Ulster Grand Prix receives Stormont funding boost

Hopes of reviving the Ulster Grand Prix international road race have been boosted with the announcement that the Northern Ireland Executive is to provide the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre) with multi-year funding in the region of £400,000.

The Ulster GP has not taken place since 2019 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and financial issues but organisers are optimistic that the race could return to the road racing calendar as early as 2027 and have begun making plans with that in mind.

A portion of the Stormont money, possibly in the region of 50%, is to be ring-fenced for the Dundrod event for improvements to the safety of the circuit, but direct funding for the race itself will not be provided.

The NI Executive has indicated they will support efforts made by promoters of the UGP in their bid to get additional funding through other government funds, including Tourism NI and Lisburn and Castlereagh Council.

The MCUI Ulster Centre Sports Promotions plan to run the race with the involvement of a team of their "best race promoters and officials brought together, picked from the seventeen clubs affiliated to the MCUI (UC) to oversee the running of the event".

The summer of 2027 is regarded as the earliest proposed date for the meeting to be resurrected.

A statement released by the Ulster Centre on Monday indicated that they were having regular contact with all relevant stakeholders.

"The event will need much financial support and we are inviting potential sponsors, investors to engage asap to raise the estimated running cost of £800k. The event plans will incorporate a business plan which will deliver a sustainable world class event for years to come.

"The event safety plans and course risk assessments and funding applications will take up many hours over the next 12-18 months to ensure that the event has the best rider and spectator safety structures and practices in place for the event," the statement explained.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said that she "commended the work of the MCUI in their efforts to see the return of the Ulster Grand Prix to our roads."

"This event is more than a race — it's a celebration of our sporting heritage, our passion for motorsport, and the community spirit that makes road racing in Northern Ireland unique. I would warmly welcome its return and the boost it will bring to our local economy, tourism, and pride," she commented.

Department of Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said: "I have been greatly encouraged by the work and commitment of the MCUI, which gives me real optimism that we will once again see the Ulster Grand Prix return to the local road racing calendar.

"Northern Ireland has a rich and internationally recognised heritage of road racing and the possibility of seeing this iconic event return is something that will be welcomed by fans, competitors and communities alike.

"I look forward to continued engagement with MCUI, building on some of my previous work with the motorsport sector which included £187,000 allocated last year and £400,000 this year to improve safety measures for both riders and spectators at these events.

"A revived Ulster Grand Prix will not only deliver thrilling sport for fans at home and abroad but would once again showcase Northern Ireland on the global stage."

Numerous efforts had taken place to revive the road race but funding, along with the sport's insurance issues, could not be finalised.

After a Covid-disrupted year in 2020, the future of the Ulster GP was left in serious doubt when it was revealed that the host Dundrod and District Club had been issued with a winding up order and was forced into liquidation.

The club had racked up debts of around £300,000 and entered into a company voluntary arrangement with creditors.

The event was handed a potential lifeline when the Revival Racing Club stepped in to attempt to run the race for its centenary year in 2022 but it could not secure backing, and a further attempt under the Dundrod and District Motorcycle Club in 2024 did not come to fruition.

Peter Hickman made history at the last Ulster Grand Prix in 2019 when he won a record seven races and set a lap record of 136.415 mph around the 7.4-mile course, which is comprised of closed public roads near the county Antrim village of Dundrod.

The event previously hosted a round of the world championship from 1949 until 1971 and then rounds of the Formula One and Formula Two championships in subsequent years.

Motorcycle road race fans had all but given up hope that the Ulster Grand Prix would ever return to the iconic Dundrod circuit so will broadly welcome the news of this additional funding and tentative plans to run the meeting again in less than two years' time.

With past attempts to resurrect the meeting ending in failure however and significant financial and planning hurdles still to be overcome, supporters of the event will understandably be wary of becoming too excited too early but will monitor any further positive developments with interest and growing anticipation.

As one of the long-time 'big three' international road race events, along with the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT, the return of 'the Ulster', as it is colloquially known, would represent a significant milestone for a sport that just a few years ago looked in danger of disappearing from the sporting landscape entirely.