Isle of Man TT Mountain Course Breakdown – By the Miles

Isle of Man TT Mountain Course Map Breakdown

Start to Ballacraine (0 – 7 miles)
No sooner has a TT race started then riders are faced with the terrifying plunge down Bray Hill. After leaping over St Ninian’s Crossroads, riders drop down the incredibly steep hill at 150mph, hit the dip at the bottom and then fly over Ago’s Leap on the other side – welcome to the TT!Once Quarter Bridge, Braddan Bridge and Union Mills have been taken, riders barely drop below 140mph with speeds through Crosby village approaching 190mph. One of the most daunting corners is the right-hander of Ballagarey as the riders enter Glen Vine. It was here that Guy Martin lost control of his bike during last year’s SeniorTT.After passing through Crosby, riders drop down past the Highlander, another near 200mph section, then its back down to third gear for Greeba Castle – another corner that has caught out many. Through Appledene, Greeba Bridge and past the Hawthorn pub, speeds are soon back up to 180mph and the huge sweep round Gorse Lea is not for the faint hearted.After 7 miles of flat out racing, it’s hard on the brakes for the sharp right of Ballacraine where the course takes a dramatic change.
Ballacraine to Kirk Michael (7 – 14 miles)
The only section of the course to remain from the very first races of 1907, this is an area where experience pays dividends and with no margin for error, riders need to be ultra precise.Passing through Ballig Bridge (flattened in 1935) and Doran’s Bends (named after works AJS rider Bill Doran crashed and broke a leg during practice for the 1952 meeting) riders then approach Laurel Bank and the infamous Black Dub. This whole section is lined with trees, high banks and low walls. From the relative open spaces of the first 7 miles, the geography of the course couldn’t be more different and riders are constantly changing direction with concentration, fluency and smoothness the key.Moving through the infamous Black Dub, the two left-handers into Glen Helen follow and once the steep CregWilly’s Hill is negotiated,the course opens up once more on to the Cronk yVoddy straight.However, it’s not long before the riders are faced with more demanding corners with the likes of the 11th Milestone, Handley’s Corner (named after 4-timesTT-winnerWal Handley),the top and bottom of Barregarrow and the 13th Milestone all presenting major challenges.Kirk Michael to Ramsey (14 – 24 miles)

Ramsey to Finish (24 – 37.73 miles)
After all the bumps and trees of the previous section, the Mountain Course encounters yet another geographical change as riders head towards the vast open spaces of the Mountain itself. For some, this is the easiest section to learn as the views into the corners are clear and un-obstructed but for others it’s the opposite as the layout means that many of the corners appear to look the same.Once through Dukes, the remodeled Windy Corner and Keppel Gate, the riders start the rapid descent back into Douglas via the three flat out sections that link Kate’s Cottage, Creg-Ny-Baa, Brandish and Hillberry.Only the tight section through the Governors Dip now lies between the riders and the finish line.The notorious Dip is a place where you can easily throw it all away but gain little. Once clear, its back on the gas along Glen Crutchery Road and back through St Ninian’s for lap two!Check out the POV Guy Martin video below to put all these words into action!