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, Northern Ireland. The nearby Clady Circuit also in County Antrim was used for the Ulster Grand Prix between (1922–1952) before moving to the Dundrod Circuit.[1]

Dundrod Circuit
LocationLisburn, Northern Ireland
Major eventsRAC Tourist Trophy, Ulster Grand Prix, Dundrod 150, Killinchy 150
Length11.910 km (7.401 mi)
Turns25
Race lap record3 minutes 15.316seconds — 136.415 mph (219.539 km/h)

Peter Hickman

Smith's Racing BMW Motorrad, BMW S1000RR

History

The Dundrod Circuit (Irish: Dún dTrod) in Co Antrim, first used in 1950 for the RAC Tourist Trophy automobile race and the Formula One (non-championship) Ulster Trophy (1950-1953), was 7.416 mi (11.935 km) in length and later amended for the 1965 racing season to 7.401 mi (11.911 km) with the addition of the Lindsay Hairpin. For the 1953 racing season the Clady Circuit was abandoned for motor-cycle racing and the Ulster Grand Prix as part of the FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship and was moved to the nearby Dundrod Circuit in Co Antrim. The circuit comprised public roads closed for racing including a section of the secondary B38 Hannahstown Road between Glenavy and Hannahstown, Co Antrim, the secondary B101 Leathemstown Road from Leathemstown Corner to Dundrod and the B153 Quarterland/Tornagrough Road from Cochranstown to the road junction of the B38 Upper Springsfield Road/Hannahstown Road at the Lindsay Hairpin. After 1955 cars stopped racing there due to no less than 3 fatalities during the 1955 TT race and safety concerns with the narrow, high-speed nature of the circuit, and since then it has only been used for motorcycle racing.

The photo below shows the original much tighter hairpin, with the modern hairpin, known now as the Lindsay Hairpin, being slightly further back up the road.

Speed and race records
Original Hairpin

The lap record for the Dundrod Circuit is 3 minutes and 15.316 seconds at an average speed of 136.415 mph (219.539 km/h) set by Peter Hickman riding a BMW during the 2019 Ulster Grand Prix bringing back the title of The World's Fastest Road Race to the Dundrod Circuit[2] The race record for the Dundrod Circuit is an average speed of 133.180 mph (214.332 km/h) set by Bruce Anstey during the 2017 Ulster Grand Prix.[2]

The lap record for the RAC Tourist Trophy on the Dundrod Circuit is 4 minutes and 42 seconds at an average speed of 94.67 mph (152.3582 km/h) held by Mike Hawthorn driving a Jaguar D-Type set during the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy.[3] The race record for the RAC Tourist Trophy on the Dundrod Circuit is 7 hours, 3 minutes and 12 seconds an average speed of 88.32 mph (142.139 km) for 84 laps (622.96 miles/1002.518 km) during the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy race held by the works Daimler-Benz entry of Stirling Moss/John Fitch driving a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR.

The 1971 Ulster Grand Prix held on the Dundrod Circuit 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.[4][5]

See also

References
  1. Cook, Alastair (2004). Days of Thunder: The History of the Ulster Grand Prix. Gill & MacMillan. pp. 21–22. ISBN 0-7171-3800-3.
  3. The Motor. Temple Press Limited. 1959. p. 5.
  4. Jack Findlay obituary - The Telegraph
  5. "MotoGP Milestones". crash.net. Retrieved 30 March 2017.

Sources

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