Snaefell Mountain Course

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Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course^[1] is a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Races held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively. The racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the Isle of Man). It is the oldest motor-cycle racing circuit still in use.

The course is 37.733 miles (60.72 km)^[2] and the start-line is in Douglas, Isle of Man. The racing circuit is based on a number of public roads on the Isle of Man including the primary A2 Douglas to Ramsey Road, A1 Douglas to Peel Road, A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road and the primary A18 Mountain Road. The highest point of the course is on the primary A18 Mountain Road at Brandywell at spot height 422 meters above sea level. 54°14′47.47″N 4°27′57.18″W / 54.2465194, -4.4658833

[edit] History

Route of the Snaefell Mountain Course

Motor racing began on the Isle of Man in 1904 with the Gordon Bennett Car Trials and were originally restricted to touring automobiles. As the Motor Car Act 1903 placed a speed restriction of 20 mph on automobiles in the United Kingdom, the Secretary of the Automobile Car Club of Britain and Ireland approached the authorities in the Isle of Man for the permission to race automobiles on public roads.^[3] Tynwald's Highways (Light Locomotive) Act 1904 gave permission in the Isle of Man for the 52.15 mile Highlands Course for the 1904 Gordon Bennett Car Trial.

For the 1905 Gordon Bennett Car event it was decided to run a trial for motor-cycles the day after for a team to represent Great Britain in the International Motor-Cycle Cup Races. The inability of the motor-cycle competitors to climb the steep primary A18 Mountain Road section of the course forced the organisers to use a 25 mile section of the Gordon Bennett Trial course. For this reason the 1907 Isle of Man TT Race used the 15 miles, 1,470 yards St. John's Short Course. The 1906 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Race for automobiles course was reduced from 52.12 miles to 40 miles 2 furlongs and 60 yards. For the 1911 Tourist Trophy Race, the course was again reduced to 37.5 miles with the removal of the Peel and Sandygate loop's. The new course was called the Four-Inch Course and held for the first-time the 1911 Isle of Man TT race for motor-cycles.

For the 1920 Isle of Man TT Races, changes where made to the Mountain Course and competitors now turned left at Cronk-ny-Mona and followed the primary A18 Mountain Road to Governors Bridge with a new start/finish line on Glencrutchery Road which lengthened the course to 37¾ miles. More changes to the course followed in 1923 with the adoption of a private road between Parliament Square and May Hill in Ramsey. The course had previously had negotiated Albert Road and Tower Road in Ramsey and the new course length was now 37.739 miles(revised to 37.733 miles in 1938).^[4]

For the 1934 Isle of Man TT Races major alterations to the Mountain Course are carried out which includes the removal of the East Mountain sheep-gate.^[5] This is followed by the removal of the hump-backed bridge at Ballig and the road work is completed for the Manx Grand Prix in September 1935. Road widening occurs on the Mountain Course at the Highlander, Laurel Bank, Glen Helen (between the Old Quarry and Brew's Restaurant) and at Brandywell with the removal of the Beinn-y-Phott sheep-gate for the 1935 Isle of Man TT Races.^[6]

Before the commencement of racing for the 1953 Manx Grand Prix, the cottage at Appledene Corner is demolished between the 6th and 7th Milestone road-side marker on primary A1 Douglas to Peel road on the Mountain Course.^[7] Further changes occur to the Mountain Course to facilitate racing on the Clypse Course and during the winter of 1953/54 road widening occurred on the primary A18 Mountain Road at Creg-ny-Baa, Signpost Corner, Cronk-ny-Mona and the approach to Governor's Bridge.^[8] The approach to the Quarterbridge on the primary A2 Douglas to Peel road is widened and reprofiled and the jumps at the Highlander and Ballagarraghyn near Ballacraine are removed for the 1954 Isle of Man TT Races.^[9] Other major course alterations for the 1954 Isle of Man TT Races include road widening at Appledene, Handley's Corner, Barregarrow, Ballaugh Bridge, Ginger Hall(Sulby) and Kerrowmoar(20th Milestone).^[10] During the winter of 1957/58 the hotel at the Bungalow tram-crossing is removed on the Mountain Section of the course.^[11][12]

During the 1960s further road-widening occurs at Ballig and also at Greeba Bridge on the primary A1 Douglas to Peel road. In 1963 a roundabout is added to the road junction at the Quarterbridge.^[13] The winter of 1970/1971 road-widening occurs on the A18 Mountain Road at Verandah by cutting into the hillside.^[14] The winter of 1975/76 road-widening and landscaping occurs at Snugbrough on the primary A2 road at the 2nd Milestone. Road re-profiling and widening occurs at Quarry Bends during the winter of 1986/87. During the winter months of 1991/1992 the A18 Mountain Road is closed for repair work to the road foundation between the 26th Milestone and the Mountain Box and also between the Windy Corner and Keppel Gate. From 2003 to 2006, road repair work is carried-out on the primary A3 road from Barregarrow to Cronk-y-Voddy, including Handley's Corner and the 11th Milestone. In 2004 the western-side embankment is removed from Guthrie's Memorial on the A18 Mountain Road. Also, during the winter of 2004/2005 road widening occurs at the Windy Corner followed by Brandish Corner during the winter of 2005/2006 by the Isle of Man Department of Transport. In October 2007 the Isle of Man Department of Transport begin road widening at Braddan Bridge on the Mountain Course with the creation of a new roundabout incorporating the 'Jubilee Oak' Tree on the A1 Douglas to Peel Road. The Department of Transport also announced the proposal of building a new section of road and roundabout for the Mountain Course with a link road from Signpost Corner to Governor's Bridge using the existing A18 Bemahague Road. This road widening scheme began in February 2008^[15] with the removal of trees on the Bemahague Estate.

[edit] Speed and lap records

The lap record for the Mountain Course is 17 Minutes and 21.99 seconds at an average speed of 130.354 mph set by John McGuinness during the 2007 Senior TT Race.

In 2006 New Zealander Bruce Anstey holds the current top speed record of 206 mph (331.51 km/h).^[16]

[edit] Cycling

The same course has also been used for cycle racing, including individual time trials and, from 1936, the Manx International massed-start road race. The first race on the 18 June 1936 was won by Charles Holland of the Midland Cycle and Athletics Club in 1 hour and 42 minutes and 57 seconds for one lap of the Mountain Course.^[17]

[edit] Course names

[edit] Named Corners

TT Race Marshal Signal Box on the A18 Mountain Road looking north towards Guthrie's Memorial and the Point of Ayre.

It is estimated that there are over 200 corners on the Isle of Man Mountain Course and about 60 corners have names. The first corner to be named after a competitor was Edges Corner in 1920 on the primary A21 road on the Mountain Course between Cronk-ny-Mona and Ballanard Road in Douglas used between 1911 and 1922.^[18] Part of the Mountain Course was named Brandish Corner after Walter Brandish crashed in the right-hand gutter while trying to pass another competitor at Upper Hilberry Corner between Creg-ny-Baa and Hillberry and broke a leg during practice for the 1923 Isle of Man TT Races.^[19] During an early morning practice session for the 1927 Isle of Man TT, Archie Birkin swerved to avoid a fish-van travelling to Peel and collided with a wall and was killed. The corner in Kirk Michael on the A3 primary road where the accident occurred was renamed Birkins Bend. From 1928 practice sessions for the Isle of Man TT Races and Manx Grand Prix where held on closed-roads. Handley's Corner is a corner between the 11th Milestone and the 12th Milestone. The name derives from Walter Handley riding a Rudge motor-cycle, crashed during lap 1 of the 1932 Isle of Man TT in the Senior TT Race sustaining a back injury and subsequently retired from the race. In 1939 a stone memorial to Jimmie Guthrie was built at the The Cutting and the S-bend corner is renamed Guthrie's Memorial.^[20]

A crash during practice for the 1952 Isle of Man TT Races by Bill Doran between Ballig Bridge and Laurel Bank the corner was renamed Doran's Bend. A stone shelter in a style of a small mountain Alpine Lodge was built in 1955 in memorial to Les Graham on the A18 Mountain Road.^[21] The corner is named Les Graham Memorial or sometimes referred to as the Bungalow Bridge. In 2003 the 32nd Milestone has been renamed 'Dukes'^[22] after the 1950s world motor-cycle champion Geoff Duke and the 26th Milestone renamed Joey's after the former Formula 1 TT motor-cycle champion Joey Dunlop. 'Ago's Leap' is an unofficial name used for the sharp rise in the road at the Brunswick Road/Quarterbridge Road junction in Douglas, named after Giacomo Agostini.

[edit] See also

Isle of Man TT Races
Manx Grand Prix
Clypse Course
St. John's Short Course
List of Snaefell Mountain Course fatal accidents

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Snaefell mountain course

• Circuit Guide with Steve Hislop, 11 times TT winner
• Map of course
• 2D and 3D Maps of the TT Course

Coordinates: 54°10′18″N 4°29′31″W / 54.17167, -4.49194