Clypse Course
Motorcycle racing course on the Isle of Man
title: "Clypse Course" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["grand-prix-motorcycle-circuits", "motorsport-venues-in-the-isle-of-man", "onchan-(parish)"] description: "Motorcycle racing course on the Isle of Man" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clypse_Course" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Motorcycle racing course on the Isle of Man ::
|name = Clypse Course |location = Onchan, Isle of Man |coordinates = |image = [[File:Clypse Course.svg|class=skin-invert|250px]] |opened = 1954 |closed = 1959 |events = Isle of Man TT Sidecar World Championship |length_km = 17.63 |length_mi = 10.92 |turns = 34 |record_time = 8:04.2, 80.42mph |record_driver = Tarquinio Provini |record_car = MV Agusta |record_year = 1959 |record_class = 250 cc
The 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 mi 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 between Cronk-ny-Mona and Creg-ny-Baa used in the reverse direction. Also, the primary A18 Mountain Road between Signpost Corner and Governor's Bridge. The highest point of the course is 261 m above sea level at Ballacarrooin Hill (Ordnance Survey ). The name Clypse is probably a contraction from the Scandinavian word Kleppsstar ( Kleppr's farm) which gives the modern name of Clypse Beg and Clypse Mooar.
History
The Clypse Course was a new street circuit for racing in the Isle of Man was used to re-introduce the Ultra-Lightweight TT and Sidecar TT Race for the 1954 Isle of Man TT Races. To facilitate racing on the Clypse Course, during the winter of 1953/54 road widening occurs on the Mountain Course at Creg-na-Baa, Signpost Corner and the approach to Governor's Bridge. The re-introduction of the Sidecar TT Race for the 1954 Isle of Man TT Race was controversial as it was opposed by the motor-cycle manufacturers and also for the inclusion of the first female competitor Inge Stoll at an Isle of Man TT race.
The Lightweight TT Race was run on the Clypse Course for the first time in 1955 and continued until the 1959 race. The Clubman Races were run on the Clypse Course for 1955, then reverting to the Snaefell Mountain Course for the next year. The last year for racing on the Clypse Course was the 1959 Isle of Man TT Race.
For 1960, the Lightweight, Ultra-Lightweight and Sidecar TT Races reverted to the Mountain Course.
Speed and lap records
The lap record for the Clypse Course is 8 Minutes and 4.2 seconds at an average speed of 80.22 mph set by Tarquinio Provini during the 1959 Lightweight TT Race.
Legacy
The Clypse Course has not been used since 1959. Parts of the Clypse Course that are not part of the Snaefell Mountain Course have been used for cycle racing, Hill Climb events and Classic Car Racing. Parts of the Clypse Course which include the secondary road B12 Creg-na-Baa 'Back-Road' and the B20 Begoade Road are regularly used for the Rally Isle of Man and the Manx Rally.
Winners at the Clypse Course
Winners (riders)
::data[format=table]
| # Wins | Rider | Wins | Category | Years won | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA Carlo Ubbiali | Lightweight TT | 1956 | ||||||
| Ultra Lightweight TT | 1955, 1956, 1958 | |||||||
| ITA Tarquinio Provini | Lightweight TT | 1958, 1959 | ||||||
| Ultra Lightweight TT | 1957, 1959 | |||||||
| GER Walter Schneider | Sidecar TT | 1955, 1958, 1959 | ||||||
| GER Hans Strauss | Sidecar TT | 1955, 1958, 1959 | ||||||
| GER Manfred Grunwald | Sidecar TT | 1956, 1957 | ||||||
| GER Fritz Hillebrand | Sidecar TT | 1956, 1957 | ||||||
| AUT Rupert Hollaus | Ultra Lightweight TT | 1954 | ||||||
| UK Les Nutt | Sidecar TT | 1954 | ||||||
| UK Eric Oliver | Sidecar TT | 1954 | ||||||
| UK Jimmy Buchan | Clubmans Junior TT | 1955 | ||||||
| UK Eddie Dow | Clubmans Senior TT | 1955 | ||||||
| UK Bill Lomas | Lightweight TT | 1955 | ||||||
| UK Cecil Sandford | Lightweight TT | 1957 | ||||||
| :: |
Winners (manufacturers)
::data[format=table]
| # Wins | Manufacturer | Wins | Category | Years won | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA MV Agusta | Lightweight TT | 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959 | ||||||
| Ultra Lightweight TT | 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959 | |||||||
| GER BMW | Sidecar TT | 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 | ||||||
| UK BSA | Clubmans Senior TT | 1955 | ||||||
| Clubmans Junior TT | 1955 | |||||||
| ITA Mondial | Lightweight TT | 1957 | ||||||
| Ultra Lightweight TT | 1957 | |||||||
| UK Norton | Sidecar TT | 1954 | ||||||
| GER NSU | Ultra Lightweight TT | 1954 | ||||||
| :: |
By year
::data[format=table]
| Year | Ultra Lightweight TT | Lightweight TT | Sidecar TT | Clubmans Junior TT | Clubmans Senior TT | Report | Rider | Manufacturer | Rider | Manufacturer | Rider | Passenger | Manufacturer | Rider | Manufacturer | Rider | Manufacturer | 1959 | 1958 | 1957 | 1956 | 1955 | 1954 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA Tarquinio Provini | MV Agusta | ITA Tarquinio Provini | MV Agusta | GER Walter Schneider | GER Hans Strauss | BMW | Report | ||||||||||||||||
| ITA Carlo Ubbiali | MV Agusta | ITA Tarquinio Provini | MV Agusta | GER Walter Schneider | GER Hans Strauss | BMW | Report | ||||||||||||||||
| ITA Tarquinio Provini | Mondial | UK Cecil Sandford | Mondial | GER Fritz Hillebrand | GER Manfred Grunwald | BMW | Report | ||||||||||||||||
| ITA Carlo Ubbiali | MV Agusta | ITA Carlo Ubbiali | MV Agusta | GER Fritz Hillebrand | GER Manfred Grunwald | BMW | Report | ||||||||||||||||
| ITA Carlo Ubbiali | MV Agusta | UK Bill Lomas | MV Agusta | GER Walter Schneider | GER Hans Strauss | BMW | UK Jimmy Buchan | BSA | UK Eddie Dow | BSA | Report | ||||||||||||
| AUT Rupert Hollaus | NSU | UK Eric Oliver | UK Les Nutt | Norton | Report | ||||||||||||||||||
| :: |
Sources
References
- ''Motor Cycling'' 30 May 1957
- ''Clepps(Beg)'' – Manorial Roll 1643 or ''Cleypse'' – Woods Atlas 1867 Manx Notebook.
- ''Isle of Man Weekly Times'' dated 22 May 1954
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::