Ulster Grand Prix

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

Hairpin bend on the Dundrod Circuit

^[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

• 1958, 1961, 1964–1965, 1971: Ulster Grand Prix (no official sponsor) ^{[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]}

Famous riders

Joey Dunlop during the 1982 Ulster Grand Prix

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)

Ulster Grand Prix

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.

Year	Track	50 cc		125 cc		250 cc		350 cc		500 cc		Report
		Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer
1971	Dundrod	Race cancelled [N 1]				Ray McCullough	Yamaha	Peter Williams	MZ	Jack Findlay	Suzuki	Report
1970		Ángel Nieto	Derbi			Kel Carruthers	Yamaha	Giacomo Agostini	MV Agusta	Giacomo Agostini	MV Agusta	Report
1969		Ángel Nieto	Derbi			Kel Carruthers	Benelli	Giacomo Agostini	MV Agusta	Giacomo Agostini	MV Agusta	Report
1968				Bill Ivy	Yamaha	Bill Ivy	Yamaha	Giacomo Agostini	MV Agusta	Giacomo Agostini	MV Agusta	Report
1967				Bill Ivy	Yamaha	Mike Hailwood	Honda	Giacomo Agostini	MV Agusta	Mike Hailwood	Honda	Report
1966				Luigi Taveri	Honda	Ginger Molloy	Bultaco	Mike Hailwood	Honda	Mike Hailwood	Honda	Report
1965				Ernst Degner	Suzuki	Phil Read	Yamaha	František Šťastný	Jawa	Dick Creith	Norton	Report
1964				Hugh Anderson	Suzuki	Phil Read	Yamaha	Jim Redman	Honda	Phil Read	Norton	Report
1963				Hugh Anderson	Suzuki	Jim Redman	Honda	Jim Redman	Honda	Mike Hailwood	MV Agusta	Report
1962				Luigi Taveri	Honda	Tommy Robb	Honda	Jim Redman	Honda	Mike Hailwood	MV Agusta	Report
Year	Track			125 cc		250 cc		350 cc		500 cc		Report
				Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer
1961	Dundrod			Kunimitsu Takahashi	Honda	Bob McIntyre	Honda	Gary Hocking	MV Agusta	Gary Hocking	MV Agusta	Report
1960				Carlo Ubbiali	MV Agusta	Carlo Ubbiali	MV Agusta	John Surtees	MV Agusta	John Hartle	Norton	Report
1959				Mike Hailwood	Ducati	Gary Hocking	MZ	John Surtees	MV Agusta	John Surtees	MV Agusta	Report
1958				Carlo Ubbiali	MV Agusta	Tarquinio Provini	MV Agusta	John Surtees	MV Agusta	John Surtees	MV Agusta	Report
1957				Luigi Taveri	MV Agusta	Cecil Sandford	FB-Mondial	Keith Campbell	Moto Guzzi	Libero Liberati	Gilera	Report
1956				Carlo Ubbiali	MV Agusta	Luigi Taveri	MV Agusta	Bill Lomas	Moto Guzzi	John Hartle	Norton	Report
1955						John Surtees	NSU	Bill Lomas	Moto Guzzi	Bill Lomas	Moto Guzzi	Report
1954				Rupert Hollaus	NSU	Werner Haas	NSU	Ray Amm	Norton	Ray Amm [N 2]	Norton	Report
1953				Werner Haas	NSU	Reg Armstrong	NSU	Ken Mudford	Norton	Ken Kavanagh	Norton	Report
1952	Clady			Cecil Sandford	MV Agusta	Maurice Cann	Moto Guzzi	Ken Kavanagh	Norton	Cromie McCandless	Gilera	Report
1951				Cromie McCandless [N 3]	FB-Mondial	Bruno Ruffo	Moto Guzzi	Geoff Duke	Norton	Geoff Duke	Norton	Report
1950				Carlo Ubbiali	FB-Mondial	Maurice Cann	Moto Guzzi	Bob Foster	Velocette	Geoff Duke	Norton	Report
1949						Maurice Cann	Moto Guzzi	Freddie Frith	Velocette	Les Graham	AJS	Report

Footnotes

1. The 1971 50cc race was cancelled as the organisers had only received eight entries. ^[16]
2. The 1954 500cc race was stopped due to bad weather and the race was excluded from the world championship. ^[17]
3. 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

1. "The World's Fastest Road Race" Ulster Grand Prix Official Website 2010. Retrieved August 2010
2. Eddie McIlwaine (17 August 2008). "10 things you didn't know about the big event". The Belfast Telegraph . p. 15.
3. "Jack Findlay" . 3 June 2007. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
4. "MotoGP Milestones". crash.net. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
5. Ulster Grand Prix 2001 – Preview (retrieved 10 September 2006)
6. Victoria O'Hara (17 August 2008). "Revved up for race". The Belfast Telegraph . p. 15.
7. By, The Motorsport Memorial Team. "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
8. Pinchin, Gary (2010) "Bruce Anstey: Road racing’s reclusive hero", Motorcycle News , 18 August 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010
9. "Ulster Grand Prix: Anstey celebrates being fastest man on planet", The Belfast Telegraph , 17 August 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2010
10. "1958 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
11. "1961 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
12. "1964 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
13. "1965 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
14. "1971 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
15. "Anstey claims 12th Ulster GP win at Dundrod". 14 August 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
16. "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.
17. "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.
18. "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

• Ulster Grand Prix official website
• Ulster Grand Prix race history
• Ulster Grand Prix Supporters Club