Billown Circuit

Last updated

Billown Circuit
Billown Circuit.svg
Location Castletown, Isle of Man
Time zone GMT
Coordinates 54°05′18″N4°39′52″W / 54.08845°N 4.66455°W / 54.08845; -4.66455
Major events Southern 100, Pre-TT Classic Races, National Road Races, Ultra-Lightweight TT, Lightweight TT
Length4.25 miles (6.84 km)
Turns14+
Race lap record2:12.735 115.267 mph (185.504 km/h) (Michael Dunlop, Suzuki, (2017))

The Billown Circuit is a motorcycle road-race course used for the Southern 100, the Pre-TT Classic races and the National Road Races meetings near Castletown on the Isle of Man. Racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man.

Contents

The course is 4.25 miles (6.8 km) long and is in the parishes of Arbory and Malew. The course start-line is on the outskirts of Castletown and the course includes parts of the primary A5 New Castletown Road, the A28 Castletown to Ballabeg road, the A7 Ballasalla to Port Erin road and the A3 Castletown to Ramsey road.

History

Following the closure of the former RAF Station at Andreas to motorcycle racing in 1954, and to celebrate the success of George 'Sparrow' Costain and Derek Ennett at the 1954 Manx Grand Prix, the Southern Motor Cycle Club (SMCC) proposed that a motorcycle circuit be developed in the area around Castletown in the Isle of Man. [1]

The proposal for a "South TT" [2] using roads around the new Castletown A5 by-pass and the Billown Mansion met with a lukewarm response, and an application for a grant of £500 for race expenditure was rejected by the Tynwald Race Committee in April 1955. [3] A grant of £500 from local businesses, including T. H. Coleburn for a public address system, enabled the first Southern 100 road race event to be scheduled for July 1955 as a club-level race meeting. [4]

The Billown Circuit became a regional registered circuit in 1956 and a National Racing circuit in 1957, with a maximum of 45 entries per class. [1] In 1988 a new race meeting was introduced with the Pre-TT Classic races, followed by the National Road Races in 1990. The re-introduction of two-stroke racing at the 2008 Isle of Man TT, with a Lightweight TT and Ultra-Lightweight TT race, used the Billown Circuit to host Isle of Man TT races as part of the 2008 National Road Race meeting.

Speed and race records

The lap record for the Billown Circuit is 2 minutes 12.735 seconds at an average speed of 115.267 mph (185.504 km/h) set by Michael Dunlop during the 2017 races.

List of fatal accidents involving competitors

No.RiderDatePlaceRaceEventMachine
1 Flag of England.svg Maurice A.Bowdery10 July 1958 [5] Castletown Corner 1958 Southern 100 Junior
2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tom Swindlehurst9 July 1964 1964 Southern 100 Senior500cc Norton
3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Graham NaylorJuly 1970Williams Corner 1970 Southern 100 Senior
4 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike PepperJuly 1973Great Meadow 1973 Southern 100
5 Ulster Banner.svg Jim Farlow.9 July 1974Church Bends 1974 Southern 100
6 Flag of England.svg Tony Dickinson15 July 1981Billown Dip (Black hole) 1981 Southern 100 250 Race247 Yamaha (F)
7 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Graham WilliamsJuly 1983Church Bends 1983 Southern 100
8 Flag of Scotland.svg John TawseJuly 1985Church Bends 1985 Southern 100 Practice250cc Rotax
9 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Steve Taylor10 July 1988Great Meadow 1988 Southern 100 Solo Championship
10 Flag of the Isle of Man.svg Andy BassettJuly 1991Billown Dip 1991 Southern 100 Practice350cc Yamaha
11 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Roger Allen2 June 1992Ballakeighan Corner 1992 Pre-TT Classic Vintage Classic Race498cc Triumph [6]
12 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Michael Bellerby30 May 1995Ballanorris 1995 Pre-TT Classic Senior Classic Race
13 Flag of the Isle of Man.svg Matthew Wood30 May 1995Ballanorris 1995 Pre-TT Classic Senior Classic Race
14 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Rob Harrison18 July 1994Iron Gate 1994 Southern 100
15 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Graham HayneJuly 1996Great Meadow 1996 Southern 100 Practice600cc Yamaha
16 Flag of the Isle of Man.svg Michael CraigJuly 1996Great Meadow 1996 Southern 100 Practice600cc Yamaha
17 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dave PinkertonJuly 1996Great Meadow 1996 Southern 100 Practice350cc Yamaha
18 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gavin Lee13 July 1999Williams Corner 1999 Southern 100 250cc Yamaha [7]
19 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Marc McDonald13 July 1999Williams Corner 1999 Southern 100 600cc Kawasaki [7]
20 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andy Brown9 July 2003Ballawhetstone 2003 Southern 100 600cc — Ireson Yamaha [8]
21 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg John Dowling9 July 2003Ballawhetstone 2003 Southern 100
(Sidecar Passenger)		600cc — Ireson Yamaha [8]
22 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tony Smith25 May 2006Iron Gate 2006 Pre-TT Classic Practice
23 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Barry Pepperrell25 May 2006Iron Gate 2006 Pre-TT Classic
(Sidecar Passenger)		Practice
24 Flag of England.svg Phillip Dongworth14 July 2009 [9] Ballanorris 2009 Southern 100 Practice600cc Ireson Honda [10]
25 Flag of the Isle of Man.svg David Jukes8 July 2013Ballakeighan Corner 2013 Southern 100 Practice600cc Yamaha
26 Flag of the Isle of Man.svg Mark Madsen-Mygdal11 July 2013 [11] Castletown Stadium 2013 Southern 100 600cc Race B600cc Yamaha
27 Flag of the Isle of Man.svg Paul Thomas11 July 2013 [12] Osbourne's 2013 Southern 100
(Sidecar Passenger)		Sidecar Championship Race600c Baker Yamaha [13]
28 Flag of the Isle of Man.svg Dean Martin28 May 2016 [14] Billown Dip2016 Pre-TT ClassicPractice
29 Flag of England.svg James Cowton12 July 2018 [15] Stadium Bends2018 Southern 100600cc Challenge Race600cc Kawasaki
30 Flag of Ireland.svg Alan Connor11 July 2023Castletown Bypass2023 Southern 100PracticeSuzuki

List of riders by overall numbers of races won

RiderWins
Joey Dunlop, Ian Lougher 42
Jason Griffiths, Chris Palmer22
Ryan Farquhar 21
Dave Madsen-Mygdal19
Kenny Harrison18
Dave Leech17
Bob Heath, Dave Molyneux 15
William Dunlop, Bill Swallow 14
Bill Smith 13
Lowry Burton, Bob Jackson, Jason Griffiths12
Derek Walley11
Barry Wood, Robert Dunlop 10
Geoff Bell, Ray McCullough9
Mike Hose, Bud Jackson, Guy Martin 8
Ian Bell, Nick Crowe, Selwyn Griffiths, Darran Lindsay 7
Charlie Freeman, Bob Jackson, Phillip McCallen, Alan Oversby, Tim Poole6
Colin Bevan, Blair Degerholm, John Knowles, Dave Pither, Roy Richardson, Meryvn Stratford, Alan Steele, Charlie Williams, Derek Young, John Watson5
Ian Bell, Tony Baker, Mick Burcombe, Bill Davie, Geoff Hands, Alan Oversby4
Michael Dunlop 3
Bill Currie,(Pete & Ron Hardy) Kenny Howles, Klaus Klaffenböck, Greg Lambert, Dan Sayle, Geoff Young, Rob Bellas2

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Southern 100 Silver Jubilee Road Racing Meeting pp33 SMCC Ltd (1979)
  2. ↑ Isle of Man Examiner pp. 1, dated 14 January 1955
  3. ↑ Isle of Man Examiner p1 dated 22 April 1955
  4. ↑ Isle of Man Examiner p.1 dated 13 May 1955
  5. ↑ Isle of Man Weekly Times pp8 dated 11 July 1958
  6. ↑ The 1992 Southern 100 TT Classic Solo & Sidecar Racing — Official Programme pp18 Southern 100 MCRC Ltd (1992) Quine & Cubbon Ltd
  7. 1 2 Southern 100 Motorcycle & Sidecar Racing — Official Programme 1999 pp30 Southern 100 MCRC Ltd (1999) Quine & Cubbon Ltd
  8. 1 2 Southern 100 Motorcycle & Sidecar Racing — Official Programme 2003 pp6 Southern 100 MCRC Ltd (2003) Quine & Cubbon Ltd
  9. ↑ Isle of Man Examiner p5 dated 28 July 2009
  10. ↑ Southern 100 Race Guide 2009 p32 (2009) Southern 100 MCRC Ltd Quine & Cubbon Ltd
  11. ↑ Isle of Man Courier – Roieder Ellan Vannin page 1 Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd (2013) Johnson Press Publishing – Sheffield Web 12 July 2013
  12. ↑ Isle of Man Examiner – Brialtagh Ellan Vannin page 11 Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd (2013) Johnson Press Publishing – Sheffield Web 15–21 July 2013
  13. ↑ Southern 100 International Road Races 2013 Southern 100 MCRC Ltd (2013) Quine & Cubbon Ltd Page 34
  14. ↑ Isle of Man Classic TT 2016: Rider dies in practice race BBC News, Isle of Man, 28 May 2016, Retrieved 29 May 2016
  15. ↑ Southern 100: James Cowton killed in crash BBC Sport, Motorbikes, 12 July 2018, Retrieved 13 July 2018
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