Misplaced Pages

Waterworks
The two closely connected bends at Waterworks with their differing radii, showing the correct, optimal motorcycle racing-line through the section
Location	Just before the 25th Milestone road marker on the Snaefell Mountain Road designated A18
Coordinates	54°18′47″N 4°22′35″W / 54.31306°N 4.37639°W / 54.31306; -4.37639
Location of Waterworks in Isle of Man

Waterworks, Isle of Man, sometimes known as Waterworks Corner, is a point on the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT races on the Snaefell Mountain Road, designated as A18, in the parish of Maughold in the Isle of Man.

Following soon after Ramsey Hairpin, it is sequence of two right-hand bends in the direction taken by race competitors, situated at an elevation of 380 feet (116 metres) above sea level after the climb out of Ramsey town, and slightly before the 25th Milestone road-side marker on the 37+ mile circuitous-course, measured from the startline at the TT Grandstand. After Waterworks, the climb continues to Tower Bends and the Gooseneck.

The corners at Waterworks were part of the Highland Course and the Four Inch Course used for the Gordon Bennett Trial and Tourist Trophy car races held in the Isle of Man between 1904 and 1922. Waterworks is part of the Snaefell Mountain Course used since 1911 for the TT and 1923 for the Manx Grand Prix races. For the 1939 TT races, road widening and landscaping occurred at the Waterworks area by the Isle of Man Highway Board.

Name origin

The name Waterworks derives from the nearby Ballure Reservoir, situated high in the hills, built by the Ramsey Water Works Company, established by an Act of Tynwald in 1859, to supply drinking water to the town of Ramsey. In 1881 the reservoir was extended with a dam further upstream to hold 18 million gallons, completed in 1884. In 1948 the Ramsey Water Company was replaced by the Isle of Man Water Board which became the Isle of Man Water Authority in 1972.

Sources

1. Isle of Man TT by Charles Deane, p.42 1975, Patrick Stephens Limited, Cambridge, ISBN 0-85059-172-4 Accessed 22 December 2015
2. Motor Cycle, 10 September 1964. 'Lightweight Manx Grand Prix report'. p.531 : "...the winner Gordon Keith heeling his Greeves Silverstone Mark 2 round the second of the two Waterworks bends". Accessed 29 July 2015
3. TT Racing, by Ray Knight, p.53. "...the first view of the double right hand cornered Waterworks section looks tight and the steep drop over the bank is detuning,...". 1974 Speedsport Motobooks, Brentford, England. ISBN 0-85113-078-X Accessed 22 December 2015
4. TT Racing, by Ray Knight p.53. "If you got through the first bend in third then you will certainly change down for the next as it is a tight one". 1974, Speedsport Motobooks, Brentford, England. ISBN 0-85113-078-X Accessed 22 December 2015
5. TT Racing, by Ray Knight p.55. "The Marshall's post on the second right is the only place at the same level as the road, due to the drop down the hill over the wall." 1974, Speedsport Motobooks, Brentford, England. ISBN 0-85113-078-X Accessed 22 December 2015
6. The TT Mountain Course (second edition), by Fred Hanks p.29 Waterworks Section. "Tight right. Even tighter right again." 1975, A TT Special publication. Accessed 22 December 2015
7. Lucas map of the T.T. course, 1973. Accessed 22 December 2015
8. The Lucas contour map of the T.T. circuit, 1973. Accessed 22 December 2015
9. Isle of Man TT by Charles Deane, p.38 Mountain Circuit map. 1975, Patrick Stephens Limited, Cambridge, ISBN 0-85059-172-4 Accessed 22 December 2015
10. Isle of Man Weekly Times page 1 dated 13 May 1939
11. Ballure Reservoir, IoM guide. Retrieved 22 December 2015

External links

• Roads in the Isle of Man