Highroads Course

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Highroad Course
Location Douglas, Isle of Man
Time zone GMT
Major events Gordon Bennett Trial, Tourist Trophy
Length 52.15 mi
Turns 420+
Lap record 1 hour 31 mins, 9.6 sec (34.2 mph) (John Napier, Arrol-Johnston, 1905)

Highroad Course[1] is a road-racing circuit used for the Gordon Bennett British Eliminating Trial held in the Isle of Man in 1904 and the 1905 Tourist Trophy Race. The racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the Isle of Man).

Highroad Course

The course is 52.15 miles long and the start-line is at the Quarterbridge in the town of Douglas, Isle of Man. The racing circuit is based on a number of public roads on the Isle of Man including the primary A5 New Castletown to Douglas Road and the A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road to Ballaugh Bridge. The primary A10 Jurby Coast Road from Ballaugh Bridge to the Ballaugh Cronk and the A13 Jurby Road from the Ballaugh Cronk to Ramsey including the A9 Bowring Road in Ramsey and this section of the course was known as the Sandygate Loop. Also, the A2 Albert Road in the town of Ramsey, including a section of private road and the primary A18 Mountain Road to the road junction with the A21 Road and C10 Scholag Road at Cronk-ny-Mona in Douglas. The primary A21 Johnny Watterson Lane at Cronk-ny-Mona, the A22 Ballanard Road, A2 Bray Hill and the A2 Quarterbridge Road in Douglas. The highest point of the course is on the primary A18 Mountain Road at Brandywell at spot height 422 meters (1,384 feet) above sea level. 54°14′47.47″N 4°27′57.18″W / 54.2465194°N 4.4658833°W / 54.2465194; -4.4658833

Short Highroad Course

For the 1906 Tourist Trophy Race the Highroad course was amended to a distance of 40.38 miles to prevent disruption to railway services. The start was moved from the Quarterbridge to the road junction of the A2 Quarterbridge Road/Alexander Drive adjacent to the property called 'Woodlands' in the town of Douglas. Again the course is based on a number of public roads in the Isle of Man closed for racing including the primary A1 Douglas to Peel Road, A4 Peel to Kirk Michael Coast Road and the A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road from Douglas Road Corner in Kirk Michael to Parliament Square in Ramsey. Again, the A9 Albert Road in the town of Ramsey, including a section of private road and the primary A18 Mountain Road to the road junction with the A21 Road and C10 Scholag Road at Cronk-ny-Mona in Douglas. The primary A21 Johnny Watterson Lane, the A22 Ballanard Road, A2 Bray Hill and the A2 Quarterbridge Road in Douglas. The Sandygate Loop from Ballaugh to Ramsey was omitted to reduce overall course length.

History

Motor racing began on the Isle of Man in 1904 with the Gordon Bennett Trial 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.[2] The act approved by Tynwald the Highways (Light Locomotive) Act 1904 gave permission in the Isle of Man for the 52.15 mile Highroads Course for the 1904 Gordon Bennett Car Trial.

Isle of Man racing circuits

See also

Sources

  1. ↑ TT Pioneers – Early Car Racing in the Isle of Man pp 22 Robert Kelly, Mercury Asset Management (1996)(1st Edition) The Manx Experience, The Alden Press ISBN No 1 873120 61 3
  2. ↑ Island Racer 2004 pp 112–113 Mortons Media Group Ltd ISSN 1743-5838

External links

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

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