Dundrod Circuit

Dundrod Circuit
Location County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Major events RAC Tourist Trophy, Ulster Grand Prix, Dundrod 150, Killinchy 150
Length 11.910 km (7.401 mi)
Turns 25
Lap record 3 minutes 18.704 seconds — 134.089 mph (215.795 km/h)[1][2] (Ian Hutchinson, TAS Racing BMW S1000RR, 2016)

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 in County Antrim, 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.[3]

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.

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 18.704 seconds at an average speed of 134.089 mph (215.795 km/h) set by Ian Hutchinson riding a BMW S1000RR during the 2016 Ulster Grand Prix.[1][2] The race record for the Dundrod Circuit is an average speed of 132.522 mph (213.273 km/h) also set by Ian Hutchinson during the 2016 Ulster Grand Prix.[4]

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 Tophy.[5] 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.

See also

Sources

  1. 1 2 Rushby, Oli (13 August 2016). "Hutchy makes it four in a day with second Superbike win". Motor Cycle News. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 "MCE Insurance Ulster Grand Prix - Race 7 - Around A Pound Superbike" (PDF). Ulster Grand Prix. MCUI (Ulster Centre) Timing. 13 August 2016. p. 34. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Cook, Alastair (2004). Days of Thunder: The History of the Ulster Grand Prix. Gill & MacMillan. pp. 21–22. ISBN 0-7171-3800-3.
  4. ↑ "MCE Insurance Ulster Grand Prix - Race 4 - James Jamieson Construction/McKinstry Skip Hire Superbike" (PDF). Ulster Grand Prix. MCUI (Ulster Centre) Timing. 13 August 2016. p. 34. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  5. ↑ The Motor. Temple Press Limited. 1959. p. 5.

External links

Coordinates: 54°34′51″N 6°05′05″W / 54.58083°N 6.08472°W / 54.58083; -6.08472

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.