The History of the T.T.

Races Why Did It Start?

The answer lay with the Secretary of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland, Julian, later to be Sir Julian Orde. He set off in February 1904 for the Isle of Man because he had a fairly shrewd idea that the Manx authorities might very well adopt a more conciliatory attitude to the racing of automobiles on public roads. He was right of course, but he did have at least one ace up his sleeve. The Governor of the Isle of Man at the time was His Excellency The Right Honourable George Fitzroy Henry, The Baron Raglan... Julian's cousin. What Orde found in the Isle of Man in the spring of 1904, was an enthusiasm for racing that permeated through all stratas of Island life, both branches of Tynwald (the Manx Parliament), from public officials and from the ordinary man and woman in the streets of Ellan Vannin. All wanted to offer the British automobile industry a home, a chance to hold the eliminating trials for the Gordon Bennett International Races under near perfect conditions. There was no killjoy spirit abroad in this part of the British Island,,,. With a young and developing tourist industry, a new opportunity was eagerly seized. Lord Raglan listened carefully to the propositions put before him and considered the situation because, after all, here was an island that less than two hundred years before had only just begun to see the introduction of any form of wheeled transport; everything prior to that date had been moved around by pack horse or, on high ground, by sledge. Were the Manx people ready to have their tranquil way of life shattered by roaring, snorting metal monsters, roaming at will around the towns, villages and countryside? The Governor worried less than anybody because he had discovered what many visitors to the Isle of Man have learned over the centuries - that the Manx are adaptable and are able to blend the essence of the past with the rich veins of the future. A month after Orde's visit to his cousin, Tynwald sat on the 15th. March 1904, to be presented with a Bill entitled The Highways (Light Locomotive) Act 1904, designed to permit the racing of automobiles on the public roads of the Isle of Man during one day and not exceeding three days in the year. Tynwald decreed that there was to be no racing on Sundays and the Act was to expire on the 31st. December 1904. The Bill passed its first reading on the nod - the written copy was still at the printers - which would seem to imply that Lord Raglan had been both eloquent in his explanations and extremely busy in the lobbies. After lunch, copies were provided and the Members had no difficulty in giving the Bill its second and third readings, although the Attorney General insisted on inserting a clause limiting the cost to the Treasury of such items as the payment of marshals. Before the Bill could become an Act and therefore the "Law of the Land" there were still two very important steps to be taken. The King had to give his Assent and this he duly did at Buckingham Palace on the 28th. March 1904. Once returned to the Island with the Royal Assent, Tynwald under ancient tradition had to communicate the fact to the Manx nation. Even in this modem age of the 1990's, new Acts are promulgated from Tynwald Hill every 5th. July. There was an exception in 1904 however, with the trials scheduled for 10th. May, the promulgation of the Act was needed before the usual Tynwald Day ceremony at St Johns. Arrangements were put in hand and the entire Legislature of the Isle of Man travelled by automobile and train to St Johns on the 5th. May. For many members of the Keys and Legislative Council this was to be their first experience of riding in an automobile. It was fitting that Mr. Orde had organised a fleet of vehicles to convey the more adventurous souls to the West of the Island. Rain fell throughout the journey. There was a rush by members to purchase cloth caps for fear that their traditional bell-toppers be swept away in the draught caused by the swiftly moving machines. After a church service in the Royal Chapel, they proceeded to promulgate the Act by reading it aloud in Manx and English to those assembled at Tynwald Hill. The way was now clear for the British to challenge for the honours that must surely come their way. Shortly after the first trials were completed in the Island the Gordon Bennett Race took place in Germany. Arrangements were, as they had been previously in France, less than efficient and the first suggestions of having a permanent home for British Motorsport were beginning to surface. The decision to repeat the Trial became a formality because of the overwhelming welcome and assistance that had been given to Orde and his colleagues the previous year. Race fever was now beginning to appeal to the British public's imagination; a permanent venue within easy reach of supporters was essential. Julian Orde was back on the Island again in the spring of 1905 seeking, in addition, permission for forty cars to race in September. The first Act had been designed to cover any period of up to three days racing in a year. Orde's new suggestion was to extend racing by a further three days later in the year for a new Trophy. The French were not in the least concerned at this provincial challenge to their overall supremacy. How time was to prove their dismissive attitude wrong! Once again Tynwald was not found wanting and the Island was unanimous in its desire to see Mann become the headquarters of automobile racing. The new Highways (Motor Car) Act 1905 originally with a life span until December 1907, was passed on the 28th. March 1905, achieved Royal Assent on the 10th. May and after promulgation by Deemster Kneen at 11.15 am on 29th. May at St. Johns, the way was clear for the Gordon Bennett trials to commence the next day. Within the 1905 negotiations an idea surfaced that perhaps the Isle of Man might be just the place to test and improve motorcycles. Considering that the first reliable motorcycle was only sold in 1901, and that between 1902 and 1905 more motorcycles than automobiles were purchased, then the progress of the two wheeled machine had been nothing short of phenomenal. It was no surprise that the Isle of Man wanted to play a leading role in the sport. Provision was sought, and granted, for two of the extra three days to be set aside to conduct motorcycle trials. This arrangement was to prove beneficial in meeting the French challenge. A great debt is owed to whoever was the source of inspiration to hold those early motorcycling trials on the Island. Still on the Statute Book, in the ninety or so years since its implementation the 1905 Act has rarely been updated, save to keep it in step with modem legislation. Amendment to it has always benefited the TT and other road racing series. In 1900 when James Gordon Bennett handed over his cup to the Automobile Club of France, his stipulation that the automobile and its component parts, were to be entirely manufactured in the country of origin became the catalyst for the development and perfection of tyres, coils, sparking plugs and electrical accessories. Many of these accessories had been purchased abroad. Now the British had to cease importing and start manufacturing. The experiences of such pioneer racers as Edge had shown that the Continental manufacturers very much had the lead, and a well established one at that, over the British machinery of the day. Investigation soon showed that development could not move forward apace by simply building automobiles and motorcycles then learning from the experience of the customer. Nor was it simply ever going to be enough for the one man manufacturer to keep abreast of the ever changing improvements continually flooding the market place. In short, if Britain was going to compete seriously and earn for itself a profitable industry, a way must be found to put the stamp of reliability into the manufacture of two and four wheeled vehicles. Development of machines and component parts had to be done under as harsh a regime as possible. It needed a testing ground to provide a broader spectrum of road conditions than the average traveller could expect to meet. The Isle of Man, it seemed, could fulfil the criteria. It was the start of a love affair between the Island and wheeled sport that has lasted ever since.

Early Courses and Races

The Isle of Man in the 1990's has over 1,500 miles of metalled highway. Imagine the situation facing the competitors in the 1904 Gordon Bennett trials. The roads were little better than freshly ploughed fields: horses abounded, livestock, particularly in the lowland areas, wandered without hindrance. There was however, something different about this small island lying a cosy distance from the shores of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. A difference manifesting itself in the welcome given to man and machine. A welcome by sensible laws and legislation and by the people. A welcome to pit their all against the best that Ellan Vannin had to offer... and that's the way it's been for the racers, their families and supporters ever since. Searching for a suitable and testing course for the automobiles at first seemed a difficult task but in the end virtually every inch of the Island's official road system, a mere fifty or so miles and, at that, mostly consisting of twin rut track, was used to provide the manufacturers with a wide variety of conditions and gradients as a supreme test of their machinery and equipment. The first course linked most of the main towns and villages, running between Douglas, Ballasalla, Castletown, Foxdale, Ballacraine, Ballaugh, St.Judes and Ramsey before climbing over the Mountain road back to Douglas. The route was to commence in Douglas and travel in an anti-clockwise direction via Laxey to Ramsey. After inspection in the last week in March 1904 by various dignitaries, including Lord Raglan, Julian Orde, and the Chief Constable, it was decided that the preferred route would be one running in a clockwise direction, omitting Laxey and returning over the Mountain. This route had the decided advantage of avoiding the most heavily populated areas, minimising the dangers to the public. It was also a route that would be a test of careful driving and brake manipulation, rather than of extreme speed. Recommendations were made at this time as to where improvements could be made and barricades erected for reasons of public safety. Quarterbridge was decided upon as the best place to start the Trial. From here the competitors travelled through meadowland before almost immediately commencing a climb to the summit of Richmond Hill at 471 feet above sea level, approximately two and a half miles from the start. From Newtown the road descended through farmland for the next four and a half miles to Ballasalla and the first checkpoint. Leaving the checkpoint behind, Castletown was reached by passing Ronaldsway farm and King Williams College. This flat country presented ideal conditions to make up for any lost time. Shortly after crossing over the Silver Burn the route swung northwards for the first time and once through Cross-Four Ways the long haul up the Ballamodha Straight began. After climbing or over four miles from some seventy feet above sea level the intrepid trialists had now reached an altitude of almost seven hundred feet. The first real test of brakes and nerves now faced the competitors as they commenced a three mile descent and speed test down through the two Foxdales to Ballacraine. The dash to Ballacraine was interrupted at the Foxdale railway bridge, considered in those days to be the "danger spot" for the entire course. Flagmen stopped all cars on the approach to the bridge in order for them to negotiate the comer at a safe speed. Ironically, very little improvement was made to that corner for another sixty or so years when a container lorry decided it was time for the bridge to be removed. Passing through the second checkpoint at Ballacraine, the soon to be famous Ballig bridge was quickly reached. No such thoughts as resting on successful progress so far entered those early pioneers' heads because in no time at all Creg Willey's hill faced them. No trouble to a modem vehicle, maybe, but to the early 1900's drivers a nightmare of a road section rising 300 feet in the space of a half mile! Four miles of winding country lane brought a slow descent into the lovely village of Kirk Michael, barely changed in almost a century. Just a mile from the village centre the course passed through Rhencullen, hardly in those days harbouring any claims to being one of the fastest sections of the course. Past Bishop's Court to Ballaugh - no airbome thrills here - because race instructions called for a sharp left turn then a trek through Curragh country to St. Judes and onwards to Ramsey. This part of the course for one mile after the Cronk was used as a compulsory speed test: any lost time could usually be regained because it was almost entirely level countryside gently falling from a mere 90 feet above sea level at Ballaugh to the low spot of the course, less than 20 feet in Ramsey's Parliament Square. Man and machine certainly needed the check point in Parliament Square. They were about to face the toughest test. Designed to force the automobile to the very limits of its capability and the driver to the extreme edge of his ability - the Mountain was the ultimate challenge. It offered no hiding place for the faint hearted. They either made it over the mountain or they didn't. Such was the overall importance of success in the trials to those early manufacturers that it meant the difference between sales and no sales. Slogging up the mountain on what was little better than a sheep track certainly placed stress on the automobile. The development of machines, their parts and the future prosperity of the manufacturers, certainly owed a lot to the knowledge gleaned from the experiences of what was eventually to become the TT course. Faced with an eight mile grind to the highspot of Brandywell, 1384 feet above sea level, there was certainly time to think about their achievement and plan for the next few laps. With eleven cars in that very first year racing around the Island at great speed, the safety of the public was deemed paramount, none more so than at the Bungalow, where it was anticipated that large crowds would gather courtesy of the Snaefell Mountain Railway. We sense the reader's question. How did the railway passengers safely cross the course?... simple, those intrepid railway mountaineers had thought of this.... they dug a tunnel! The descent over the next six miles certainly offered a true test of those early braking systems. Downhill all the way to the Hillberry, a drop of 1000 feet in just about four miles, then a stiffish climb up to Cronk-ny-Mona before veering off right down to Johnny Watterson's Lane. Back to civilisation now with a quick sprint along Ballanard Road. Turning sharp right the machines travelled through an area known locally as Siberia, now the site of St. Ninian's High School. The finishing line was almost in sight but first the obstacle of Bray Hill had to be safely overcome. In those far off days its steep gradient offered a fine test of nerve and skill to the driver. Down through open fields lined with spectators, the true spectacle of the trial reached its peak as those early automobiles reached undreamed of speeds in their final thrust for the finishing line alongside the Governor's temporary residence at Woodlands ... and so on to the next lap. Great was the excitement on the Island as the Trial dates approached. Whilst the major part of the event was the endurance test there was also a hill climb at Port-e-Vullen, Maughold and a speed trial along Douglas promenade. From these three tests Great Britain's representatives for the June 17th. Gordon Bennett Race in Germany would be chosen. The organisers faced what must at first have seemed to be a quagmire of problems for which there could be no easy solution. Solving problems seems almost to have become art with the organisers of the TT over the decades. The ease with which its success is achieved lies firmly in the roots of the event, stretching right back to the initial efforts and teamwork of those early years. Only in the final countdown days to that first Gordon Bennett Eliminating Trial, were people beginning to realise that the organisation had to be right. Few were aware of the importance of such matters as public behaviour around the course during the racing, interruptions to the Island's normal way of life, medical assistance, road surfaces, essential supplies such as spare parts, tyres, fuel, oil and a whole galaxy of problems which if left unattended could mean the failure of the Trials. The Island solved all the problems facing the event and hopes were high that if a British driver secured victory in Germany, the Isle of Man itself could host the 1905 Race and perhaps be selected as a possible venue for the holding of all automobile speed and endurance events. Bearing in mind the that the length of the course would require a large number of officials to control the general public, livestock and their owners, Lord Raglan issued instructions to recruit five hundred men at five shillings per man. Of course, as ever, Treasury would be keeping an eye on expenditure: this first trial proved to be no different than any of the other events that followed along in the next almost ninety years. To find suitable persons to marshal the course on a small island was never going to be easy. Fortunately, at that time there was a strong Royal Naval Reserve presence on the Isle of Man. Acknowledging the fine qualities of seamanship displayed over the centuries by the Manx nation, His Britannic Majesty encouraged a state of preparedness in this minute part of the Empire. Anticipating a call to arms was one thing, guarding stretches of road armed only with a whistle and flag was not, it seems, part of King's Regulations. Self-disciplined and able to conduct themselves with dignity seem to be the main qualifications by which marshals were chosen. Naturally, the naval reservists fell within these criteria but they were never going to be available in sufficient numbers to satisfy Lord Raglan's instructions. On an island that still depended on fishing and farming as its main sources of income there appeared little chance that the shortfall could readily be made up. Then someone remembered the miners! Nothing could be better than to involve the Foxdale miners in the racing. Were they not used to working in an organised industry? An industry where safety was paramount and discipline a prerequisite to teamwork. So eighty seven miners climbed on board. The remainder of the crew was made up of farmers, their sons and hired hands. Entries for the 1904 Trial had produced eleven automobiles; five Napiers, three Wolseleys and three Darracqs. As the thrill of Race day grew nearer, so too did the anxiety of the manufacturers. Would their machinery be up to the vagrancies that the course would throw at them? With six rounds of the course planned, the eight hour allowance for the Race appeared sufficient. The results would show that it was hardly generous. The Gordon Bennett trials were designed to prove which country had developed the best automobile so it may come as something of a surprise to learn that three French designed Darracqs were entered. Drawings for the cars had been dispatched to Messrs G. and J. Weir of Cathcart, Glasgow. Not a great deal of time was given to manufacture the cars and parts from scratch, but the versatile Scots came up trumps... and this was the first time any of them had built a car. Before work could start all measurements had to be converted to the British Whitworth system. Patterns and moulds had to be manufactured. This took two weeks, leaving only two months to manufacture four cars - one was for use as a spare - and get them to London for the official weigh-in. Weirs' loyal staff responded magnificently, working day and night, seven days a week, with at times as many as one hundred and fifty men employed on the project. The machines were completed in time, but only just. Moving the cars to London was a very intricate operation requiring the facility to keep working on them to the last possible moment. No expense had been spared thus far. These Darracqs were probably the most expensive cars ever built. The company was not going to be defeated by a few hours and a mere four hundred miles. Men and machines were loaded on to a special train the evening before the weigh-in which was scheduled to start at noon on the 16th. April 1904. By working through the night on the journey to London, the finishing touches were completed. Mr. Rawlinson, who had supervised the work on behalf of the Darracq Company, was fulsome in his praise of Weirs and their staff. The eyes of Scotland were firmly fixed on the performance of the cars. The weigh-in was conducted with a great deal of attention to detail, setting standards of inspection which still apply. The examination took a full three days and most machines came through with flying colours, the only exception being a slight overweight problem with the Darracqs. A well handled hacksaw on the exhaust-system and the removal of the bonnet soon brought things back within the set limits and thus guaranteed the car its popular nick name - "the Snorter." Even if the spectators were not going to see much of the car, they would certainly be hearing it. Moving the eleven cars and support teams over to the Island for the Trials scheduled for the 10th., 11th. and 12th. May started almost immediately the weigh-in was finished. This presented no particularly great difficulty to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. It was, after all, merely a dress rehearsal for all the years that were to follow. Pre race checks included re-weighing the cars on Douglas Quay, a short hop from Quarterbridge. The start of the course was the Quarterbridge side of the level crossing on the new Castletown road. Cars were marshalled in race order just around the comer in Peel Road, from where they were instructed to start up and called forward to await the flag. The dignitaries, timekeepers, judges, marshals. flagmen and the starter were all gathered here. Monsieur Henri sat tensely behind the wheel of one of the three powerful Darracqs. Orde, who spoke some French went to instruct Henri in his own tongue and tried to convey that now was the time for him to start up and roll to the line. Something was lost in the translation! Henri nodded, but it could only have been out of politeness at Orde's best efforts. Henri's boot hit the board..... and the Darracq thundered around the corner into the Castletown road. Fortunately the starting party were quick witted and agile enough to leap into the bushes bordering the start. Julian Orde almost forgot he was a gentleman for a few moments. When order was restored, he remembered that he had taken up an offer to set up a series of telephones around the course - was this the first sponsorship deal? A messenger was despatched to telephone the Ballasalla check point to stop Henri and tell him to return to Douglas and start again. By now Henri had the bit between his teeth. The messenger returned with the information that Henri had passed through Ballasalla faster than anyone else. Obviously the Darracq was shifting. He flew past Ballacraine. Julian Orde decided to let him go. Once past Ballacraine there was no better return road than the course itself. Henri was in line for a stupendous lap record when on the Mountain section an oil pipe sheared. Somehow, with Gallic courage and despite being covered in oil, he managed, with screaming gears and next to no brakes, to tour the machine back to Peel Road for repairs. Having had the drive of his life, he was greeted by the officials at the finishing line who informed him that he had been disqualified as a result of his flying start. Witnesses to the final episode were clearly able to see his great distress and distinguish the lack of charitable feelings towards Mr. Orde. The first six home were the only six to finish. To Girling driving a Wolseley, fell the honour of recording the fastest round in I hr. 16m.30 secs. Two other notable rounds were put in by Jarrot's Wolseley in lhr.17m.30 secs and with a time just 3 minutes slower than Jarrot, Hargreaves upheld the honour of the Napier stable. The end of Race placings showed that the first and last of the finishers in the endurance trial were only separated by just over a half hour. First 6 Earp Napier 7 hrs.26m - 30 sees Second 10 Girling Wolseley 7 hrs.30m Third 9 Edge Napier 7 hrs.33m - 40 secs Fourth 1 Stocks Napier 7 hrs.46m - 30 secs Fifth 12 Jarrot Wolseley 7 hrs.52m - 10 secs Sixth 3 Hargreaves Napier 7 hrs.57m Of the Darracqs, alas no sign! What a disappointment this must have been for those creative Scots engineers who put in such a valiant effort. Alexandre Darracq suffered not only disappointment but financial loss. So determined was he to win the Gordon Bennett Race in 1904, that he entered three cars in the French climinatoire and sponsored three Opel built Darracqs in the German Trial. Out of all these cars only one, an Opel-Darracq survived the trials to reach the start line at Bad Homburg; even that did not survive the first lap. The following day's hill climb from Port-e-Vullen to Maughold church had a short lived existence being the one and only occasion it was used as part of the Gordon Bennett selection process. The result was: 1. Edge, 2. Earp, 3. Girling, 4. Jarrot, 5. Campbell-Muir (Wolseley), 6. Hargreaves, 7. Stocks- The Douglas sprint on the 12th. May proved to be a spectacular event but probably sowed the seeds of doubt in the minds of the more cautious members of the Island's Highway Board that high speed automobiles and the general public should be kept as far apart as possible. Edge won again chased home again by Earp and in third place the valiant Girling in his Wolseley. Ale Gordon Bennett result for 1904 had Edge, Girling and Jarrot selected for the team with Hargreaves and Stocks as reserves. At the end of a splendid three days of Trials Julian Orde and his colleagues were satisfied that they had chosen the very best team to represent King and Country.... or so it seemed. Dissent and storm clouds were swiftly gathering. Earp had not been chosen for either the team or as one of the reserves. His omission from the team was perhaps a hasty decision based purely on the fact that he had crashed on returning for the third leg of the Douglas Sprint injuring himself and damaging the car. Both driver and vehicle swiftly recovered from their injuries. Edge lodged an unsuccessful protest about Earp's non-selection and as a consequence withdrew. Jarrot appears to have had difficulty in representing Britain and the reserves stepped down, leaving only Girling to represent the country. When it was all over the five-bob whistlemen went back to fishing, farming and mining. Each had played his part. Fear of the unknown had been conquered to be replaced by fierce pride. Pride that they had been involved in an event that was to catapult their island into a position of world prominence. As those stalwarts made their way home, the Isle of Man was already beginning to bathe in the glory of those wonderful men and their racing machines. Whilst it would have been difficult for the volunteer element to judge the effect on the economy, those in government were cheered by the benefits accruing to Mona's Isle. Success was being measured not in column inches or even yards but in the miles and miles of newsprint devoted to the story of the Gordon Bennett Trial by newspapers and magazines on a provincial, national and worldwide basis. The publicity generated from this one event was as if the Isle of Man was the Moon and Man had just taken his first nervous steps on the surface.