The Ulster Grand Prix is a motorcycle
race
Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to:
* Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species
* Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
that takes place on the
Dundrod Circuit
Dundrod Circuit is a motorsport street circuit used for the RAC Tourist Trophy for sports cars between 1950 and 1955 and for the motorcycle Ulster Grand Prix from 1953 onwards. It is situated near the village of Dundrod in Lisburn, Northe ...
made up entirely of closed-off public roads near
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, Northern Ireland. The first races took place in 1922 and in 1935 and 1948 the
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM; en, International Motorcycling Federation) is the global governing/sanctioning body of motorcycle racing. It represents 116 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regiona ...
gave it the title ''Grand Prix d'Europe''. The Ulster Grand Prix was included as one of the races in the inaugural
1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season (now MotoGP), a place it held until
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
. It also counted for the
Formula TT
The Formula TT was a racing class for motorcycles from 1977 to 1990 as the official World Cup under the umbrella of International Motorcycling Federation. It was in three engine capacity classes, and was divided into both two and four-stroke engi ...
Championship between 1979 and 1990. According to the race organisers, it is the fastest road race in the world.
["The World's Fastest Road Race"](_blank)
Ulster Grand Prix Official Website 2010. Retrieved August 2010
History
The race has been held on three different circuits. The ''Old Clady circuit'' was used from 1922 until 1939 and included a notoriously bumpy straight.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the ''new Clady circuit'' was used that, due to road improvements, was now in length and in use between 1947 and 1952.
In
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
the race was moved to the
Dundrod Circuit
Dundrod Circuit is a motorsport street circuit used for the RAC Tourist Trophy for sports cars between 1950 and 1955 and for the motorcycle Ulster Grand Prix from 1953 onwards. It is situated near the village of Dundrod in Lisburn, Northe ...
where it is still held. The
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
event was won by Australian Jack Findlay in what was the Ulster Grand Prix's last year as part of the
FIM
FIM may refer to:
Organizations and companies
* Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation
* Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States
* Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media
* ...
Grand Prix international motorcycle racing calendar. Findlay's victory on a
Suzuki
is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...
was also notable for marking the first 500cc class win for a motorcycle powered by a
two stroke
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...
engine.
The event was cancelled in 1972 because of the political situation in Northern Ireland, but it was held in 2001 during the
Foot-and-mouth
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, follow ...
crisis, even though the
North West 200
The International North West 200 is a Northern Irish motorsport event established in 1929 for road racing motorcycles held on a street circuit known as ''the Triangle'' between the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush in Causeway Coast ...
and
Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...
were cancelled that year.
In 1997 Dublin sidecar pilot Stephen Galligan died of injuries sustained in a warm-up crash the day before the race. Mr Galligan died ten days later in hospital. Seven-year-old spectator Christopher McConnell-Hewitt also lost his life when he was struck by the sidecar which veered out of control on a long straight and crashed into a crowd.
Bruce Anstey
Bruce Anstey (born 21 August 1969 in New Zealand) is a professional motorcycle road racer. He is a former lap record holder on the world-famous Snaefell Mountain Course with a time of 17 minutes 6.682 seconds, at an average speed of set du ...
won the Superbike race at the Ulster Grand Prix in 2010, setting a new lap record of , making him the fastest rider on the fastest motorcycle racing circuit in the world.
[Pinchin, Gary (2010)]
Bruce Anstey: Road racing’s reclusive hero
, ''Motorcycle News
''MCN'' or ''Motor Cycle News'' is a UK weekly motorcycling newspaper published by Bauer Consumer Media, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. It claims to be "the world’s biggest weekly motorcycle newspaper".
The title was founded in la ...
'', 18 August 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010[Ulster Grand Prix: Anstey celebrates being fastest man on planet]
, ''The Belfast Telegraph
The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant pop ...
'', 17 August 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010
Official names and sponsors
*1958, 1961, 1964–1965, 1971: Ulster Grand Prix (no official sponsor)
Famous riders
Joey Dunlop
William Joseph "Joey" Dunlop (25 February 1952 – 2 July 2000) was a Northern Irish motorcyclist from Ballymoney.
Career
He won his third hat trick at the Isle of Man TT in 2000 and set his fastest lap on the course of 123.87 mph in th ...
won 24 Ulster Grand Prix races during his career, with
Phillip McCallen winning 14 races, Peter Hickman with 13 wins,
Bruce Anstey
Bruce Anstey (born 21 August 1969 in New Zealand) is a professional motorcycle road racer. He is a former lap record holder on the world-famous Snaefell Mountain Course with a time of 17 minutes 6.682 seconds, at an average speed of set du ...
12
and
Brian Reid 9 wins. Some of the famous riders include:
Guy Martin
Guy Martin (born 4 November 1981) is a British former motorcycle racer and heavy vehicle mechanic who became a television presenter. In July 2017, Martin retired from motorcycle racing.
Martin started racing in 1998 and in 2004 competed on a ...
(11 wins)
Stanley Woods
Stanley Woods (1903 – 28 July 1993) was an Irish motorcycle racer famous for 29 motorcycle Grand Prix wins in the 1920s and 1930s, winning the Isle of Man TT races ten times in his career, plus wins at Assen and elsewhere. He was also a skill ...
(7 wins),
Jimmie Guthrie
James Guthrie (23 May 1897 – 8 August 1937) was a Scottish motorcycle racer.
A motorcycle garage proprietor and professional motorcycle racer from Hawick Roxburghshire, Jimmie Guthrie was known as the “''Flying Scotsman'',” with a hard-c ...
,
Jimmie Simpson
Jimmy H. Simpson (1898–1981) was a British motorcycle racer.
Simpson spent many years as a works rider, first with AJS and later with Norton. He was one of the most successful riders before World War II.
Career
Beginnings
Simpson ...
,
Artie Bell
Arthur James Bell (6 September 1914 – 7 August 1972) was a British (Northern Irish) motorcycle road racer who became known for his short post-World War II Isle of Man TT career that came to notice with his second-place finish in the 1947 Isl ...
,
Les Graham
Robert Leslie Graham (14 September 1911 – 12 June 1953) was a British motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1930s and 1940s. He won the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing 500 cc World Championship in 1949.
Early Career (19 ...
,
Freddie Frith
Frederick Lee Frith OBE (30 May 1909 – 24 May 1988 Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion. A former stonemason and later a motor cycle retailer in Grimsby, he was a stylish rider an ...
(3 wins),
Geoff Duke
Geoffrey Ernest Duke (29 March 1923 – 1 May 2015) was a British multiple motorcycle Grand Prix road racing world champion. Born in St. Helens, Lancashire, after retirement from competition he was a businessman based in the Isle of Man. He ...
(3 wins),
John Surtees
John Surtees, (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with ...
(6 wins),
Ray Amm
William Raymond Amm (10 December 1927 – 11 April 1955) was a Rhodesian professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM motorcycle Grand Prix world championships from 1951 to 1954. Amm was a six-time Grand Prix race winn ...
,
Carlo Ubbiali
Carlo Ubbiali (22 September 19292 June 2020) was an Italian nine-time World Champion motorcycle road racer. In the 1950s, he was a dominant force in the smaller classes of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, winning six 125cc and three 250cc world tit ...
(5 wins),
Bill Lomas (3 wins),
Mike Hailwood
Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British professional motorcycle racer and racing driver. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle ...
(7 wins),
Giacomo Agostini (7 wins),
Phil Read
Phillip William Read, (1 January 1939 – 6 October 2022) was an English professional motorcycle racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1961 to 1976. Read is notable for being the first competitor to win world championships ...
(3 wins),
Bill Ivy
William David Ivy (27 August 1942 – 12 July 1969) was an English professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Maidstone, Kent. He died during practice for a race in East Germany.
The Early Years
Ivy started racing motorbikes at Brands Hat ...
(3 wins),
Bob McIntyre,
Gary Hocking
Gary Stuart Hocking MBE (30 September 1937 – 21 December 1962) was a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champion who competed in the late 1950s and early 1960s based in Rhodesia.
Early life
Hocking was born in Caerleon, near Newport, ...
(3 wins),
Tom Herron
Tom Herron (14 December 1948 – 26 May 1979) was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Lisburn, County Antrim in Northern Ireland. He specialised in street circuits such as the Isle of Man TT and the North West 200.
Career
The begin ...
(5 wins),
Ron Haslam (5 wins),
Jon Ekerold
Jonathan "Jon" Ekerold (born 8 October 1946) is a South African former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ekerold is one of the few racers in the modern era to have won a world championship as a ...
, and more recently
Mick Grant
Mick Grant (born 10 July 1944) is an English former professional motorcycle road racer and TT rider. A works-supported rider for Norton, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki, he is a seven-time winner of the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race on various m ...
,
Wayne Gardner
Wayne Michael Gardner (born 11 October 1959) is an Australian former professional Grand Prix motorcycle and touring car racer. His most notable achievement was winning the 1987 500 cc Motorcycle World Championship, becoming the first Aust ...
,
Steve Hislop
Robert Steven Hislop (11 January 1962 – 30 July 2003) was a Scottish motorcycle racer. Hislop won at the Isle of Man TT eleven times, won the British 250cc Championship (1990) and British Superbike championship (1995 and 2002).
Hislop di ...
,
Robert Dunlop
Stephen Robert Dunlop (25 November 1960 – 15 May 2008) was a Northern Irish motorcycle racer, the younger brother of fellow road racer, the late Joey Dunlop, and the father of William Dunlop and Michael Dunlop. Like Joey, Robert died after ...
(9 wins).
FIM World Championship rounds (1949–1971)
Multiple winners (riders)
Multiple winners (manufacturers)
By year
''A pink background indicates a round that was not part of the
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
championship.''
;Footnotes:
See also
*
Clady Circuit
Clady Circuit situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland describes a motor-cycle road racing street circuit used for the Ulster Grand Prix. The Clady Circuit was used between 1922 and 1939 and an amended shorter circuit between 1947 and 1952. ...
*
Dundrod Circuit
Dundrod Circuit is a motorsport street circuit used for the RAC Tourist Trophy for sports cars between 1950 and 1955 and for the motorcycle Ulster Grand Prix from 1953 onwards. It is situated near the village of Dundrod in Lisburn, Northe ...
*
North West 200
The International North West 200 is a Northern Irish motorsport event established in 1929 for road racing motorcycles held on a street circuit known as ''the Triangle'' between the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush in Causeway Coast ...
*
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
*
List of Grand Prix motorcycle racing seasons
The following is a complete list of Grands Prix which have been a part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing championship season since its inception in .
As of the 2022 Qatar Grand Prix, 29 countries have hosted 53 different Grands Prix for a tota ...
*
List of Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champions
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing, which has been divided into three classes since the 1990 season: 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP, with the addition of MotoE, an electric motorcycle class, in 2019. Clas ...
References
External links
Ulster Grand Prixofficial website
Ulster Grand Prix Supporters Club
{{Ulster Grand Prix
1922 establishments in Northern Ireland
Recurring sporting events established in 1922
Motorcycle Grands Prix
Motorcycle racing in the United Kingdom
Motorsport competitions in the United Kingdom
Motorsport in Northern Ireland
Motorcycle races
Sport in County Antrim