a gold medal in the Men's Road Racing Championship at the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. Just a couple of years later, his life and career were cut short when a dog ran into the road, causing Pete to crash and subsequently die from the resultant cerebral injuries. Rugby union There are five rugby union clubs in the island. The main domestic competition is the Dorchester Maritime Manx Cup; the secondary domestic competition is the Shimmin Wilson Manx Shield. The current holders of the Manx Cup are Douglas Rugby Club and the Shield is held by Ramsey Rugby Club. The other island clubs are Castletown Rugby Club, Southern Nomads Rugby Club and Vagabonds Rugby Club. Douglas, Vagabonds and Ramsey participate in the English leagues. Motorcycle racing The Isle of Man is famous for its TT motorbike racing event, which began in 1904 as a motorcar race. TT stands for Tourist Trophy. From 1905, the TT was held as a closed-roads motorcycle racing event and the original course was extended in the 1920s to use the current Snaefell Mountain Course. This is now a series of annual motorcycle road races over held from late May to early June. The 4.25-mile (6.84 km) Billown circuit near Castletown has been the scene of further events such as the Southern 100 in May, June and July since 1955. Further racing takes place on the TT course each August–September in the form of the Manx Grand Prix (MGP). The idea of motor cycle racing for amateurs and private entrants on the famous TT course gave rise to the birth of the MGP back in 1921. Linked to all this motor cycle racing are the Supporters Clubs, Riders Associations, the TT Marshals Association and the MGP Marshals Association. Rallying The Isle of Man hosts a number of rallying events including the Rally Isle of Man (formerly the Manx International Rally or Manx Trophy Rally) a round of the British Open Rally Championship. Also the Manx Rally (formerly the Manx National Rally), a round of the British National Rally Championship. Mark Higgins is a noted Manx rally driver, having won the Manx Rally a record five times, along with other events. Association football Association football is also popular, with the Isle of Man Football Association running a league of 27 clubs in two divisions, as well as a football combination for the reserve teams of the league clubs.