The fourth Tourist Trophy race was held on the Isle of Man on 24 September 1908.
The name of the course derives from the regulations for the 1908 Tourist Trophy adopted by the Royal Automobile Club which limited the engines of the competing automobiles to a cylinder diameter of four-inches.
The Four-Inch Course was adopted by the Auto-Cycle Club for the 1911 Isle of Man TT Races. The Four-Inch Course was subsequently known as the Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course when used for motor-cycle racing.
The "Four-inch" Race: Entries and Route.[8]
"The under mentioned cars have been entered in the order given at the ordinary fee for the "Four-Inch" Race:-
25.6h.p. Rover, Mr. J. K. Starley;
25.0h.p. Hutton, Mr. S. F. Edge;
25.6h.p. Arrol-Johnston, Mr. Ernest A. Rosenheim;
25.6h.p. Arrol-Johnston, Mr. Ernest A. Rosenheim;
25.6h.p. Rover, Mr. Harry Smith;
25.6h.p. De Dion-Bouton, Mr. J. W. Stocks;
25.6h.p. Hutton, Mr. J. E. Hutton;
25.6h.p. Darracq, Mr. A. Rawlinson;
25.6h.p. Darracq, Mr. A. Lee Guinness;
25.6h.p. Darracq, Mr. A. Rawlinson;
25.6h.p. Hillman-Coatalen, Mr. L. Coatalen;
25.6h.p. S. C. A. T., Mr. J. Newton;
25.6h.p. Vulcan, Mr. Thomas Hampson;
25.6h.p. Coventry Humber, Mr. Walter Phillips;
25.6h.p. Beeston Humber, Mr. T. C. Pullinger;
25.6h.p. Beeston Humber, Mr. T. C. Pullinger;
25.6h.p. Metallurgique, Mr. Warwick Wright;
25.6h.p. Metallurgique, Mr. Warwick Wright;
25.6h.p. Metallurgique, Mr. Warwick Wright;
24.8h.p. Berliet, Mr. J. E. Hutton;
24.8h.p. Berliet, Mr. J. E. Hutton;
25.6h.p. Thornycroft, Mr. Tom Thornycroft;
25.6h.p. Thornycroft, Mr. D. S. Hedge;
25.6h.p. Hutton, Mr. P. D. Stirling;
25.6h.p. Vinot, Mr. Gordon Osman;
25.6h.p. Vinot, Mr. Roland Outhwaite;
25.6h.p. Calthorpe, Mr. G. W. Hands;
25.6h.p. Calthorpe, Mr. T. Russell Fletcher;
25.6h.p. Hillman-Coatalen, Mr. L. Coatalen;
25.6h.p. Deasy, Mr. Philip Graham;
25.6h.p. Deasy, Mr. Edmund W. Lewis;
25.6h.p. Arrol-Johnston, Mr. Geoffrey Moss;
25.6h.p. Thornycroft, Mr. Guy V. Baxendale;
25.6h.p. Westinghouse, Mr. A. Gaal;
25.6h.p. Westinghouse, Mr. A. Gaal.
"The entry list finally closes on August 1st, at 12 noon. It will be seen that of these entries 21 are of British origin and 14 of foreign origin. This race has caused widespread interest in every quarter, and it is expected that there will be a great influx of visitors to the Isle of Man. at the time of the race, which will probably be held on Thursday, September 24th. The "Four-Inch" Race differs from previous Tourist Trophy races, in that it is shorn of technicalities, and therefore, from the public point of view, it will be more interesting than those Tourist Trophy races which have been held on a fuel-consumption basis, and which have provided much interesting and valuable data to enable manufacturers to produce a more efficient car.
The Tourist Trophy itself will be handed to the winner of the "Four-Inch" Race, to be held for one year."
The Route
"At a meeting of the Highway Board of the Isle of Man held in Douglas on Wednesday last, the application of the Royal Automobile Club for permission to hold a race for motorcars was considered, and it was decided to issue permission for the race to take place on Thursday, September 24th next, the date asked for by the club. So far there has been no application in connection with the motorcycle "T.T." race or the "Graphic" Cup.
Considerable satisfaction is felt in the island at the number of entries for the race. The course was also fixed for the "Four-inch" race, and it will be the old Gordon-Bennett eliminating trial course, which starts at Douglas, goes through Castleton, to Fordale, to Glen Helen, to Kirk Michael, along the level mile at Ballaugh, to Ramsey, up the mountain and back to Douglas, a total distance of 52 miles. Parts of the course, over which our representative has driven during the last few days, are very bad, especially for racing, and unless considerable attention is at once paid to the roads, broken springs will be numerous. The Manx people are all eagerly looking forward to the races, which will please them more than the T.T. races."
The Race
The Four-Inch Race held on the Isle of Man
Four-Inch Course is a road-racing circuit first used for the 1908 Tourist Trophy Race for racing automobiles. The racing was held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the Isle of Man).
The name of the course derives from the regulations for the 1908 Tourist Trophy adopted by the Royal Automobile Club which limited the the engines of the competiting automobiles to a cylinder diameter of four-inches. The Four-Inch Course was adopted by the Auto-Cycle Club for the 1911 Isle of Man TT Races. The Four-Inch Course was subsequently known as the Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course when used for motor-cycle racing.
Results
IV Tourist Trophy (Four-Inch Race)
24 September 1908 - Isle of Man: 337.5 miles (37.500 miles x 9 laps)
1. (2) William Watson . . . Napier-Hutton 6h 43m 05.6, 50.25 mph
2. (4) Algernon Lee Guinness . . . Darracq 6h 45m 21
3. (17) Arthur George . . . Darracq 6h 48m 36.6
4. (11) Leslie Porter . . . Calthorpe 7h 14m 19
5. (9) Tom Thornycroft . . . Thornycroft 7h 39m 15.4
6. (10) M. Ross-Browne . . . Vinot 8h 07m 52.4
7. (30) Alfred “Toby” Rawlinson . . . Darracq 8h 11m 51.8
8. (37) Thomas Rimmer . . . Vulcan 8h 14m 29.2
9. (6) Louis Coatalen . . . Hillman-Coatalen 8h 20m 35.2
10. (2) D. S. Hodge . . . Thornycroft 8h 56m 10
Fastest Lap: George, 43m 15.8 on lap 5
Did Not Finish
NC 36 Leon Molon . . . Vinot 8 laps/running
38 Harold S. Buckley . . . SCAT 7 laps
NC 3 Cyril Roberts . . . Arrol-Johnston 7 laps/running
NC 23 Roland Outhwaite . . . Vinot 7 laps/running
31 W. G. Tuck . . . Beeston-Humber 6 laps
18 James Reid . . . Beeston-Humber 6 laps/crash
12 A. Hartridge . . . Westinghouse 6 laps/broken wheel
20 J. T. C. Moore-Brabazon . . . Metallurgique 6 laps/exhaust valve
34 Andre Debuissey . . . Piccard 6 laps/water circulation
7 Oscar Cupper . . . Metallurgique 6 laps/valve
5 G. W. A. Brown . . . Coventry-Humber 5 laps/axle
NC 1 H. R. Browning . . . Rover 5 laps/running
25 Edmund Lewis . . . Deasy 5 laps/crankshaft
24 Henry Robinson . . . Calthorpe 4 laps/crash
15 Ernest Hutton . . . Hutton 4 laps/acc damage/bent axle
27 ? Ward . . . SCAT 4 laps
19 Kenelm Lee Guinness . . . Hillman-Coatalen 4 laps/broken frame
14 R. O. Harper . . . SCAT 4 laps/timing gear
12 Philip Graham . . . Deasy 4 laps/crash
16 Dario Resta . . . Arrol-Johnston 3 laps/clutch
17 Warwick Wright . . . Metallurgique 3 laps/timing gear
32 Jack Stocks . . . De Dion 3 laps/timing gear
26 J. Gaal . . . Westinghouse 2 laps/magneto
29 Geoffrey Moss . . . Arrol Johnston 0 laps/valve tap
P. D. Stirling . . . Hutton 0 laps/crash