Detour #44: Isle of Man TT Course, UK
The Isle of Man TT is the most revered of motorsport landmarks. Join Detour for a lap of the island circuit.
The 38-mile full TT course starts and ends in Glencrutchery Road, Douglas. The grandstands and pit lane are permanent fixtures so no matter when you visit you’ll feel like the start of your own lap is something special.
Don’t be tempted to put your foot down (or twist your wrist) right away though, speed limits apply in all the island’s towns and villages, it’s only once you’re out in the open that you can let loose.
Leaving Douglas behind you turn right at Quarter Bridge, taking the A1 towards Peel, passing through Braddan, Union Mills, Glen Vine, Crosby and Greeba in fast succession. It’s only when you reach Ballacraine and turn right onto the Castletown to Ramsey road that you can start to exercise your right foot a little as the road begins to climb and the villages become a little more spread out.
It’s after Ramsey when you join the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road where things get really interesting. Fast. This is the quickest part of the circuit, where - speaking from experience - even in a mildly warm hatchback, three-figure speeds are achievable as you hammer down the straights and negotiate the kinks. The views over the Irish Sea are amazing, but you’ll want to keep your eyes on the road as the drops can be deadly.
The infamous Bungalow corner and Hailwood’s Height sit just shy of the mountain’s highest point and then begins the descent back into Douglas and the finish line.
Incredibly the lap record is 16 minutes and 42.778 seconds (135.452 mph) set by Peter Hickman in the 2018 Senior TT Race, while the four-wheeled record has been held since 2016 by Mark Higgins at 17 minutes 49.75 seconds (126.971 mph) in his ProDrive Subaru WRX STi.
Watch him in action below.
ROADBOOK
Class: Road race
Name: Isle of Man TT circuit
Route: Douglas to Douglas
Country: Isle of Man, UK
Distance: 38 miles