Billown Circuit
Encyclopedia
The Billown Circuit describes a motor-cycle racing course used for the Southern 100
, Pre-TT Classic Races and the National Road Races Meeting in Castletown in the Isle of Man
. The racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald
(the parliament of the Isle of Man).
The course is 4.25 miles (6.44 km) long and is in the parishes of Arbory
and Rushen
in the Isle of Man
. The course start-line is in Castletown in the Isle of Man which includes the primary A5 New Castletown Road, A28 Castletown to Ballabeg Road, A7 Ballasalla to Port Erin Road and the A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road.
to motor-cycle racing in 1954 and to celebrate the success of George 'Sparrow' Costain and Derek Ennett at the 1954 Manx Grand Prix it was proposed at a meeting of the Southern Motor-Cycle Club (SMCC) that a motor-cycle circuit would be developed in area around Castletown in the Isle of Man. The proposal of a "South TT" using roads around the new Castletown A5 by-pass and the Billown Mansion was met with a luke-warm response and an application for a grant of £500 for race expenditure was rejected by the Tynwald Race Committee in April 1955. A grant of £500 from local business including T.H.Coleburn Ltd for a public address system enabled the first Southern 100 Road Race meeting to be scheduled for July 1955 as a club motor-cycle racing meeting.
The Billown Circuit became a regional registered circuit in 1956 and a National Racing circuit in 1957 with a maximum of 45 entries per class In 1988 a new race meeting was introduced with the Pre-TT Classic Races followed by the National Road Races in 1990. The re-introduction of two-stroke motor-cycle racing at the 2008 Isle of Man TT
with a Lightweight TT
and Ultra-Lightweight TT
race, the first time the Billown Circuit hosted Isle of Man TT
races as part of the 2008 National Road Race meeting.
during the 2011 Southern 100 Races.
Southern 100
The Southern 100 is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man in July of each year. The event was first held in 1955, when there were three races for different classes of motorcycles; the current calendar includes twelve races for various classes...
, Pre-TT Classic Races and the National Road Races Meeting in Castletown in the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. The racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
(the parliament of the Isle of Man).
The course is 4.25 miles (6.44 km) long and is in the parishes of Arbory
Arbory (parish)
Arbory is a parish in the Isle of Man. The name is derived from "Kirk Cairbre". It forms part of the sheading of Rushen in the south of the island, and its main settlements are Colby and Ballabeg .-External links:*...
and Rushen
Rushen
Rushen , formerly Kirk Christ Rushen , is a parish in the sheading of the same name in the Isle of Man. The parish is a fishing and agricultural district at the south-westernmost point of the island. The parish is one of three in the sheading of Rushen...
in the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. The course start-line is in Castletown in the Isle of Man which includes the primary A5 New Castletown Road, A28 Castletown to Ballabeg Road, A7 Ballasalla to Port Erin Road and the A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road.
History
Following the closure of the former RAF Station at AndreasRAF Andreas
Royal Air Force Station Andreas, was a former RAF airfield in the Isle of Man which was operational between 1941 and 1946. It was built in fields between Andreas and Bride...
to motor-cycle racing in 1954 and to celebrate the success of George 'Sparrow' Costain and Derek Ennett at the 1954 Manx Grand Prix it was proposed at a meeting of the Southern Motor-Cycle Club (SMCC) that a motor-cycle circuit would be developed in area around Castletown in the Isle of Man. The proposal of a "South TT" using roads around the new Castletown A5 by-pass and the Billown Mansion was met with a luke-warm response and an application for a grant of £500 for race expenditure was rejected by the Tynwald Race Committee in April 1955. A grant of £500 from local business including T.H.Coleburn Ltd for a public address system enabled the first Southern 100 Road Race meeting to be scheduled for July 1955 as a club motor-cycle racing meeting.
The Billown Circuit became a regional registered circuit in 1956 and a National Racing circuit in 1957 with a maximum of 45 entries per class In 1988 a new race meeting was introduced with the Pre-TT Classic Races followed by the National Road Races in 1990. The re-introduction of two-stroke motor-cycle racing at the 2008 Isle of Man TT
2008 Isle of Man TT
2008 Isle of Man TT Festival was held between Saturday 24 May and Saturday 7 June on the 37.733-mile Snaefell Mountain Course and was the 89th Isle of Man TT Race...
with a Lightweight TT
Lightweight TT
The Lightweight TT was a motorcycle road race that was part of the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual motor-cycle event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1949 and 1976, the Lightweight TT Race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. The event was dropped from the 2005...
and Ultra-Lightweight TT
Ultra-Lightweight TT
The Ultra-Lightweight TT is a motorcycle road race that takes 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. The Ultra-Lightweight TT and the Lightweight TT...
race, the first time the Billown Circuit hosted Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
races as part of the 2008 National Road Race meeting.
Speed and Race Records
The lap record for the Billown Circuit is 2 Minutes and 15.951 seconds at an average speed of 112.541 mph set by Michael DunlopMichael Dunlop
Michael Dunlop is a Northern Irish motorcycle racer, brother of William and the son of the late Robert.He made his TT debut in 2007, where his best finish was 25th in the Superbike TT. He made the decision to ride in the 2008 races at the last minute after the death of his father at the North West...
during the 2011 Southern 100 Races.
Total Overall Races Winners
| Rider | Wins |
|---|---|
| Joey Dunlop Joey Dunlop William Joseph "Joey" Dunlop, OBE , was a world champion motorcyclist from Ballymoney in Northern Ireland, best known for road racing. Referred to throughout the sport as "Joey", in 2005 he was voted the fifth greatest motorcycling icon ever by Motorcycle News... , Ian Lougher Ian Lougher Ian Lougher is a motorcycle racer famous for 9 motorcycle victories in the North West 200, 10 wins at the Isle of Man TT Races and 42 wins at the Southern 100 Races in his career.-Racing career:... |
42 |
| Jason Griffiths, Chris Palmer | 22 |
| Ryan Farquhar Ryan Farquhar Ryan Farquhar is a motorcycle racer who has primarily competed in road racing, having won the Dukes road race rankings 4 times. He has also won five races at the Cookstown 100 in one day and is the only person to do both... |
21 |
| Dave Madsen-Mygdal | 19 |
| Kenny Harrison | 18 |
| Dave Leech | 17 |
| Bob Heath, Dave Molyneux Dave Molyneux Dave Molyneux is a Sidecar TT racer with fourteen Isle of Man TT wins and he has had more TT wins than any other sidecar TT racer... |
15 |
| William Dunlop William Dunlop (motorcycle racer) William Dunlop is a Northern Irish motorcycle racer, brother of Michael and the son of the late Robert. William started racing 125 cc bikes at the age of 17.... , Bill Swallow |
14 |
| Bill Smith Bill Smith (motorcyclist) Bill Smith was a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. His specialty was road circuits such as the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix. His best season was in 1963 when he finished the year in 12th place in the 500cc world championship. Smith won the 350 class at the... |
13 |
| Lowry Burton, Bob Jackson, Jason Griffiths | 12 |
| Derek Walley | 11 |
| Barry Wood, Robert Dunlop Robert Dunlop Robert Dunlop was a Northern Irish motorcycle racer, the younger brother of fellow road racer, the late Joey Dunlop, and like Joey he died after a crash while racing.-Biography:... |
10 |
| Geoff Bell, Ray McCullough | 9 |
| Mike Hose, Bud Jackson, Guy Martin Guy Martin Guy Martin is a British motorcycle racer and mechanic. He has primarily competed in road racing events.-Early career:... |
8 |
| Ian Bell, Nick Crowe Nick Crowe (sidecar racer) Nick Crowe is a 5 time Isle of Man TT Winner and 2008 British F2 Champion of sidecar racing. He started his career as a passenger before switching to driver in 2000, handing the passenger seat to his childhood friend Darren Hope. He is the TT sidecar lap record holder.In 2001 the TT races were... , Selwyn Griffiths, Darran Lindsay Darran Lindsay Darran Lindsay was a Northern Irish motorcycle road racer. He was killed on 9 September 2006 in practice for the Killalane road races, near Dublin . It is understood that his 600cc machine was in collision with another bike. He lived on the Dundrod Circuit... |
7 |
| Charlie Freeman, Bob Jackson, Phillip McCallen Phillip McCallen Phillip McCallen is a Northern Ireland born former motorcycle racer, now turned to dealer in his retirement from road racing.... , Alan Oversby, Tim Poole, |
6 |
| Colin Bevan, Blair Degerholm, John Knowles, Dave Pither, Roy Richardson, Meryvn Stratford, Alan Steele, Charlie Williams, Derek Young, John Watson | 5 |
| Ian Bell, Tony Baker, Mick Burcombe, Bill Davie, Geoff Hands, Alan Oversby | 4 |
| Michael Dunlop Michael Dunlop Michael Dunlop is a Northern Irish motorcycle racer, brother of William and the son of the late Robert.He made his TT debut in 2007, where his best finish was 25th in the Superbike TT. He made the decision to ride in the 2008 races at the last minute after the death of his father at the North West... |
3 |
| Bill Currie, Peter Hardy, Kenny Howles, Klaus Klaffenböck Klaus Klaffenböck Klaus Klaffenböck is an Austrian World Champion in the FIM World Sidecar Championship. After winning the 2001 World Sidecar Championship with passenger Christian Parzer with a LCR Suzuki sidecar, Klaus Klaffenböck now competes at the Isle of Man TT Races... , Greg Lambert, Dan Sayle, Geoff Young, Rob Bellas |
2 |
See also
- Isle of Man TT Races
- Manx Grand PrixManx Grand PrixThe Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course every year for a two-week period usually spanning the end of August and early September. The 'MGP' or 'Manx' is considered to be the amateur riders' alternative to the Isle of Man TT Races held in May and June...
- Clypse CourseClypse CourseThe Clypse Course describes a motor-cycle racing course used for the Isle of Man TT Races between 1954 and 1959.The course is 10.92 miles long and is in the parish of Onchan in the Isle of Man. The course uses two short sections of the Snaefell Mountain Course which includes the primary A18 road...
- St. John's Short CourseSt. John's Short CourseThe Short Course describes a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT held between 1907 and 1910...