Windy Corner, Isle of Man

The Snaefell Mountain Course, a motorsport racing circuit that was once part of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, has more than 60 named corners, bends, straightaways, and other features. Unlike the closed-circuit race tracks now used in all Grand Prix championship races,See Grand Prix motorcycle racing#Circuits. All 18 circuits in MotoGP 2016 are race tracks. the course runs almost entirely along public roads of the Isle of Man.Following road improvements, The Nook and Governor's Bridge Dip near the end of a lap are race-only, otherwise closed to normal traffic by barriers.

This list includes prominent corners and other landmarks along the course, with names that are used in media coverage and by racers, spectators, and administrators.

The number of turns in the course is debatable – writing in his 1974 book, TT racer and motorcycle journalist Ray Knight mentioned that the ''Guinness Book of Records'' quoted 264, echoed by a 2011 report. Some of the curves, S-bends, turns at crossroads, and other features in the course would not seem significant to car drivers in public traffic, but they are very significant for high-speed racers. is the highest average speed that has been attained over one lap of the course, by Peter Hickman on 8 June 2018 when he won the Senior TT. At jumps where most race machines rise clear off the ground, drivers of cars at slow speeds might not even notice a bump. At each corner, racers must consider adjusting their entry speed, focus on their pre-planned line, lean according to the nature of the turn, and anticipate accelerating, decelerating, turning again, or otherwise handling their machines as needed while exiting the turn.

There are road-side marker boards, posted in advance of the major features, bearing these names to inform practice racers, and during races they may remind racers what is coming. The turns generally aren't labelled by numbers as on short racing circuits.

Spectators also focus on named corners and other landmarks beside the course; many of the best vantage points are at turns where racers can be better seen as they slow down. As a guidebook for visitors to the Isle of Man describes:

Naming practices

While there are named turns in other racing circuits, naming of corners and other turns elsewhere is usually less salient. For example, there is the notable "Dunlop Curve" of the 24 Hours of Le Mans' automobile race circuit and motorcycle race circuit. But the turns in many courses are primarily referred to by numbers, e.g. turns of the 1909-built Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the U.S. are referred to as Turn 1 through Turn 13. The Snaefell Mountain Course is one of the longer racing circuits and has more turns.

Like named corners on other circuits, many are named after champion racers, such as Joey's Corner at the 26th Milestone, posthumously named to commemorate the 26 racing victories of racer Joey Dunlop on this course prior to his death racing in Estonia, and Hailwood's Rise/Hailwood's Height, named after famous rider Mike Hailwood, killed in a road traffic accident in central England. However, in 2013 ''McGuinness's'' and ''Molyneux's'' were named in honour of living rider John McGuinness and sidecar driver Dave Molyneux, ranking second and third in the tally of TT race wins.Manx Radio
10 April 2013. Retrieved 9 Sept 2015 In 2017, a bend was named after a non-competitor for the first time; Raymond Caley was a long-time shopkeeper with premises on the course at Sulby.

Some corners on the Mountain course are named for riders who suffered accidents at the corner or nearby: Doran's Bend after Bill Doran and Brandish Corner, after Walter Brandish. Others refer to the corner's physical shape: Verandah, The Nook. More take names of nearby artificial or natural landmarks: Creg-ny-Baa (a pub), Tower Bends, Bray Hill. Landmark-based names may continue to be used long after their namesake is gone: Keppel Gate, Signpost Corner.

The roads are open to two-way public traffic for most of the year, but are closed during practice times and races. The Sunday of main race week is traditionally known as "Mad Sunday". Due to road traffic accidents, a newly formed road-safety committee in 1964 proposed that the Snaefell mountain road should be one-way traffic in the race direction for part of Sunday. Nowadays, for the entire racing season of several weeks in May/June and August/September, the mountain portion of the course (from Ramsey to Douglas) is restricted to one-way in the race direction, and parking is prohibited in various areas.

These and other provisions allow inexperienced racers and visiting motorcyclists to learn the corners and informally practice on the course.

The following is a partial list of named corners and other landmarks along the course. Turns described as left- or right-handers assume that travel is in the race direction, which is clockwise around the circuit.
__NOTOC__

Named corners

} - farm of the slope

, - id="Glen Vine"
! scope="row" , Glen Vine

3.9
,
, On A1 Peel Road with side-turn junction A26

, Passing through a small residential village before Crosby
, - id="Crosby Crossroads"
! scope="row" , Crosby Crossroads

4.81
,
, On A1 Douglas to Peel road, with side-junctions A23 and B35.

, In the village of Crosby, population about 900.
, - id="Crosby Jump"
! scope="row" , Crosby Jump
5.00
,
, On A1 Douglas to Peel road.

, Crosby Jump (also known as Crosby Leap or Crosby Hill) at the 5-mile marker from TT Grandstand start, a Fanzone in 2012. Leaving the village of Crosby at one of the highest points of the course in the westerly-direction, dropping gently past Halfway House, a former hotel roughly equi-distant (5 mile) from the towns of Douglas and Peel, towards one of the fastest points on the course at The Highlander.
On A1 road, the course at Halfway House was straightened in 1962 by the removal of two bankings seemingly in pursuit of higher race speeds.
, - id="The Highlander"
! scope="row" , The Highlander

5.1
,
, On A1 Peel Road

, Long straight, passing by former coaching house and pub (closed), through one of the fastest parts of the course, previously a speed-trap location.''Isle of Man TT'', by Charles Deane, 1975, p.39, (a Patrick Stephens publication) "''...it's head down behind the screen for the 'flying run' through the speed trap set up outside the Highlander pub. Anything up to 150 mph will be achieved by the big bikes on this extremely fast downhill stretch''". Accessed 1 June 2016

, - id="Greeba Castle and Greeba Bridge"
! scope="row" , Greeba Castle and Greeba Bridge

5.8 and 6.3
,
, On A1 (Douglas to Peel road)


, ''Greeba Castle'', a large Gothic-style residence dating from the Victorian-period, closely followed by ''Greeba Bridge''; name is derived from Scandinavian: Gnipa, ''a peak''. Previously known as Cronk Dhoo. In an area of farmland. Nearby summits include Beary Mountain (311 m), Greeba Mountain (422 m), Slieau Ruy (479 m) and Slieau Whallian (333 m).

, - id="Ballacraine"
! scope="row" , Ballacraine

7.65
,
, Junction of A1 and A3 (Castletown to Ramsey road)

, Right-hand turn onto the A3 at a crossroads. At east end of St. Johns village, with Ballacraine Farm on the inside of the turn and the former Ballacraine Arms (Hotel), a former public house, across the corner.

, - id="Doran's Bend"
! scope="row" , Doran's Bend

8.44
,
, On A3 (Castletown to Ramsey) road

, Named after Bill Doran, who crashed and broke a leg here during practice for the 1950 Isle of Man TT races, and who again crashed near here two years later, in practice for the 1952 Isle of Man TT, again putting him out of that set of races.

, - id="Laurel Bank"
! scope="row" , Laurel Bank

8.75
,
, On A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road

, Fast right-hand turnttwebsite.com
/ref> ( gv, Cronk-y-Killey)

, - id="Black Dub"
! scope="row" , Black Dub

8.800 to 9.30
,
, On A3 Castletown to Ramsey road

, Leading on from Laurel Bank, a left then right followed by another long sweeping left-hander into Glen Helen. Now a restricted (non-viewing) area. Named after the dark, boggy area close by the adjacent river valley.

, - id=" Glen Helen"
! scope="row" , Glen Helen

9.60 to 9.90
,
, On A3 Castletown to Ramsey road

, Leading on from Black Dub, through the sweeping left-hander at Glen Helen and uphill towards Sarah's and Creg Willey's

, - id="Sarah's Cottage"
! scope="row" , Sarah's Cottage

9.93
,
, on A3 Castletown to Ramsey road

, After Glen Helen, Sarah's is a right-turning bend at a small stone cottage on the outside of the bend, halfway up Creg Willey's Hill leading to Lambfell. Named after the "Sarah" who lived there around 1900 and served refreshments for travellers.

, - id="Creg Willey's"
! scope="row" , Creg Willey's

10.00
,
, on A3 Castletown to Ramsey road

, Although the hill starts at Glen Helen, Creg Willey's is the name given to a steep climb after the right-turn at Sarah's, leading to Lambfell. Some confusion about the etymology which could be a corruption of ''Creg Willy Syl''. Also quoted as "Creg Willies Hill".''TT Racing'', by Ray Knight, p.28. ''Creg Willies Hill to Rhencullen''. "The Cronk-y-Voddy Straight may be straight but it is anything but flat. Quite apart from the bumps, for good measure this section undulates and you climb three minor hills in the average gradual climb to the Cronk-y-Voddy crossroads". 1974 Speedsport Motobooks, Brentford, England. Accessed 24 December 2015 Creg Willy's Hillclimb event starts just before Glen Helen and ends after the hill tops-out on the straight.

, - id="Lambfell"
! scope="row" , Lambfell

10.23
,
, on A3 Castletown to Ramsey road

, Right/left curve after Creg Willey's before the Cronk-y-Voddy Straight. AKA Lambfell Cottage and (the area) Lambfell Moar

, - id="Cronk-y-Voddy Straight"
! scope="row" , Cronk-y-Voddy Straight

10.75
,
, on A3 Castletown to Ramsey road

, Cronk-y-Voddy Straight – very fast but bumpy and undulating

, - id="Molyneux's"
! scope="row" , Molyneux's

11.03
,
, on A3 Castletown to Ramsey road

, Right-hander at the end of Cronk-y-Voddy straight, with nearby road sign indicating the preceding small cross-road side junctions, Little London Road and Ballabrooie Road, providing spectator parking. Named in 2013 after multi-TT winning sidecar racer Dave Molyneux

, - id="11th Milestone"
! scope="row" , 11th Milestone

11.49
,
, On A3 (Castletown to Ramsey) road

, A distinctive S-bend, also known as "''Drinkwater's Bend''", named after Ben Drinkwater who crashed fatally at this point during the 1949 350 cc Junior TT Race.

, - id="McGuinness's"
! scope="row" , McGuinness's

12.45
,
, Left hander before the top of Barregarrow on the A3

, Named in 2013 after multi-TT winning rider John McGuinness

, - id="Barregarrow"
! scope="row" , Barregarrow

12.75
,
, From top of "Barregarroo hill" on the A3 Douglas road; crossing C4 (Ballaleigh Road).

, Crossroads before chapel and steep hill. Also spelt Barregarroo and otherwise, after Manx name ''Bayr Garroo'' meaning "rough road", commonly pronounced "B'Garrow". A popular vantage point with limited viewing.

, - id="Rhencullen"
! scope="row" , Rhencullen

14.90
,
, On A3 (Castletown to Ramsey) road

, A series of four curves, name equates to ''Holly Ridge''.

, - id="Birkins Bend"
! scope="row" , Birkin's Bend

15.26
,
, On A3 (Castletown to Ramsey) road

, Named after racer Archie Birkin who was killed by a crash here, when avoiding a fish van, during practice for the 1927 Isle of Man TT. From 1928 on, public roads were closed for practice runs. No longer a clear turn due to roadway changes; part of the Rhencullen series of four bends.

, - id="Dub Cottage"
! scope="row" , Dub Cottage

16.21
,
, On A3 (Castletown to Ramsey) road

,
, - id="Ballaugh Bridge"
! scope="row" , Ballaugh Bridge

17.20
,
, Bridge at junction of C37 Ballaugh Glen Road and A10 (Ballaugh Station Road)

, Only remaining hump-backed bridge on the course, since removal of Ballig Bridge in 1935.

, - id= "Ballacrye Corner"
! scope="row" , Ballacrye Corner

17.84
,
, A3 (Castleton to Ramsey road)

, "Ballacrye" derives from gv, McCray or Cry's farm. There is a drop in the road here that makes a jump—many racing motor-cycles lift off into the air—said to be the fastest and most dangerous jump on the course. Spectating is prohibited after the jump but is allowed before it with excellent views.

, - id="Quarry Bends"
! scope="row" , Quarry Bends

18.46
,
, On A3

, A complex of bends. A small railway siding off the Manx Northern Railway built in 1879 to serve Clarke's stone quarry at Ballavolley crossed the road here at Close e Volley, later renamed Quarry Bends.

, - id="Caley's"
! scope="row", Caley's

19.00
,
, On A3

, Left kink before the straight leading to Sulby village, named to honour local shopkeeper Raymond Caley who died in 2017 and operated the local post office and small general store on the crossroads for many years.

, - id="Sulby Straight"
! scope="row" , Sulby Straight

19.16
,
, On A3

, straight through Sulby village. Racer Bruce Anstey reached 206 mph (331.51 km/h) here during practice for the 2006 TT, which in 2015 remains the unofficial speed record on the racecourse and for the Isle of Man. He won the Superstock TT that year, and held the course lap record during 2014–2015.

, - id="Sulby Bridge"
! scope="row" , Sulby Bridge

20.13
,
, On A3

, A wide 90-degree right turn at the end of Sulby Straight where the Sulby River passes under a road bridge, exiting flat then with a slight rise climbing towards Ginger Hall
, - id="Ginger Hall"
! scope="row" , Ginger Hall

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