The Clypse Course describes a motor-cycle racing course used for the
Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing ...
Races between 1954 and 1959.
The course is long and is in the parish of
Onchan
Onchan (; glv, Kione Droghad) is a village in the parish of Onchan on the Isle of Man. It is at the north end of Douglas Bay. Administratively a district, it has the second largest population of settlements on the island, after Douglas, with w ...
in the
Isle of Man
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, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
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in Europ ...
. The course uses two short sections of the
Snaefell Mountain Course which includes the primary
A18 road
This is a list of roads designated A18. Roads are sorted in the countries alphabetical order.
* A18 motorway (Belgium), a road connecting Bruges and Dunkirk, France
* A18 motorway (Italy), a road connecting Messina and Catania in Sicily
* A18 hi ...
between
Cronk-ny-Mona and
Creg-ny-Baa used in the reverse direction. Also, the primary A18 Mountain Road between
Signpost Corner and
Governor's Bridge. The highest point of the course is above sea level at Ballacarrooin Hill (Ordnance Survey ). The name Clypse is probably a contraction from the Scandinavian word ''Kleppsstar'' ( Kleppr's farm) which gives the modern name of Clypse Beg and Clypse Mooar.
History
The Clypse Course was a new
street circuit
A street circuit is a motorsport racing circuit composed of temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Airport runways and taxiways are also sometimes part of street circuits. Facilities such as the ...
for racing in the Isle of Man was used to re-introduce the
Ultra-Lightweight TT
The Ultra-Lightweight TT was a motorcycle road race that took place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1951 and 1974 this race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season at ...
and
Sidecar TT Race for the
1954 Isle of Man TT Races. To facilitate racing on the Clypse Course, during the winter of 1953/54 road widening occurs on the Mountain Course at Creg-na-Baa,
Signpost Corner and the approach to Governor's Bridge. The re-introduction of the Sidecar TT Race for the 1954 Isle of Man TT Race was controversial as it was opposed by the motor-cycle manufacturers and also for the inclusion of the first female competitor
Inge Stoll at an Isle of Man TT race.
[''Isle of Man Weekly Times'' dated 22 May 1954]
The
Lightweight TT
The Lightweight TT is a motorcycle road race that is a part of the Isle of Man TT festival - an annual motorcycle event traditionally held over the last week of May and first week of June.
History
The Lightweight class was first present at th ...
Race was run on the Clypse Course for the first time in 1955 and continued until the 1959 race. The Clubman Races were run on the Clypse Course for 1955, then reverting to the
Snaefell Mountain Course for the next year. The last year for racing on the Clypse Course was the
1959 Isle of Man TT
The 1959 Isle of Man TT, the second round of the 1959 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, involved races on both the Mountain Course and the Clypse Course on the Isle of Man. John Surtees won the Senior race with a time of 3:00.13.4, adding to h ...
Race.
For 1960, the Lightweight, Ultra-Lightweight and Sidecar TT Races reverted to the Mountain Course.
Speed and lap records
The lap record for the Clypse Course is 8 Minutes and 4.2 seconds at an average speed of set by
Tarquinio Provini during the 1959 Lightweight TT Race.
Legacy
The Clypse Course has not been used since 1959. Parts of the Clypse Course that are not part of the
Snaefell Mountain Course have been used for cycle racing, Hill Climb events and Classic Car Racing. Parts of the Clypse Course which include the secondary road B12 Creg-na-Baa 'Back-Road' and the B20 Begoade Road are regularly used for the
Rally Isle of Man and the Manx Rally.
Winners at the Clypse Course
Winners (riders)
Winners (manufacturers)
By year
Sources
External links
Circuit Guide and Results
{{Sidecar World Championship circuits
Grand Prix motorcycle circuits
Motorsport venues in the Isle of Man