The Four Inch Course was a road-racing circuit first used for the 1908 Tourist Trophy Race for cars,[1] 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 regulations for the 1908 Tourist Trophy adopted by the Royal Automobile Club, which limited the competitors' engines to a cylinder-diameter of four inches. The Four-Inch Course was adopted by the Auto-Cycle Club for the 1911 Isle of Man TT Races. The Four-Inch Course was subsequently known as the Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course when used for motor-cycle racing.
The new course length was 37.5 miles, based on the 'Short' Highroads Course with the omission of the Sandygate Loop and the Peel Loop. The start-line was moved from the road junction of the A2 Quarterbridge Road/Alexander Drive to Hillberry Corner on the A18 Mountain Road.
William Watson, winner of the 1908 Tourist Trophy at the Four Inch Course
The Four Inch Course was based on a number of public roads closed for the duration of racing, including:
The primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road from the start-line at Hillberry Corner to the junction with the primary A21Johnny Watterson's Lane and the tertiary C10 Scholag Road at Cronk-ny-Mona in the town of Douglas.
The primary A21Johnny Watterson's Lane from Cronk-ny-Mona to the junction with the A22 Ballanard Road.
The A9 Albert Road in Ramsey, including two small sections of private road with the northerly junction of the primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road.
The A18 Mountain Road to the finish-line at Hillberry Corner.
The Four Inch Course was adopted by the Auto-Cycle Club for the 1911 Isle of Man TT Races and the start-line was moved to a level section of the Quarterbridge Road between Selborne Drive and the 1st Milestone/Alexander Drive, becoming known as the Snaefell Mountain Course when used for motorcycle racing.[2]
From the 1920 Isle of Man TT races, changes were made to the Snaefell Mountain Course and competitors turned left at Cronk-ny-Mona following the primary A18 Bemahague Road to Governor's Bridge, then to a new start/finish line on Glencrutchery Road which lengthened the course from the pre-World War I length of 37.50 miles (60.35km) to 37.75 miles (60.75km).
More changes to the course followed for the 1923 Isle of Man TT races with the adoption of two small sections of private road between Parliament Square and May Hill in Ramsey. The Snaefell Mountain Course had previously negotiated the A2 Albert Road and Tower Road in Ramsey which differed from the original Four-Inch circuit which had incorporated these sections of private road and the new Mountain Course length increased to 37.739 miles (60.74km). The official course distance for the Snaefell Mountain Course was amended for the 1938 Isle of Man TTraces to 37.73 miles (60.72km) which is the current Snaefell Mountain Course length.[3]
↑ TT Pioneers – Early Car Racing in the Isle of Man pp.103–104 Robert Kelly, Mercury Asset Management (1996) (1st Edition) The Manx Experience, The Alden Press ISBN No 1 873120 61 3
↑ The Tourist Trophy in Old Photographs Collected by Bill Snelling. Bill Snelling page 14 Sutton Publishing ISBN1-84015-059-9
↑ Official TT Guide 1992 page 45 edited by Norrie White Isle of Man Department of Tourism (1992) Mannin Media Ltd
The A18 Snaefell Mountain Road or Mountain Road is a primary main A-road of 13.35 miles (21.48 km) in length which connects the towns of Douglas and Ramsey in the Isle of Man.
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 separate event of the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling for the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT 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.
Signpost Corner, Isle of Man is a former temporary motor-cycle race signal station, located on the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road at the road junction with the A39 Hillberry Road / B11 Avondale Road in the parish of Onchan in the Isle of Man.
Creg-ny-Baa 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 the Isle of Man.
The Verandah, Isle of Man is a series of four bends which motorcyclists negotiate at high speed during road racing on the Snaefell Mountain Course on the Isle of Man.
Bray Hill is a road in the Isle of Man. It 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 in the Murray Estate.
Governor's Bridge is a hairpin bend adjacent to a road junction on the primary A18 Mountain Road in the parish of Onchan in the Isle of Man, with a sudden drop in elevation leading to Governor's Dip, followed by a left-hand bend and finally a right exiting on to the main Glencrutchery Road.
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 closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald.
Parliament Square, Ramsey is situated between the 23rd and 24th Milestone road-side markers on the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT Races on the junction of the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey road, the A9 Ramsey to Andreas road and A2 Douglas to Ramsey road situated in the town of Ramsey in the parish of Lezayre in the Isle of Man.
Gooseneck, Isle of Man, is an acute uphill right-bend on the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the TT motorcycle races between the 25th and 26th Milestone racing road-side markers, on the 37+ mile circuitous-course, measured from the startline at the TT Grandstand.
Ballig 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 of a former notorious hump-back bridge used for the Isle of Man TT Races on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey and the road junction with the A20 Poortown Road in the parish of German in the Isle of Man.
Brandish Corner 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 Onchan in the Isle of Man. The road was re-engineered in recent years.
Kate's Cottage, Isle of Man is a cottage and one of the named corners of the Snaefell Mountain Course used in Grand Prix-style motorcycle racing along public roadways of the Isle of Man. It has been asserted in the Isle of Man's program of Registered Buildings that the cottage was built by 1869.
Sarah's Cottage is situated between the 11th milestone and 12th milestones on Creg Willey’s Hill on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road in the parish of Kirk German in the Isle of Man.
Ballacraine 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 the Isle of Man. It is now at the east end of the ribbon development of St. John's village. At the junction is the former public house, the Ballacraine Inn, now a private residence.
Hillberry Corner 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 parish of Onchan in the Isle of Man.
Gob-ny-Geay is situated at the 35th Milestone on the Snaefell Mountain Course on the primary A18 Mountain Road in the parish of Onchan in the Isle of Man.
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 the Isle of Man parish of Onchan.
Quarterbridge 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 junction of the primary A1 Douglas to Peel road, A2 Douglas to Ramsey road and the A5 Douglas to Port Erin road which forms the boundary between the parishes of Braddan and Onchan in the Isle of Man.
Quarterbridge Road is a section of roadway notable for its inclusion in the Isle of Man TT races.
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