The Ulster Grand Prix

The fastest road race and Ireland's oldest

The Ulster Grand Prix road race takes place on the Dundrod circuit near Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of the oldest Motorcycle Racing events in the world. The Ulster Grand Prix dates back to 1922, making it Ireland's oldest road race. After eighty-six years and a turbulent history, it is still going strong, attracting thousands of bike enthusiasts from all over the world to see the top international riders in action.

First held in 1922 it quickly established itself as one of the most important road-races in the calendar and drew entries from all the top riders. In 1935 the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme gave it the title Grand Prix d'Europe: an honor which was repeated in 1948. When the world championships were inaugurated in 1949 the Ulster Grand Prix was included among the events selected to count towards same, a position it held right up to 1971. It also counted for the TT Championship between 1979 and 1990

Thomas Moles, motorcycle enthusiast and Member of Parliament, helped to push through parliament the first Road Races Act, which made it legal for the Clady Course to be closed for the first Ulster Grand Prix on 14 October 1922. That first race had 75 entries in four classes (250cc, 350cc, 600cc and over 600cc). The race has been held on three different circuits. The 20.5 mile Old Clady circuit was used from 1922 until 1939 and included a notoriously bumpy 7-mile straight. It also ran across part of the grass runway at RAF Aldergrove and for the first two years of its existence the pits were on the Seven Mile Straight, by Loanends Primary School. In 1926 the 500cc race was won by Graham Walker on a Sunbeam. He also won the 1928 Senior race on a Rudge. In the 1936 Lightweight (250cc) event, Ginger Wood and Bob Foster, both on New Imperials, crossed the line so close, that after over 200 miles of racing, it took the judges an hour to decide that Wood was the winner by one-fifth of a second. Foster was, however, adjudged to have achieved the fastest lap. The 1939 Grand Prix was almost called off, but went ahead in spite of an entry of only 60 riders. After World War II the new Clady circuit was used that, due to road improvements, was now 16.5 miles in length and in use between 1947 and 1952. In 1953 the race was moved to the 7.401 mile Dundrod circuit where it is still held. 

During the history of the event, most of the top riders in every era have competed in it. During the 1920s entrants included Wal Handley, Alex Bennett, Joe Craig, Graham Walker and Charlie Dodson. In the 1930s leading riders such as Stanley Woods, Jimmy Guthrie, Jimmy Simpson, Walter Rusk and Dorino Serafini were among the winners, and in the 1940s there was Artie Bell, Les Graham and Freddie Frith. Stars of the 50s who participated in the Ulster Grand Prix included Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Ray Amm, Carlo Ubbiali, Bill Lomas and Ken Kavanagh, while the 1960s produced heroes like Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read, Bill Ivy, Bob McIntyre, Jim Redman and Gary Hocking. Household names such as Tom Herron, Ron Haslam, John Williams and Jon Ekerold graced the Dundrod circuit in the 1970s while the 80s saw the emergence of stars like Mick Grant, Brian Reid, Wayne Gardner, Steve Hislop and Carl Fogarty. Robert Dunlop and Phillip Mc Callen flew the flag for the 1990s, but the outstanding rider in the history of the event, and arguably the greatest pure road-racer ever, is JOEY DUNLOP. He had a record 24 wins at the 'Ulster' spanning 3 different decades between 1979 and 1999.

In the early 50s, Moto Guzzi won in the 250, 350 and 500 classes, Bill Lomas winning in 1955 and 56.

Difficult times

Early in 1963 the Ulster Grand Prix stood on the brink of extinction due to acute financial problems, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board had just announced the withdrawal of their customary grant towards the staging of the race, and the outlook was bleak. It was at this point that a small band of enthusiasts got together and decided to do something about the situation. Thus was born the Ulster Grand Prix Supporters Club. Difficult times still lay ahead, especially in the early 1970`s during the worst of the civil unrest in the province. The event was cancelled in 1972 because of the political situation in Northern Ireland  and the U.G.P. lost its World Championship status in 1973. With the lobby against the dangers of pure road-racing gaining momentum all the time, championship status was destined never to return.This in particular, was a severe blow to morale and it took several years for the club to recover from the effects of the FIM decision. Nevertheless, along with the Isle of Man T.T. Races and the North - West 200, the Ulster Grand Prix is still considered to be one of the three greatest " Road " races still in existence. In 2001, during the Foot-and-mouth crisis, when the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT were cancelled, the race was held. Unfortunately, the level of commercial sponsorship which the event attracts, is nowhere near sufficient to safeguard its future, so the organizers are still heavily dependent on the supporters club. In 2002 the race was almost cancelled. In 2007 the Grand Prix attracted an entry of 162 riders, including 38 new riders, and took place on 18 August 2007, sponsored by The Belfast Telegraph newspaper. There was good racing, but the day had to be stopped early because of excessive rainfall. This was a prelude to the following year's trouble.

More trouble: Ulster Grand Prix washed out

Monday, 18 August 2008, Race Day at the Ulster Grand Prix had to be called off due to the heavy rain for the first time in its history. 

It left the organisers with a huge deficit and the future of the long-standing meeting in jeopardy. But, as local sports writer, Jimmy Walker, said:

"The Ulster Grand Prix has survived on many occasions, some a lot worse than happened on Saturday. We only have to go back to August 1969 when the race was run with the country virtually ablaze as the Troubles erupted. If the race had to be stopped, that was the day to do it because everybody felt at that time that they were in personal danger. Despite efforts by the then Government to ask the promoters to call it off, they stood firm and the race was held despite an air of gloom about the proceedings. Then we had the year of 1971 which saw the last Ulster Grand Prix of a World Championship dimension and the following year in 1972 the race was moved to Bishopscourt for one year. That would have been the opportunity to cancel any future link with the Dundrod road circuit but the promoters at the time decided to push on and restore the race to the Dundrod course in 1973. There have been other ups and downs and there have been many occasions when the weather has almost wrecked the show, so much so that there are many who would say: "This is typical of Dundrod’s weather." Like the race's hardcore supporters, he concluded that this is not the time to throw the head up and give-in.

2009

The Dundrod and District Motorcycle Club unanimously agreed on their intention to run Ulster Grand Prix Bike Week 2009 from August 10th – 15th.