crossley. Claiming a credible 6th place in their opening race, Crossley and Hardman then concluded the meeting when they took the 3rd place on the rostrum in Sidecar Race 'B'. Hardman was again absent from the TT in 1994 before going on to accompany Alan Warner at the 1995 and 1996 meetings. This partnership produced a somewhat poor return for Hardman, 13th place being the highlight in the Sidecar 'B' race at the 1996 Isle of Man TT.
Hardman joined up with the former Swedish Sidecar Champion Lars Schwartz for the 1997 season with the pair continuing their partnership until 2000. Although they failed to make the grid for the Sidecar Race 'A' at the 1998 TT, a series of solid performances saw only one retirement in the seven occasions in which the duo competed at the TT with five top twenty finishes claimed.
The 2001 Isle of Man TT Races were cancelled as a consequence of the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the United Kingdom with racing resuming in 2002, and which saw
Colin Hardman