__NOTOC__ Ballaugh Bridge is located on the primary A3 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 ...

road and adjacent to the road junctions with the A10 Ballaugh to Ramsey coast road and the tertiary C37 Ballaugh Glen Road in the parish of

Ballaugh Ballaugh ( ; , ) is a small village on the Isle of Man in the parish of the same name, in the sheading of Michael. It is the only village in the parish. The parish adjoins Jurby to the north, Lezayre to the east, Michael to the south and sout ...

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 ...

Description

Ballaugh Bridge is a hump-backed road bridge over the Ravensdale River, located in the village of

Motor-sport heritage

Ballaugh Bridge was part of the 52.15 mile

Highland Course Highroads Course was a road-racing circuit used for the Gordon Bennett British Eliminating Trial held in the Isle of Man for the 1904 and 1905 Tourist Trophy Race involving touring automobiles and cars. The events were held on public roads clos ...

(amended to 40.38 miles in 1906) and 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 ...

used for automobile racing including the 1904 Gordon Bennett Trial and the RAC Tourist Trophy car races held between 1905 and 1922. It was also the western edge of the ''Sandygate Loop'' for the 1904 Gordon Bennett British Eliminating Trial and the 1905 Tourist Trophy Race for automobiles. The 1906 Tourist Trophy Race used the Short

Highroads Course Highroads Course was a road-racing circuit used for the Gordon Bennett British Eliminating Trial held in the Isle of Man for the 1904 and 1905 Tourist Trophy Race involving touring automobiles and cars. The events were held on public roads clos ...

, with the abandonment of the ''Sandygate Loop'' in favour of the A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road from Ballacraine corner to Ramsey. 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 Ballaugh Bridge and the course later became known as the 37.73 mile

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 races.

Road improvements

The Bridge was subject to road widening and reprofiling during the winter of 1953/1954 for the 1954 Isle of Man TT races including the removal of a garden wall of the adjacent Ballaugh Railway Hotel (now the ''Raven Hotel''). Ballaugh Bridge is the only remaining hump-backed bridge on the TT Course after the removal of Sulby Bridge in the 1920s and Ballig Bridge in 1935.

Roadside memorial

Located near to Ballaugh Bridge is a road-side memorial to Karl Gall, a member of the pre-war works BMW motor-cycle team who died from injuries suffered after crashing near to the bridge during evening practice for the 1939 Isle of Man TT races.''Daily Express'' page 1 Wednesday 14 June 1939

Gallery

File:HerveGantnerTouristTrophy2010 BallaughBridge.jpg, alt=Hervé Gantner wearing a orange high-visibility vest riding a motorcycle on Ballaugh Bridge, Hervé Gantner riding a motorcycle on Ballaugh Bridge.

Sources

External links

{{Isle of Man Racing Circuits Ballaugh Bridge