The St John's Course
This course was used from 1907 to 1910.
The races started at St John's, alongside the Tynwald site, where the Manx Parliament holds an open-air session on 5th July. It approached Ballacraine in the opposite direction to the current TT course. A wooden 'banking' was constructed on the outside of this corner, to assist these single-speed machines to get round; it was found to be more of a hindrance! The course then followed the Mountain course through to Kirk Michael. The ascent through Glen Helen to the Cronk y Voddy straight was to defeat many of the pioneer riders, who were forced to run alongside their machines; it was said that the athletic signallers could run alongside their riders and pass the race information on verbally.
The Rex team enlisted a cottager living near Laurel Bank to leave buckets of water outside her house, which the team would throw over their engines prior to the Glen Helen ascent - early water-cooling!
At Kirk Michael, the St John's circuit doubled back through Glen Wyllin and followed the west coast of the Island back to Peel. In conversation with Thomas Arthur Corlett, he remembers watching the first TT from Douglas Corner, Kirk Michael. One competitor's machine burst into flames approaching the corner; he leapt off it and, together with the aid of some spectators, dowsed the flames with dust from the roadside. When it was out, he pushed it round the corner and started off again.
When Rem Fowler (winner of the 1907 multi cylinder race) returned to the Island in 1957, he did not recognize a lot of the course. In those pioneer days, the course was just a dusty lane, strewn with horse-shoe nails and other excreta left by the single horse-power creatures that was the Island's major transport. There was probably less than 40 vehicles on the island's roads at that time.
In Peel, the course turned left into Church Street (by the Chippy), straight on at the Albany Road crossroads into Albany Street, then left onto Douglas Road, back to St John's, crossing the River Neb at Ballaleece Bridge. The course is ridden during the Vintage MCC's annual TT rally in celebration of those pioneers of speed.
By 1910, it was considered that the machines were now capable of a stronger challenge, and a move was made to the Mountain Course.