Mount Hairpin (Drury’s) to Mountside Hairpin

Leaving Memorial there is a short descending straight which curves to the right and leads to Mount Hairpin (Drury’s Hairpin), which is the only right-handed hairpin on the circuit. Many riders find this the most daunting part of the circuit as there is an unprotected fall on the exit of the hairpin into woodland. Nowadays Mount Hairpin is taken in second gear, with modern machines being equipped with wide ratio gear boxes.

 

Next comes the steep downhill run through a wooded tunnel to Mountside Hairpin, the track curving slightly to the left, after travelling underneath the pedestrian footbridge riders start to hit the brakes, locking the rear wheel and playing tunes on the gearbox. The downhill track surface is permanently in the shadow of the tall overhanging trees and is the last place on the circuit to dry out, sometimes making tyre choice difficult after an early morning downpour.

 

Mountside Hairpin is the slowest corner on the circuit and with the track being so narrow and twisty, this hairpin is a favourite overtaking place, especially for the sidecars. Many a race has been decided on the last lap on the brakes at Mountside Hairpin, often with outfits swapping paint as they dice for the same piece of tarmac.

 

Robert Dunlop :

Back up to fifth gear before you start braking again for Drury’s Hairpin, this comes up on you really quickly. It’s sore on the brakes and is very bumpy on the exit where it joins the old road. Down the hill to Mountside Hairpin you can sometimes hit top gear but more often its only fifth gear before you swing into the hairpin. I went straight on there before but if you do get round the very tight corner, you use the clutch hard coming out.

 

Barry Sheene :

If you approach it (Drury’s Hairpin) up the right-hand side of the road and aim for the apex, you’ll stop anyone coming up inside you and also prevent the risk of being centre-punched, which happens quite a lot there. I might just get fifth gear going up to the hairpin, but more likely fourth, but then it’d be hard on the brakes, stay over to the right and again just nick bottom as you lay it hard over into the turn. Then once again, get it good and upright before you gas it hard - down the hill.

That downhill section is always slippery, even on a dry day, probably because of the trees, so I’d always make sure I straight-lined it without any heroics. I’d have got fourth or maybe even fifth if I was feeling brave going down the hill and again I’d just nick bottom gear as I laid it over into the hairpin. I’d always stay right over the left-hand side of the road, go as quick as I felt safe, under the bridge, then start braking for the next corner, Mountside Hairpin. Nine times out of ten, I’d look over my shoulder here, because I was always worried about some idiot coming up the inside and taking me out. If I saw nobody stuck right up my backside, I’d take a really wide line, coming down the right-hand side before laying the thing on its fairing and cranking hard over into the left-hander, then get it upright as soon as possible for an early, straight drive down to the finish line.

 

Guy Martin :

Get the power on for the proper fast, bumpy, blast down to the right-handed Drury's Hairpin. If it's wet watch out for the white line. You might get an overtaking opportunity on the downhill exit. The one time I tried it in the corner I clipped the grass. It's important to get good drive on the way out, but it's easy to high-side and disappear down the 100ft drop on the left-hand-side ! Flat-out down the mega steep hill towards Mountside Hairpin and I'm pressing the gear lever as fast as I can. I just get fifth before dropping all the way down to first, for the slowest hairpin on the track, which is as tight a corner as you're ever likely to come across. You can do some late out-braking as you go into Mountside Hairpin, which can put the others offline, although that's not very popular.