__NOTOC__ The 11th Milestone, Isle of Man (''Drinkwater's Bend'') is situated adjacent to the 13th Milestone on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road which forms the boundary between the parishes of Kirk German and

Kirk Michael Michael ( gv, Maayl) is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man. It is located on the west of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) and consists of the three historic parishes of Ballaugh, Jurby and Michael. Histo ...

in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

History

The area is dominated by the Ballamenagh and Shoughlaige-e-Caine farmland. During the 1830s, the primary A3 Road Castletown to

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Geography British Isles * Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England * Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England ** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey" * Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...

was re-profiled between and Handley's Corner by the local parochial highway surveyor under the former Isle of Man parish board system. This was to avoid marshland and steep inclines creating the distinctive elongated S-bend. The original stone 11th milestone on the A3 road was sited at the corner café at Glen Helen. An iron milestone from the 1860s during the period of James Garrow as Isle of Man Surveyor-General is now situated at the northerly end of the former 'Drinkwater's Bend' as the 13th Milestone on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road. The current site of the 11th marker post or ''11th Milestone'' road marker for the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course has been placed at Cronk Bane Farmhouse on the Cronk-y-Voddy straight.

Motor-sport heritage

The distinctive elongated S-bend corner of the 11th Milestone section of the A3 Castletown to Ramsey road became part of the 37.50 Mile

Four Inch Course The Four Inch Course was a road-racing circuit first used for the 1908 Tourist Trophy Race for cars, held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the Isle of Man). The name of the course derives from the regu ...

for the RAC Tourist Trophy automobile races held in the Isle of Man between 1908 and 1922. In

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

, the Four Inch Course for automobiles was first used by the Auto-Cycling Union for the

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...

motor-cycle races. This included the 11th Milestone and the course later became known as the 37.73 mile (60.70 km)

Isle of Man TT Mountain Course The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' is a street and public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''TT Course'' is used principally for the Isle of Man TT Races and also the sep ...

which has been used since 1911 for the

Races and from 1923 for the

Manx Grand Prix The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course (or 'Snaefell Mountain Course, Mountain Circuit') every year for a two-week period, usually spanning the end of August and early September. New for 2022 is a period re ...

races.

Drinkwater’s Bend

During the

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

350 cc

Junior TT The Junior TT is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1949 and 1976 this race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Engine c ...

race the popular amateur racer

Ben Drinkwater Reuben Thomas "Ben" Drinkwater (13 February 1910 – 9 June 1949) born in Rochdale,''Isle of Man Examiner'' pp4 dated 17 June 1949 Lancashire, England, was a railway signalman and motorcycle racer who competed in the Isle of Man TT races and the ...

crashed fatally at this point and the corner became known as ''Drinkwater's Bend,'' although subsequently the name became partly disused. On the 5th lap of the 1961 Senior TT Races, Ralph Rensen crashed at the 11th Milestone and later dying from his injuries.''Daily Express'' page 9 Saturday 17 June 1961

Road improvements

The corner was subjected to road surface repair work and re-profiling during the winter of 2005/2006 by the

Department of Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

References

{{Isle of Man Racing Circuits Roads in the Isle of Man Corners of the Isle of Man TT