The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' is a street and public rural road circuit located 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 ...

, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''TT Course'' is used principally 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 ...

Races and also the separate event of the

Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * I ...

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 ...

and

Classic TT A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

Races held in September of each year. The start-line for the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course is located on Glencrutchery Road in the town of

Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas ( gv, Doolish, ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of . The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour ...

.Daily Express page 38 Friday 7 September 1979 The clockwise course has a lap of , from the start line at the

TT Grandstand The TT Grandstand including the startline, pit lane, re-fuellers, merchandising, scoreboard and paddocks for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix races is situated on the A2 Glencrutchery Road, in the town of Douglas, Isle of Man. Histor ...

on Glencrutchery Road ( A2

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 ...

to Douglas) in the island's main town of

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

. After negotiating urban streets, the racing circuit turns right to leave Douglas at

Quarter Bridge Quarterbridge (The Quarters or Quarter Dub: quarterlands of Ballabrooie and Ballaquayle) is situated soon after the 1 mile-marker measured from the TT Grandstand, part of the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT races, at the jun ...

, then proceeds along the A1 Douglas to Peel road through the villages of

Braddan Braddan ( gv, Braddan) is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located on the east of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the sheading of Middle. Administratively, a small part of the historic p ...

Union Mills Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Glen Vine Glen Vine ( glv, Glion Vian) is a village on the Isle of Man in the parish of Marown. It is on the Isle of Man TT course four miles by road from Douglas. The Church of England parish church for Marown is St Runius church in Glen Vine. In 1844, P ...

Crosby Crosby may refer to: Places ;Canada *Crosby, Ontario, part of the township of Rideau Lakes, Ontario *Crosby, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Markham, Ontario ;England *Crosby, Cumbria *Crosby, Lincolnshire *Crosby, Merseyside **Crosby (UK ...

, and Greeba. The course then turns right at

Ballacraine __NOTOC__ Ballacraine (, "McCrayne" or "Craine's farm"; archaic ) is located between the 7th and 8th milestones of the TT course, at the junction of the A1 Douglas to Peel and A3 Castletown to Ramsey primary roads in the parish of German in t ...

on to the A3 Castletown to Ramsey road, firstly through countryside glens followed by agricultural land interspersed by the villages of

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 ...

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

and Sulby, finally intersecting with the

A18 A18 or A-18 is a three-character acronym that may refer to: * A18 road (disambiguation), in several countries * A-18 Shrike, a Curtiss Model 76A twin radial engine monoplane service test aircraft of the mid-1930s * Aero A.18, a Czech fighter aircra ...

Snaefell mountain road The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road or ''Mountain Road'' ( gv, Giat y Clieau) is a primary main A-road of in length which connects the towns of Douglas and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. Description The Mountain Road is part of Isle of Man TT Mountai ...

after negotiating urban streets in the town of Ramsey. The A18 then takes the course back to Douglas through the highest point, situated after the

Bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a b ...

Hailwood's Height Hailwood's Height, preceded by ''Hailwood's Rise'', is situated between the 31st and 32nd Milestone road-side markers on the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT Races on the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road in the parishes of Lezayre a ...

near the 31st Milestone and the UK Ordnance Survey

spot height A spot height is an exact point on a map with an elevation recorded beside it that represents its height above a given datum.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 506. . In the UK this is the Ordnan ...

of above sea level. The descent starts through countryside before entering the residential outskirts of Douglas back to the finish line.

Evening Standard Top 10 UK road trip routes

In 2019, the Evening Standard UK newspaper nominated the TT Course as one of ''10 of the most spectacular road trip routes in the UK.''

History

Motor racing began on the Isle of Man in 1904 with the

Gordon Bennett Trial Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

and originally was restricted to touring automobiles. As the UK

Motor Car Act 1903 The Motor Car Act 1903 (3 Edw.7, c. 36) was an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament that received royal assent on 14 August 1903, which introduced motor vehicle registration, driver licensing and increased the speed limit. Context The Act followe ...

placed a speed restriction of on cars within the United Kingdom, the Secretary of the Automobile Club of Britain and Ireland approached the authorities in the Isle of Man to seek permission to race cars on public roads. The Highways (Light Locomotives) Act 1904 passed by Tynwald gave permission to use local roads for the

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 ...

for the 1904 Gordon Bennett 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 motorcycle competitors to climb the steep primary

Snaefell Mountain Road section of the course forced the organisers to use a section of the Gordon Bennett Trial course. For this reason, the

1907 Isle of Man TT The 1907 Isle of Man TT races were the inaugural International Tourist Trophy for motor-cycles held on the Isle of Man. The event was held on Tuesday 28 May 1907 over the St John's Short Course consisting of a Single Cylinder and a Twin-Cylinde ...

Race used the

St. John's Short Course The St John's Short Course was a road-racing street circuit used for the Isle of Man TT held between 1907 and 1910. The races were run in a time-trial format on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the Isle of ...

. The 1906 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Race for automobiles the Highroad Course was reduced from to . For the 1908 Tourist Trophy race for automobiles, the course was again reduced to with the removal of the Peel and Sandygate loops and was known as the

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 ...

.''TT Pioneers – Early Car Racing in the Isle of Man'' page 103–104 Robert Kelly, Mercury Asset Management (1996)(1st Edition) The Manx Experience, The Alden Press ISBN No 1 873120 61 3 The name of the course derives from the regulations for the 1908 Tourist Trophy adopted by the

Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, near Epsom in Surrey. Both provide accommodation and a range o ...

which limited the engines of the competing automobiles to a cylinder diameter of . The Four-Inch Course was adopted by the Auto-Cycle Club for the 1911 races. The Four-Inch Course subsequently became known as the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' when used for motor-cycle racing.

Course changes: 1920–1939

For the

1920 Isle of Man TT Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, changes were made to the Mountain Course and competitors turned left at

Cronk-ny-Mona Cronk-ny-Mona () is situated between the 36 and 37 mile markers used for the Snaefell Mountain Course, being on the primary A18 Mountain Road at the road junction with the A21 ''Johnny Watterson('s) Lane'' and the tertiary C10 Scholag Road in th ...

and followed the primary A18 Mountain Road to Governor's Bridge with a new start/finish line on Glencrutchery Road which lengthened the course from the pre-

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

length of to . An extensive programme of road improvements occurred to many roads in 1922 by the Highway Board including the Mountain Course with road widening at

Sulby Bridge Sulby (; glv, Sulby) is a village in the parish of Kirk Christ Lezayre that is located on the A3 Castletown to Ramsey in the Isle of Man. Location Historically containing the ''Treen of the Curragh of Kirk Christ Lezayre'' and the ''Land o ...

, from Port-e-Chee on the A1 Peel Road to

Braddan Bridge Braddan Bridge (Irish: ''Naomh Breandán'', Saint Brendan of Clonfert, ''the Navigator'' or ''the Voyager'') is a bridge over the river Dhoo on the Douglas to Peel road, from which a halt on the Isle of Man Railway's first line to Peel took ...

and part of the main road through Crosby. Modification of

Signpost Corner Signpost Corner, Isle of Man is a former temporary motor-cycle race signal station, located on the A18 road (Isle of Man), A18 Snaefell Mountain Road at the road junction with the A39 Hillberry Road / B11 Avondale Road in the parish of Onchan i ...

including rounding off the bend occurred in 1922 along with further road widening at Governor's Bridge with the completion of the link road to A2 Glencrutchery Road/Governor's Road and the removal of fence posts at

Keppel Gate Keppel Gate, Isle of Man () is part of a former UK HM Commissioners of Woods and Forest estate, including a series of former highway mountain gates. It is now Common land in public ownership and is one of three purpose built former Crown Ro ...

. Further changes to the course followed in 1922 with the adoption of a private road part of the Ballastowle Estate between

Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contai ...

and

May Hill May Hill is a prominent English hill between Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye. Its summit, on the western edge of Gloucestershire and its northern slopes in Herefordshire, is distinguishable by a clump of trees on its summit, which forms an official ...

in Ramsey. The course had previously had negotiated the A2 Albert Road and Tower Road in Ramsey and the new course length was now . The official course distance for the Snaefell Mountain Course was amended in 1938 to which is the current course length. For the

1934 Isle of Man TT For the 1934 Isle of Man TT Races despite the winning of four TT Races in 2 years, Stanley Woods parted with Norton motor-cycles over the issue of prize money and race tactics and joined Husqvarna alongside Ernie Nott. The 1934 Junior TT Race wa ...

races major alterations to the TT Mountain Course were carried out which included the removal of the East Snaefell Mountain sheep-gate. This was followed by the removal of the hump-backed bridge at

Ballig Ballig ( gv, farm of the hollow, also known as Ballig Bridge) is a small hamlet of a few houses situated between the 8th and 9th Milestone road-side markers on the Snaefell Mountain Course between Ballacraine and Glen Helen. It is the site ...

and the road work was completed for the Manx Grand Prix in September 1935. Road widening occurred on the Mountain Course at the Highlander,

Laurel Bank __NOTOC__ Laurel Bank ( archaic gv, Cronk-y-Killey - ‘Killey’s Hill’) is situated between the 10th Milestone and 11th Milestone road-side markers on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road between Ballacraine and Glen Helen in the p ...

, Glen Helen (between the Old Quarry and Brew's Restaurant), and at

Brandywell The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium ( ga, Tobar an Fhíoruisce ) is a municipal football stadium with an adjoining greyhound racing track in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of League of Ireland team Derry City F.C. and (temporaril ...

with the removal of the Beinn-y-Phott sheep-gate for the

1935 Isle of Man TT For the 1935 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, Stanley Woods provided another surprise by moving again, from Husqvarna to Moto Guzzi. The 1935 Junior TT Race provided a Junior TT double win for Jimmie Guthrie at an average race speed of and Norton wi ...

races. Road Improvements occurred at the

26th Milestone 26th Milestone, Isle of Man (also known as Joey's) is situated on the primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road in the parish of Lezayre in the Isle of Man. At the 26th Milestone racing marker used for the Isle of Man TT Races and Manx Grand Prix, t ...

Greeba Bridge __NOTOC__ Greeba Bridge is situated between the 6th milestone and 7th road milestones on the primary A1 Douglas to Peel road and the junction with the Greeba Mill Road in the parish of Kirk German in the Isle of Man. The A1 Greeba road brid ...

and on the Sulby Straight for the

1938 Isle of Man TT The 1938 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw the Senior TT lap record of 90.27 mph set by Freddie Frith the previous year broken in 1938 when Harold Daniell completed a lap at 91.00 mph on his Norton, a record which would stand for 12 years. ...

races. Further road widening and landscaping occurred at the

Waterworks Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

with road widening between the Gooseneck and the 26th Milestone for the 1939 races. A memorial to

Jimmie Guthrie James Guthrie (23 May 1897 – 8 August 1937) was a Scottish motorcycle racer. A motorcycle garage proprietor and professional motorcycle racer from Hawick Roxburghshire, Jimmie Guthrie was known as the “''Flying Scotsman'',” with a hard-c ...

was built in 1939 at The Cutting at a cost of £1,500''Isle of Man Weekly Times'' pp18 dated 17 June 1939 (equivalent to £ in ).

Course changes: 1947–1999

Major road widening occurred on the Mountain course at the 33rd Milestone, including the removal of fence posts at road level and the removal of a section of a grass bank before the start of the 1947 Isle of Man TT races. Changes to the Mountain Course occurred for the 1953 races including road widening at Bedstead Corner, elevation works at

and

, and the widening of the corner at

Gorse Lea __NOTOC__ Gorse Lea ( gv, Ballagarraghyn – the farm of O'Dorgan) is situated between the 6th Milestone and 7th Milestones on the primary A1 Douglas to Peel road in the parish of German in the Isle of Man. Motor-sport heritage The Gorse Lea ...

. Before the commencement of racing for the 1953 Manx Grand Prix, the cottage at

Appledene Appledene is situated between the 6th and 7th roadside mile-markers, measured from the startline of the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT races, on the primary A1 Douglas to Peel road in the Isle of Man parish of German. Ap ...

Corner was demolished between the 6th and 7th Milestone road-side marker on the primary A1 Douglas to Peel road on the Mountain Course. Further changes occurred to the Mountain Course to facilitate racing on the

Clypse Course The Clypse Course describes a motor-cycle racing course used for the Isle of Man TT Races between 1954 and 1959. The course is long and is in the parish of Onchan in the Isle of Man. The course uses two short sections of the Snaefell Mountai ...

and during the winter of 1953/54 road widening occurred on the primary A18 Mountain Road at

Creg-ny-Baa __NOTOC__ Creg-ny-Baa (, ; 'rock of the cow') is located between the 3rd Milestone and 4th Milestone of the primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road and the road junction with the secondary B12 'Creg-ny-Baa Back-Road', in the parish of Kirk Onchan in ...

, Signpost Corner,

, and at the approach to Governor's Bridge. The approach to the

Quarterbridge Quarterbridge Crossing ''('' Manx'': Crossag Droghad y Cherroo)'' was the first major crossing point of the Isle of Man Railway's first line from Douglas to Peel. It opened in 1873, but closed in 1968, with the rest of the line. History A gated ...

on the primary A2 Douglas to Peel road was widened and re-profiled and the jumps at the

Highlander Highlander may refer to: Regional cultures * Gorals (lit. ''Highlanders''), a culture in southern Poland and northern Slovakia * Hill people, who live in hills and mountains * Merina people, an ethnic group from the central plateau of Madagascar ...

and adjacent to

Ballagarraghyn __NOTOC__ Ballagarraghyn (, "farm of O'Dorchan's") is a farm situated between the 7th milestone and 8th Milestone road-side markers on the primary A1 Douglas to Peel road in the parish of German in the Isle of Man. Motor-sport heritage The Ba ...

Cottages were removed for the

1954 Isle of Man TT The 1954 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the second race in the 1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and proved highly controversial for TT Course and race changes. The 1954 Junior TT was the first race where the official race distance was re ...

Races. Other major course alterations for the 1954 Isle of Man TT Races included road widening at Appledene,

Handley's Corner Handley's Corner (formerly ''Ballamenagh Corner'') is situated just before the 12th Milestone road-side marker, measured from the startline at the TT Grandstand, on the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT races on the primary A3 ...

, Barregarrow,

Rhencullen __NOTOC__ Rhencullen ( gv, ‘holly ridge’) () including Birkin's Bend is adjacent to the 17th milestone of the TT course, on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey road in the Isle of Man. Location Rhencullen ( archaic Balla-ny-Rhenney be ...

Ballaugh Bridge __NOTOC__ Ballaugh Bridge is located on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey 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 in the Isle of Ma ...

Ginger Hall Ginger Hall is an uphill left-hand bend following Sulby Bridge on the Isle of Man TT course, a traditionally popularSulby), and Kerrowmoar. During the winter of 1957/58 the hotel at the

tram-crossing was removed on the Mountain Section of the course.''TT 100 – The Authorised History of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Racing'' by Mick Duckworth pp29 (2007)(1st Edition) Lily Publications During the 1960s further road-widening occurred at Ballig and also at

on the primary A1 Douglas to Peel road. In 1963 a roundabout was added to the road junction at the

. The winter of 1970/1971 and road-widening occurred on the A18 Mountain Road at

Verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

by cutting into the hillside. During the winter of 1975/76 road-widening and landscaping by the Isle of Man Highway Board occurred at Snugbrough on the primary A2 road at the 2nd Milestone. The winter of 1986 further re-profiling occurred at the Quarterbridge road junction with a new road traffic system including two new mini-roundabouts, the removal of a traffic island, and trees. Road re-profiling and widening occurred at

Quarry Bends Quarry Bends (Clarks Quarry; gv, Close e Volley – "Enclosure of the Old Curragh Road") is situated adjacent to the 20th Milestone road-side marker on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey, in the parishes of Ballaugh and Kirk Christ Lezayre i ...

during the winter of 1987. During the winter months of 1991/1992 the A18 Mountain Road was closed for repair work to the road foundation between the

and the Mountain Box and also between the Windy Corner and

Course changes: 2000–present

From 2003 to 2006, road repair work was carried-out on the primary A3 road from Barregarrow to Cronk-y-Voddy, including

and the

11th Milestone __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 in the Isle o ...

. In 2004 the western-side embankment is removed from

Guthrie's Memorial Guthrie's Memorial (previously ''The Cutting'') is a S-bend corner between the 26 and 27 mile road-side markers on the primary A18 Snaefell mountain road, part of the Snaefell Mountain Course known mainly for motorcycle racing, situated in th ...

on the A18 Mountain Road. Also, during the winter of 2004/2005 road widening occurred at Windy Corner followed by

Brandish Corner Brandish Corner (formerly known as ''Upper-Hillberry Corner'' and previously ''Telegraph Hill'') is situated between the 35th and 36th Milestone road-side markers on the Snaefell Mountain Course on the primary A18 Mountain Road in the parish of O ...

during the winter of 2005/2006 by the Department of Transport. In October 2007 the Department of Transport began road widening at

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 with the removal of trees on the Bemahague Estate which included

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

, the official residence of the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and the creation of a small mini-roundabout. Further work by the Department of Transport in July and September 2008 included a storm drain and the completion of the mini-roundabout. The TT races and Manx Grand Prix continued to use the original A18 Bemahague Road that runs parallel to the new link road and the ''Governor's Dip'' for motorcycle racing. In July 2008, the Department of Transport announced a £4 Million road safety scheme for the

road junction, including the building of a new roundabout and the demolition of the Quarterbridge Hotel. In August 2009, for the

2009 Manx Grand Prix The 2009 Manx Grand Prix was held between Saturday 22 August and Friday 4 September 2009 on the 37.733-mile Mountain Course. The Blue Riband event of race week was won by Michael Russell claiming victory in the Senior. The Ultra-Lightweight r ...

a section of grass bank is removed from the southern side of

. This was to provide a run-off area after a practice crash by the Australian TT competitor

Cameron Donald Cameron Donald (born 28 September 1977 in Melbourne, Australia) is a professional motorcycle racer who has raced at the Macau Grand Prix, the North West 200 and the Isle of Man TT races. Donald has not raced at the TT since 2016, but has wor ...

and a further more serious incident involving Travelling Marshal John McBride at Keppel Gate during the

2009 Isle of Man TT The 2009 Isle of Man TT Festival was held between Saturday 30 May and Friday 12 June on the Mountain Course. The 2009 TT races again include a second 600 cc Supersport Junior TT race and the Lightweight TT and Ultra-Lightweight TT races he ...

races.

During the winter of 2010, further road construction and repair work was carried out by the Isle of Man Department of Infrastructure Highways Division, and the Isle of Man Water Authority between

Cronk Urleigh __NOTOC__ Cronk Urleigh (; "hill of the forecourt"; archaic ''Reneurling'') is a stretch of road situated at the 15th Milestone on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey in the parish of Kirk Michael in the Isle of Man. Description The nearby ...

and the 13th Milestone. This was followed by major road resurfacing work between the 13th Milestone and Westwood Corner near Kirk Michael, Barregarrow Hill, and Sulby Straight from Kella Crossroads to

during the spring of 2011. The Highways Division modified the road junction at

including improved drainage, elevation changes, and repairs to the road surface in November 2010 and the same major repair process of road resurfacing was repeated for the

road junction in February 2011. The Department of Infrastructure during the winter of 2011/2012 removed and re-positioned roadside fence-posts from Brandywell to the 32nd Milestone and from Windy Corner to the 33rd Milestone. During the winter of 2012/2013 the stone TT Marshal shelter at

was demolished. The roadway at

Hillberry Corner Hillberry Corner (in gv, Knock berrey or ''Cronkybury'') is situated at the 36th Milestone road-side marker on the Snaefell Mountain Course, being on the primary A18 Mountain Road with the side-road junction of the C22 Little Mill Road, in the ...

underwent repairs to the carriageway and was resurfaced and re-profiled by the Isle of Man Department of Infrastructure, Highways Division during the Spring of 2014. In April 2015, the Highways Division instigated a programme of landscaping at

including the removal of a small grass bank on the north-eastern side of the corner, road re-profiling and re-surfacing work.

Official lap records

The lap record for the Senior TT race is 16 minutes and 42.778 seconds at an average speed of set by Peter Hickman during the 2018 Senior TT Race. The race record is also held by Hickman in 1 hour, 43 minutes and 08,065 seconds; an average race speed of achieved during the same 6 lap Senior TT race. The lap record for the

Sidecar TT The Sidecar TT is a motorcycle-with-sidecar road race competition held over two legs which takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1954 and 1976 this race was part of the Gr ...

race is 19 minutes and 22.928 seconds at an average speed of set by Ben Birchall and passenger Tom Birchall during the 2016 Sidecar TT Race 1. The race record for the Sidecar TT is 58 minutes and 24.971 seconds an average race speed of for 3 laps (113.00 miles) of the Mountain Course is also held by Ben and Tom Birchall, during the 2015 Sidecar TT Race 2. In the 2006 TT practice New Zealander

Bruce Anstey Bruce Anstey (born 21 August 1969 in New Zealand) is a professional motorcycle road racer. He is a former lap record holder on the world-famous Snaefell Mountain Course with a time of 17 minutes 6.682 seconds, at an average speed of set du ...

achieved the unofficial current top speed record of at the end of Sulby straight on a Suzuki 1000cc machine. This speed value was registered by the on-board datalogging equipment.

Race Lap Records

Cycling

The same course has also been used for

cycle racing Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in soc ...

, including

individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...

s and, from 1936, the Manx International massed-start road race. The first race held on 18 June 1936 was won by Charles Holland of the Midland Cycle and Athletics Club in 1 hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds for one lap of the Mountain Course. In May 2017 it was announced that the circuit would be used for the 2017

British National Road Race Championships The British National Road Race Championships cover different categories of British road bicycle racing events, normally held annually. History Between 1943 and 1958, two separate bodies – the British League of Racing Cyclists The British ...

in June of that year, two weeks after the TT races. The cycling absolute lap record for the Mountain Course was broken in 2015 by Isle of Man born professional cyclist

Peter Kennaugh Peter Robert Kennaugh MBE (born 15 June 1989) is a Manx former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2019 for and . In 2012 he won the gold medal as part of the Great Britain Team Pursuit team at the 2012 Summer ...

in a time of 1 hour, 23 minutes and 48 seconds, beating the previous longstanding record, set by former Olympic cyclist

Chris Boardman Christopher Miles Boardman, (born 26 August 1968) is a British former racing cyclist. A time trial and prologue specialist, Boardman won the inaugural men's World time trial championship in 1994, won the individual pursuit gold medal at the 19 ...

in 1993, by 6 seconds.

Cars

On 6 June 1990

Tony Pond Tony Pond (23 November 1945 – 7 February 2002) was a British rally driver. Career His first outings in a rally car were on the then regular (in the early '60s) Saturday night road rallies in the home counties around London, driving a Mini C ...

completed the first average-speed lap in 22 minutes, 9.1 seconds driving a Rover 827 Vitesse. In 2011 Mark Higgins completed a lap in 19 minutes, 56.67 seconds at an average speed over driving a U.S.-spec 4-door Subaru Impreza WRX STI. In 2014 Mark Higgins broke his own record driving a 2015 U.S.-spec

Subaru Impreza The is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since 1992. It was introduced as a replacement for the Leone, with the predecessor's EA series engines replaced by the new EJ series. It is now in its sixth gen ...

WRX STI with a lap time of 19 minutes, 15.88 at an average speed of . On 4 June 2016 Higgins improved on his record with a lap in 17 minutes 49.75 seconds, an average speed of driving a

Prodrive Prodrive is a British motorsport and advanced engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races automobile, cars for companies and teams such as Aston Martin, Bahrain Raid Xtreme and Team X44. Its advan ...

-prepared Subaru WRX STI.

Named corners

It is estimated that there are over 200 corners on the Mountain Course with about 60 named corners, some named after individuals. The first corner to be named after a competitor was Edges Corner in 1920 on the primary A21 ''Johnny Watterson's Lane'' on the Mountain Course between

and the A22 Ballanard Road in

used for racing between 1911 and 1922. Part of the TT Course was renamed

after Walter Brandish crashed in the right-hand gutter while trying to pass another competitor at Upper Hillberry Corner (previously Telegraph Hill) between

and

and broke a leg during practice for the 1923 TT races. During an early morning practice session for the 1927 TT,

Archie Birkin Charles Archibald Cecil Birkin (30 March 1905 – 7 June 1927) was an English motorcycle racer, brother of Tim Birkin, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s. Background and family Birkin was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1905. He wa ...

swerved in Kirk Michael village to avoid a fish-van travelling to Peel on the primary A3 road, collided with a wall and was killed. The corner was then named

Birkin's Bend Birkin's Bend (previously Orrisdale South or Rhencullen) is situated adjacent to the 17th road milestone on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey road in the Isle of Man. Motor-sport heritage The Rhencullen section was part of the 37.50 Mi ...

, and afterwards, from 1928, practice sessions for the TT races and

were held on closed roads. The Ballameanagh Corner between the

and the 12th Milestone was renamed

after

Wal Handley Walter Leslie Handley (5 April 1902 – 15 November 1941) born in Aston, Birmingham,
Kolumbus.fi Walter Leslie Ha ...

, riding a Rudge-Whitworth, Rudge motorcycle, crashed during lap 1 of the 1932 TT Senior race, sustained a back injury and subsequently retired from the race. In 1939 a stone memorial to

was built at ''The Cutting'' on the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road and the S-bend corner was renamed

. Following a crash during an evening practice session for the

1950 Isle of Man TT The 1950 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy festival was the second year the Isle of Man TT races were part of the Grand Prix World Championship. After his win in the 1949 Isle of Man Clubman event, Geoff Duke entered the 1950 Isle of Man TT only to fi ...

races by Bill Doran between

Bridge and

, the corner was named

Doran's Bend 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 ...

. A stone shelter in a style of a small mountain Alpine Lodge was built in 1955 as a memorial to

Les Graham Robert Leslie Graham (14 September 1911 – 12 June 1953) was a British motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1930s and 1940s. He won the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing 500 cc World Championship in 1949. Early Career (19 ...

, the inaugural 500 cc World Champion solo motorcyclist, on the A18 Mountain Road. The corner is named Les Graham Memorial or sometimes referred to as the ''Bungalow Bridge''. The uphill section of the Mountain Course from the

to the highest point of the course near

was named in 1981 as ''Hailwood's Rise'', in memory of

Mike Hailwood Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British professional motorcycle racer and racing driver. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle ...

, the former world motorcycle champion, and the highest point of the course preceding the Brandywell road junction was named

. In 2003 the 32nd Milestone was named ''Duke's'', after the 1950s world solo motorcycle champion

Geoff Duke Geoffrey Ernest Duke (29 March 1923 – 1 May 2015) was a British multiple motorcycle Grand Prix road racing world champion. Born in St. Helens, Lancashire, after retirement from competition he was a businessman based in the Isle of Man. He r ...

, and the

was named ''Joey's'' after the former Formula 1 TT motor-cycle champion

Joey Dunlop William Joseph "Joey" Dunlop (25 February 1952 – 2 July 2000) was a Northern Irish motorcyclist from Ballymoney. Career He won his third hat trick at the Isle of Man TT in 2000 and set his fastest lap on the course of 123.87 mph in the ...

, who tallied 26 race wins. In 2013 the Isle of Man Government took the unusual step of naming corners after active competitors, with 23 times TT winner John McGuinness, and

Dave Molyneux Dave Molyneux (born 21 November 1963 in Douglas, Isle of Man) is a Manx professional Sidecar racer. He is the most successful Sidecar competitor in the history of the Isle of Man TT races, achieving 17 TT victories and 30 podium finishes. ...

, the most successful Manxman with 17 wins, being honoured. The latest corners to be named have been named in honour of non-riders who have demonstrated a dedication to the TT. These include Ray Caley, former operator of the shop and post office at the junction of the course with Sulby Glen road who died in 2017. Caley's Corner is at the beginning of Sulby Straight. In 2019 Harold Leece was recognised for his garden hospitality to TT spectators with his name on a directional marker board. Harold's corner is the 170 mph right hand bend as the riders approach Gorse Lea.

Safety

Between 1911 and 2022 there have been 265 rider competitor fatalities during official practices or races on the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course (this number includes the riders killed during the

, and Clubman TT race series of the late 1940s/1950s). The first fatality on the TT Course was near Glen Helen during practice for the 1911 TT when

Victor Surridge Victor John Surridge (1892 Chipping Ongar, Essex, UK – 27 June 1911 Glen Helen, Isle of Man) was an English motor-cycle racer who raced for the Rudge team. After the works Rudge factory team visited the Isle of Man TT Races for the first ...

, a works

Rudge-Whitworth Rudge Whitworth Cycles was a British bicycle, bicycle saddle, motorcycle and sports car wheel manufacturer that resulted from the merger of two bicycle manufacturers in 1894, Whitworth Cycle Co. of Birmingham, founded by Charles Henry Pug ...

rider, crashed heavily and died of his injuries. This was also possibly the first death in the

of a person in a motorcycle or other road-vehicle accident. Douglas_Road_Corner_IMG_0003

The compulsory use of crash helmets for the

1914 Isle of Man TT The 1914 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the last held before the outbreak of the First World War. Bad weather overshadowed the Junior race on Tuesday, 19 May, but Eric and Cyril Williams gained first and second place for AJS having passed Irish ...

motor-cycle races was the result of a fatal accident to Frank Bateman on the Keppel Gate section of the TT Course near to Kates Cottage during the 1913

Senior TT The Senior Tourist Trophy is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event traditionally held over the last week in May and the first week in June. The Senior TT is the Blue Riband event of the festi ...

race. The first introduction of a flag to signify the end of an Isle of Man TT race was as a result of a fatal accident to

Fred Walker Frederick, Frederic, Friedrich or Fred Walker may refer to: *Frederick Walker (native police commandant) (died 1866), explorer * Frederick Walker (painter) (1840–1875), English painter and illustrator *Frederic John Walker (1896–1944), ...

near to the finish line of the 1914

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 ...

motor-cycle race after crashing into course boundary boards at St. Ninians Crossroads and Ballaquayle Road in the town of Douglas. During an early morning practice session for the

1927 Isle of Man TT The 1927 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw more changes occur with a fatal accident during practice to Archie Birkin, a brother to Tim Birkin of the Bentley Boys fame. The corner in Kirk Michael where the accident occurred was renamed Birkins Bend an ...

races,

, brother of

Tim Birkin Sir Henry Ralph Stanley "Tim" Birkin, 3rd Baronet (26 July 1896 – 22 June 1933) was a British racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s. Background and family Birkin was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1896, the son of S ...

of the

Bentley Boys The Bentley Boys were a group of wealthy British motorists who drove Bentley sports cars to victory in the 1920s and kept the marque's reputation for high performance alive. In 1925, as the marque foundered, Bentley Boy Woolf Barnato bought the c ...

fame, crashed fatally at

after swerving to avoid a collision with a Fish Van being driven on open roads. From 1928 onwards, practice sessions for the Isle of Man TT Races and

were held on closed public roads. During the first lap of the

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

Lightweight TT race, Syd Crabtree, European Grand Prix competitor and winner of the

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

Lightweight TT, crashed fatally in heavy hill fog on the Mountain section of the TT Course near to the Stonebreakers Hut on the Verandah section of the course. For the

races, two motorcycle-equipped Travelling Marshals were employed to search for missing riders, particularly in poor weather conditions on the Mountain section of the TT Course. After a fatal crash by Doug J. Pirie, in poor visibility caused by mountain mist and fog near to the 33rd TT Milestone during the 1935 Lightweight TT, races were delayed or postponed to the next day until the weather improved. The first evening practice sessions were introduced for the

1937 Isle of Man TT The 1937 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw Freddie Frith break the 90+ mph lap for the first time during the Senior TT with a speed of 90.27 mph on his Norton beating Stanley Woods by only 15 seconds. Frith also beat Wood in the Junior TT but on ...

races which continue to this day. Further changes to the Mountain Course occurred during the winter of 1953/54 as the result of fatalities to competitors during the TT races and Manx Grand Prix from 1951 to 1953. Changes were also made to facilitate the return of

on the new

. On safety grounds, 'seeding' of competitors occurred for the 1959 TT race. The Thursday afternoon practice session from 13:45–17:00 pm introduced in the late 1950s was discontinued for the Centenary

2007 Isle of Man TT The 2007 Isle of Man TT, Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the Centenary race event held from 26 May to 8 June 2007. The Blue Riband race of the meeting, the Senior TT was won by John McGuinness (motorcycle racer), John McGuinness recording the fir ...

races. Also during the late 1950s, Appledene Cottage was demolished on safety grounds along with ''Old Brew's Restaurant'' near Glen Helen during the early 1960s accompanied by a road widening programme at

. There were six fatalities among the competitors at the

1970 Isle of Man TT The 1970 Isle of Man TT, the fourth round of the 1970 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, involved a number of races on the Mountain Course on the Isle of Man. For the third consecutive year, Giacomo Agostini won both the Junior and Senior race ...

, including world championship contender

Santiago Herrero Santiago Herrero (9 May 1943 – 10 June 1970) was a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was Spain's most promising international motorcycle racer until he died from injuries sustained while competing in the Isle of Man TT ...

, making 1970 the deadliest year in the history of the event. Further road safety work during the winter of 1970/1971 road-widening occurred at the Verandah series of bends and also at the

Bungalow Bridge The Graham Memorial (also the Bungalow Bridge or Shepherd's Hut) is a stone shelter situated between the 30th Milestone and the 31st Milestone road-side markers on the Snaefell Mountain Course on the primary A18 Snaefell mountain road in the par ...

by the Isle of Man Highway Board cutting into the hillside. Despite the safety improvements to the Verandah section, while lying in first place on the second lap during the

1972 Isle of Man TT The 1972 Isle of Man TT motorcycle races were held between 5–9 June 1972. It was the fifth round of the FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship (now MotoGP). A fatal accident this year led, some years later, to the end of the Isle of Man ...

125 cc

Ultra-Lightweight TT The Ultra-Lightweight TT was a motorcycle road race that took place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1951 and 1974 this race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season at ...

race held in heavy rain,

Gilberto Parlotti Gilberto Parlotti (17 September 1940 – 9 June 1972) was an Italian professional motorcycle racer competing in the FIM World Championship between 1969 and 1972. He competed for the Benelli, Derbi, Morbidelli and Tomos factories. Parlotti was b ...

crashed his 125 cc

Morbidelli Morbidelli was an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded by Giancarlo Morbidelli in Pesaro. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the company was particularly successful in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The team won the 125 cc world champi ...

at the Verandah and later died from his injuries. From 1973, any weather conditions that would not allow a rescue helicopter to take-off or land would lead to the race start being delayed or postponed at any TT or Manx Grand Prix race. The A2

Quarterbridge Road Quarterbridge Road ( gv, The Quarters or Quarter Dub – quarterlands of Ballabrooie and Ballaquayle) is situated adjacent to the 1st Milestone road-side marker measured from the startline at TT Grandstand used for the Snaefell Mountain Course on ...

including the road junctions at Selborne Drive and Brunswick Drive and the A2

Bray Hill Bray Hill ( Lowland Scots: ''Brae'' a slope) was formerly a country lane known as the ''Great Hill'' during the time of the ownership of the Duke of Atholl, and was previously known as ''Siberia'', originally a triangle-shaped parcel of land i ...

were subjected to major road repairs and re-profiling during the winter of 1978/79 by the Isle of Man Highway Board. This followed a series of fatal accidents during the start of the 1978 Sidecar TT 'A' race, to the Swiss sidecar competitor Ernst Trachsel on Quarterbridge Road, and the sidecar crew of Mac Hobson & Kenny Birch on nearby

. For the 1979 TT races the practice of starting competitors in pairs was abandoned followed by the Manx Grand Prix in 2011 after the result of fatal crash at

Alpine Cottage Alpine Cottage ( gv, Ballacurnkeil or the ''Narrow or small Ballacurn'') including the adjacent ''Alpine House'' is situated between the 16th and 17th Milestone road-side markers on the Snaefell Mountain Course on the primary A3 Castletown t ...

during the 2010 Junior Manx Grand Prix. Manx grand prix 2010 1823

Following a fatal accident to French newcomer Serge le Moal during the first practice session of the

2004 Isle of Man TT 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

races, a Newcomers Speed Control Lap was introduced for the 2004 Manx Grand Prix followed by the 2005 TT races. A mandatory TT Mountain Course licence for Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix competitors was introduced for 2006. During the winter of 2004/2005 road widening by the Isle of Man Department of Transport occurred at Windy Corner followed by

during the winter of 2005/2006, included a slightly banked section and a constant radius curve as a safety improvement for general road traffic. A serious accident occurred at the

during the

Centenary races on lap 5 of the Senior race resulting in the deaths of a competitor and two visiting spectators. After a series of safety reviews, a number of general measures were introduced after 2007 for the Isle of Man TT races and the Manx Grand Prix and other events such as the

Southern 100 The Southern 100 is a motorcycle road racing event held on the Isle of Man in July of each year. The event was first held in 1955, with three races for different classes of solo motorcycles; the 2015 calendar included twelve races for various cla ...

motor-cycle races and the

Rally Isle of Man Rally Isle of Man (previously the ''Manx International Rally'' and formerly the ''Manx Trophy Rally'') is a car rally competition held in the Isle of Man. It was first held in 1963, and later became a well-known event in the British Open Rally ...

. This included the introduction of restricted areas, safety fencing and the continued introduction of air-fencing to corners to the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course. Following the start of the 2013 Senior TT race, a competitor lost control on the steep descent of Bray Hill and the racing motor-cycle collided with a wall and spectator’s safety area near the junction of Bray Hill and Cronkbourne Road in the town of Douglas, injuring 11 spectators. During an evening practice session for the 2018 Isle of Man TT, a race competitor received serious injuries after colliding with a course inspection car near to

Ballacrye Corner __NOTOC__ Ballacrye (, "Crye's farm") is situated adjacent to the 19th Milestone of the TT Course, on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey road at the junction with the B9 Ballacrye Road, in the parish of Ballaugh in the Isle of Man. Descript ...

in Ballaugh parish when travelling in a group of race competitors in the reverse course direction. The incident occurred following a red-flag incident near Sky Hill (Churchtown) after a fatal accident to Isle of Man competitor, Dan Kneen. Following a meeting of the Strategic Motorsport Group organised by the Isle of Man Government, the Clerk of Course announced procedural changes to red flag incidents. Competitors would now wait on the course until the incident had been cleared and only travel in '' 'course direction' '' accompanied by TT Travelling Marshals at the front and rear of the convoy. After a further legal review by the ACU in 2018 into the cause of the accident and the collision with a course inspection car a number of safety changes were initiated. This included the creation of a new event safety officer and GPS tracking to be fitted to all course inspection cars.''Isle of Man Examiner – Brialtagh Ellan Vannin'' page 1 & 4 Changes after Mercer Crash Tuesday 23 April 2019 – Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd (2019) Newsprint (Knowsley) Ltd ISSN 1358-4383

Sources

External links

Circuit Guide
with

Steve Hislop Robert Steven Hislop (11 January 1962 – 30 July 2003) was a Scottish motorcycle racer. Hislop won at the Isle of Man TT eleven times, won the British 250cc Championship (1990) and British Superbike championship (1995 and 2002). Hislop di ...

, 11 times TT winner
2D and 3D Maps of the TT Course
{{Coord, 54, 10, 04, N, 4, 28, 40, W, display=title, region:IM_type:landmark Grand Prix motorcycle circuits