IOMCourseGuideP4

After GUTHRIES you commence the MOUNTAIN MILE. Still climbing steeply, the road from here still twists and turns and bumps you about, but never enough to cause you to take your right foot from the floor, unless you are beside another car.

Stay in the centre of the road and you can really charge up here through 4th and 5th gear, dodging the fences, banks and occasional stone wall..

The fifth 'set' of walls after GUTHRIES signals the approach to MOUNTAIN BOX, a long triple apex uphill curve that turns you back south towards the coast.

Drop back to 4th here and take a LHS inside line, The car will take full throttle again as soon as you have found that inside line, however you may have to wrestle with the understeer this combination corner produces by using a lot of wheel.

Next comes two right handers, only the second of which you need to make a close apex at, followed by a fast left at STONEBREAKER'S

Press on now as hard as you can, but be aware that as you entered the VERANDAH, the gradient levelled off a lot and so your car's normal response to the throttle is now largely restored. You will see clearly in front, the left hand kink at GRAHAM MEMORIAL.

This is a fast corner. In fact it can be taken flat out in 5th, but THE MARGIN FOR ERROR IS SMALL as there is a curb on the left and an unforgiving bank on the right. Charge through without lifting and hope you thread the needle and can catch the drift before the bank, or lift off a bit, then gun it at the apex and make sure you survive, the choice is yours!

A moderately quick left/right follows before BUNGALOW and after the left you should brake quite heavily then change down to 3rd.

BUNGALOW is a tightish left followed by a more open right with a couple of bumps thrown in for good measure over the tracks of the SNAEFELL MOUNTAIN RAILWAY. You can see one of the Railway cars on the left and the double set of tracks crossing the road as you go by. Again, there is not a lot of room here and THE TENDENCY IS TO MISJUDGE THE ENTRY AND HIT THE JUTTING CURB ON THE LEFT, OR LOOSE CONTROL OVER THE BUMPS, SO TAKE IT EASY AND GO THROUGH THE FIRST LEFT ON A TRAILING THROTTLE, steer precisely, then accelerate when you can see HAILWOOD RISE clearly ahead.

Towards STONEBREAKER'S you can be hard in the throttle, for the steep climb up the mountain has not quite relented yet. Beside you now, the hill to the left that has been with you all the way from the GOOSNECK falls away and is replaced by a steep fall to the sea. The Mountains now continue on the right. As you come through this pass the road twists first left then immediately right in a long sweeping opening curve on a Mountain shelf .

You are now entering the VERANDAH. a quadruple apex right hand sweeper. Get over to the right centre after the previous left hander then accelerate as hard as you can attempting to make the third kink your corner apex. There is no need to lift off, as the slope and the turning forces on your car will wash off sufficient speed. Admire the seascape far below to the left, then change up to 5th as the VERANDAH starts to straighten out somewhat.

After BUNGALOW, one last straight climb under the pedestrian bridge at full throttle awaits up HAILWOOD RISE to the highest point on the MOUNTAIN COURSE, BRANDYWELL.

Give youself plenty of room to brake and change down to 3rd at BRANDYWELL and get over to the right.

THE FIRST LEFT OF THE RIGHT/LEFT/RIGHT/LONG TRIPPLE APEX LEFT COMBINATION HERE AT THE 32nd IS TIGHTER THAN ANY CORNER YOU HAVE SEEN SINCE THE GOOSENECK, PLUS IT HAS SOME NASTY ELEVATION TRANSITION.

SO REMEMBER THIS CORNER AND TAKE IT EASY THROUGH HERE, otherwise you will run out of room on the RHS, hit the fence and take out any closely following cars!

Take an early entry to the final long triple apex left of this sequence at THE 32ND, then power the car up fully in third at the last apex and allow it to drift wide. The camber here will hold you in.

Now you start your decent of the MOUNTAIN in earnest with the slope down to WINDY CORNER, so named because of the gap in the hills which are now to the left. From here there are glimpses of DOUGLAS, the coast and hills still far to the south and east.

You should be pressing hard in 4th before braking for WINDY CORNER, but you only need to drop back to a moderate 3rd gear pace. Wait till you have the apex on the right lined up in front before accelerating through because this is your first experience of a downhill corner for some time and you may not have adjusted to the extra sideways slip that generates..

Next follows a short straight followed by an easy right/left kink then another fast double left A tripple apex left in effect. Go hard IN 4th through up to the second last left, then stay to the LHS. to prepare for the slower 2nd/3rd gear right/left combination through THE 33RD / KEPPEL GATE before KATE'S COTTAGE.

At KATES, another partially blind 'tripple apexer' , but this can be taken MUCH faster than you might think from just before the first apex, so as soon as you have that lined up in front, FLOOR IT and and get into 4th, allowing the car to drift wide to the right even though you cant see all the road..

You are now on the straight that decends steeply and with one lovely little drop off to the CREG-NY-BAA Hotel. [ Known locally and to the Riders as "THE CREG" ]

Here there is a right angled, right hand corner similar in approach to WINDY CORNER, BUT THIS ONE IS A LOT TIGHTER AND SLOWER

So be carefull, it will be easy for drivers new to this track to confuse the two!!. Remember, the 3rd gear one is the first one WINDY CORNER and the slow 2nd gear one is the second one at THE CREG Hotel, an unmistakable double gabled building situated on the outside of that corner.

While it is a 2nd gear corner, just like the real one, the right hander at THE CREG does have just a bit of helpfull camber, so provided you make a close apex, you can power it up early on exit and make the most of the really quick downhill GOBNAGEAY straight.