Bray Hill ( Lowland Scots: ''Brae'' a slope) is a road in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. It was formerly a country lane known as the ''Great Hill'' during the time of the ownership of the

Duke of Atholl Duke of Atholl, named after Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male ...

, and was previously known as ''Siberia'', originally a triangle-shaped parcel of land in the Murray Estate. Bray Hill is a steep downhill section of the TT course situated between the TT Grandstand and the 1st Milestone road-side marker on the

Snaefell Mountain Course The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' or ''Snaefell Mountain Course'' or ''Elmo’s Mountain Course'' is a street and Road racing, public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''T ...

on the primary A2 Douglas to Ramsey road in the town of Douglas in the

. The Bray Hill section runs from St Ninian's Crossroads, where the A2 Glencrutchery Road (from the TT startline) meets the side streets of Ballanard Road and Ballaquayle Road on the A22, continuing to the base of the hill where it becomes the A2 Quarterbridge Road at a crossroad-junction with side streets named Tromode Road, Stoney Road, and Thorny Road. Bray Hill was part of the Highland Course and

Four Inch Course The Four Inch Course was a road racing, road-racing circuit first used for the 1908 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (automobiles), 1908 Tourist Trophy Race for cars, held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the I ...

used for the Gordon Bennett Trial and Tourist Trophy car races held between 1904 and 1922. For the

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

and

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

car races, the whole length of Bray Hill from its junction with Stoney Road was part of the Mannin Moar Course. The startline and refuelling area 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 and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the e ...

races was situated at the top of Bray Hill for the 1914 TT races, moving in

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

to the Nobles Park area of the A2 Glencrutchery Road. Bray Hill is part of the Snaefell Mountain Course used since

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

for the TT races and

Manx Grand Prix The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course (or ' Mountain Circuit') annually, usually at the end of August and early September. Traditionally the event has been staged over a two week period but this was reduce ...

since

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

. The A2 Bray Hill and A2 Quarterbridge Road were subjected to major road repairs and re-profiling during the winter of 1978/79 by the Isle of Man Highway Board. This followed two fatal accidents at the start of the 1978

Sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, Scooter (motorcycle), scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. The combination of a motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''rig'', ''outfit' ...

TT 'A' race involving sidecar crew of Mac Hobson/Kenny Birch on Bray Hill and Swiss sidecar competitor Ernst Trachsel on nearby Quarterbridge Road.'' TT Century - One Hundred Years of the Tourist Trophy'' by Stuart Barker pp62 (2007) (1st Edition) The Random House Group Ltd EMAP Automotive Ltd In 2013, a rider lost control on the first lap of the

Senior TT The Senior Tourist Trophy is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event traditionally held over the last week in May and the first week in June. The Senior TT is the wiktionary:blue ribbon, blue r ...

and his machine impacted with spectators near to the bottom of the hill, close to the junction, injuring eleven.

Gallery

File:Bray Hill..jpg, An early photographic image of Great Hill. File:A Car Descends Bray Hill during the Gordon Bennett Trial..jpg, A Car Descends Bray Hill during the Gordon Bennett Trial. File:Stanley Woods descends Bray Hill during the 1935 TT Races..jpg, Stanley Woods on board a

Moto Guzzi Moto Guzzi () is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production. Established in 1921 in Mandello del Lario, Italy, the company is noted for its historic role in Italy's motorcyclin ...

, passes the Bray Hill/Port-e-Chee Avenue junction, as he descends the hill during the 1935 TT Races. File:Bray Hill during the Mannin Beg Car Race.jpg, Cars turn the corner from Stoney Road into Bray Hill during the Mannin Moar Car Race. File:Bray Hill at Night..jpg, Bray Hill at dusk. The racing line is tight into the kerb, hence the scraping of the road surface created by the motorcycles' fairing belly pans as their suspension compresses.

Sources

External links

* /www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7HWp-Q5ijk The Isle Of Man (IOMTT): Corner Guide (slow) and Scenery YouTube video (Bray's Hill at 2:01) {{coord, 54, 09, 42, N, 4, 29, 23, W, display=title, region:IM_type:landmark Roads in the Isle of Man