A Lap of the Oliver’s Mount Circuit

 

Riders love the unique challenge of the 2.43 mile undulating woodland, tree-lined, Oliver's Mount circuit, with its demanding changes in elevations, high-speed jumps and challenging variety of corners, which also makes it a fabulous training ground for anyone thinking of tackling the Isle of Man TT. Comparisons have always been made with the TT course and this can also include the diverse weather conditions which sometimes cause havoc with rider's tyre choices, when rain can beat down on the upper part of the circuit; whilst the lower part is still basking in sunshine.

 

Phillip McCallen held the outright lap record at Scarborough for 10 years between 1994 and 2004, on a Honda RC45 and had the following to say about the circuit :

 

“Riding somewhere like Oliver’s Mount or the island comes easy to me. I can do it without really trying, though some people might argue that I’m out of control. I was brought up on the roads, they hold no fears for me. And while many others are wary of what’s around the next corner, I treat everything as just another obstacle to be avoided. Scarborough seems to suit my style. There’s hairpins, downhill sections, heavy braking and the surface is relatively smooth, with a couple of jumps.”

 

The following pages show a lap around the Oliver’s Mount circuit, along with three very well known rider’s different perspectives of how they tackled the tricky parkland circuit. Barry Sheene was the first man to lap the Oliver’s Mount circuit at more than 80 mph and was a four times winner of the prestigious Gold Cup Trophy. The late Robert Dunlop was one of the finest and most successful road racers ever and took his first comeback win at the 1997 Cock o’ the North meeting, after his horrific high speed crash at the 1994 TT. Guy Martin is arguably the brightest road racing talent to have emerged in the last ten years, since making his debut at the Scarborough track in July 2002, the maverick Lincolnshire rider has amassed six consecutive Gold Cup titles and is the current outright circuit lap record holder.