Ulster Grand Prix
 | |
| Venue | Dundrod Circuit |
|---|---|
| First race | 1922 |
| Most wins (rider) | Joey Dunlop (24) |
The Ulster Grand Prix is a motorcycle race that takes place on the 7.401 mi (11.911 km) Dundrod Circuit made up entirely of closed-off public roads near Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first races took place in 1922 and in 1935 and 1948 the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme 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. It also counted for the Formula TT Championship between 1979 and 1990.[citation needed] According to the race organisers, it is the fastest road race in the world.[1]
History
[2] The race has been held on three different circuits. The 20.5 mi (33.0 km) Old Clady circuit was used from 1922 until 1939 and included a notoriously bumpy 7 mi (11 km) straight.[2]
After World War II the new Clady circuit was used that, due to road improvements, was now 16.467 mi (26.501 km) in length and in use between 1947 and 1952.
In 1953 the race was moved to the 7.401 mi (11.911 km) Dundrod Circuit where it is still held. The 1971 event was won by Australian Jack Findlay in what was the Ulster Grand Prix's last year as part of the FIM Grand Prix international motorcycle racing calendar. Findlay's victory on a Suzuki was also notable for marking the first 500cc class win for a motorcycle powered by a two stroke engine.[3][4] 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 crisis, even though the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT were cancelled that year.[5][6]
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. [7]
Bruce Anstey won the Superbike race at the Ulster Grand Prix in 2010, setting a new lap record of 133.977 mph (215.615 km/h), making him the fastest rider on the fastest motorcycle racing circuit in the world.[8][9]
Official names and sponsors
Famous riders
Joey Dunlop won 24 Ulster Grand Prix races during his career, with Phillip McCallen winning 14 races, Peter Hickman with 13 wins, Bruce Anstey 12[15] and Brian Reid 9 wins.[citation needed] Some of the famous riders include: Guy Martin (11 wins) Stanley Woods (7 wins), Jimmie Guthrie, Jimmie Simpson, Artie Bell, Les Graham, Freddie Frith (3 wins), Geoff Duke (3 wins), John Surtees (6 wins), Ray Amm, Carlo Ubbiali (5 wins), Bill Lomas (3 wins), Mike Hailwood (7 wins), Giacomo Agostini (7 wins), Phil Read (3 wins), Bill Ivy (3 wins), Bob McIntyre, Gary Hocking (3 wins), Tom Herron (5 wins), Ron Haslam (5 wins), Jon Ekerold, and more recently Mick Grant, Wayne Gardner, Steve Hislop, Robert Dunlop (9 wins).
FIM World Championship rounds (1949–1971)
| |
| Grand Prix motorcycle racing | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Dundrod Circuit (1953–1971) Clady Circuit (1949–1952) |
| First race | 1949 |
| Last race | 1971 |
| Most wins (rider) | Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini (7) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | MV Agusta (24) |
Multiple winners (riders)
| # Wins | Rider | Wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Years won | ||
| 7 |  Mike Hailwood
|
500 cc | 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967 |
| 350 cc | 1966 | ||
| 250 cc | 1967 | ||
| 125 cc | 1959 | ||
 Giacomo Agostini
|
500 cc | 1968, 1969, 1970 | |
| 350 cc | 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 | ||
| 6 | John Surtees
|
500 cc | 1958, 1959 |
| 350 cc | 1958, 1959, 1960 | ||
| 250 cc | 1955 | ||
| 5 | Carlo Ubbiali
|
250 cc | 1960 |
| 125 cc | 1950, 1956, 1958, 1960 | ||
| 4 |  Jim Redman
|
350 cc | 1962, 1963, 1964 |
| 250 cc | 1963 | ||
 Luigi Taveri
|
250 cc | 1956 | |
| 125 cc | 1957, 1962, 1966 | ||
| 3 | Geoff Duke
|
500 cc | 1950, 1951 |
| 350 cc | 1951 | ||
| Maurice Cann
|
250 cc | 1949, 1950, 1952 | |
| Bill Lomas
|
500 cc | 1955 | |
| 350 cc | 1955, 1956 | ||
| Gary Hocking
|
500 cc | 1961 | |
| 350 cc | 1961 | ||
| 250 cc | 1959 | ||
| Phil Read
|
500 cc | 1964 | |
| 250 cc | 1964, 1965 | ||
| Bill Ivy
|
250 cc | 1968 | |
| 125 cc | 1967, 1968 | ||
| 2 |  Ken Kavanagh
|
500 cc | 1953 |
| 350 cc | 1952 | ||
 Werner Haas
|
250 cc | 1954 | |
| 125 cc | 1953 | ||
| Cecil Sandford
|
250 cc | 1957 | |
| 125 cc | 1952 | ||
| John Hartle
|
500 cc | 1956, 1960 | |
 Hugh Anderson
|
125 cc | 1963, 1964 | |
| Kel Carruthers
|
250 cc | 1969, 1970 | |
 Ángel Nieto
|
50 cc | 1969, 1970 | |
Multiple winners (manufacturers)
| # Wins | Manufacturer | Wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Years won | ||
| 24 | MV Agusta
|
500 cc | 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1970 |
| 350 cc | 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 | ||
| 250 cc | 1956, 1958, 1960 | ||
| 125 cc | 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960 | ||
| 13 |  Honda
|
500 cc | 1966, 1967 |
| 350 cc | 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966 | ||
| 250 cc | 1961, 1962, 1963, 1967 | ||
| 125 cc | 1961, 1962, 1966 | ||
| 11 | Norton
|
500 cc | 1950, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1965 |
| 350 cc | 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 | ||
| 8 | Moto Guzzi
|
500 cc | 1955 |
| 350 cc | 1955, 1956, 1957 | ||
| 250 cc | 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952 | ||
| 7 | Yamaha
|
250 cc | 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1971 |
| 125 cc | 1967, 1968 | ||
| 5 | NSU
|
250 cc | 1953, 1954, 1955 |
| 125 cc | 1953, 1954 | ||
| 4 | Suzuki
|
500 cc | 1971 |
| 125 cc | 1963, 1964, 1965 | ||
| 2 | Velocette
|
350 cc | 1949, 1950 |
| Mondial
|
250 cc | 1957 | |
| 125 cc | 1950 | ||
| Gilera
|
500 cc | 1952, 1957 | |
| Derbi
|
50 cc | 1969, 1970 | |
| MZ
|
350 cc | 1971 | |
| 250 cc | 1959 | ||
By year
A pink background indicates a round that was not part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing championship.
- Footnotes
- ^ The 1971 50cc race was cancelled as the organisers had only received eight entries.[16]
- ^ The 1954 500cc race was stopped due to bad weather and the race was excluded from the world championship.[17]
- ^ The 1951 125cc race only had four competitors and the race was excluded from the world championship.[18]
See also
- Clady Circuit
- Dundrod Circuit
- North West 200
- Grand Prix motorcycle racing
- List of Grand Prix motorcycle racing seasons
- List of Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champions
References
- ^ "The World's Fastest Road Race" Ulster Grand Prix Official Website 2010. Retrieved August 2010
- ^ a b Eddie McIlwaine (17 August 2008). "10 things you didn't know about the big event". The Belfast Telegraph. p. 15.
- ^ "Jack Findlay". 3 June 2007. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "MotoGP Milestones". crash.net. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ Ulster Grand Prix 2001 – Preview (retrieved 10 September 2006)
- ^ Victoria O'Hara (17 August 2008). "Revved up for race". The Belfast Telegraph. p. 15.
- ^ By, The Motorsport Memorial Team. "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ Pinchin, Gary (2010) "Bruce Anstey: Road racing’s reclusive hero", Motorcycle News, 18 August 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010
- ^ "Ulster Grand Prix: Anstey celebrates being fastest man on planet", The Belfast Telegraph, 17 August 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010
- ^ "1958 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
- ^ "1961 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
- ^ "1964 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
- ^ "1965 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
- ^ "1971 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
- ^ "Anstey claims 12th Ulster GP win at Dundrod". 14 August 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Les Championnats du Monde de Courses sur Route – L'année 1971" [World Championship Road Racing – 1971]. Racing Memory (in French). Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ "Les Championnats du Monde de Courses sur Route – L'année 1954" [World Championship Road Racing – 1954]. Racing Memory (in French). Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ "Les Championnats du Monde de Courses sur Route – L'année 1951" [World Championship Road Racing – 1951]. Racing Memory (in French). Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
External links
- CS1 French-language sources (fr)
- Articles with short description
- EngvarB from June 2018
- Use dmy dates from June 2018
- All articles with unsourced statements
- Articles with unsourced statements from October 2008
- Articles with unsourced statements from September 2008
- 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