Ulster Grand Prix organisers “committed to resurrecting” event in 2022
Ulster Grand Prix organisers have confirmed the event will not return in 2021, but remains “committed” to reviving the world’s fastest road race in 2022 as “progress” has been made.


The Ulster GP is one of the oldest road racing events on the planet and held a place on the grand prix calendar from the inaugural season in 1949 through to 1971.
It remained a fixture of the international road racing calendar after losing its grand prix world championship status, but financial woes coupled with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year meant it was cancelled.
Ulster GP organisers were reported to be in debt for £250,000, with the situation only worsened by a record low turnout for the Saturday race day in 2019 owing to poor weather.
The event is unique in that a road closing order written into law states anyone entering any part of the Dundrod circuit near Belfast must pay an admittance fee.
This allied with programme sales is what allowed the Ulster GP to generate income before the pandemic.
After reaching a crisis point in the back end of 2019 and early 2020, efforts to secure funding came to nothing and the outbreak of COVID-19 put paid to any hopes of safeguarding the event last year.
While the event won’t go ahead again in 2021, the Ulster GP has confirmed on Tuesday that “significant progress” has been made in the Dundrod and District Motorcycle Club Ltd entering into a Company Voluntary Arrangement to manage its debt.
The Club has also confirmed discussions are ongoing with varies parties about reviving the event in 2022.
The full statement read: “Since the flag dropped on the last running of the Ulster Grand Prix race in August 2019, the organisers of the event, the Dundrod and District Motorcycle Club, have been working to resolve the financial difficulties suffered during that season.

Ulster Grand Prix, 2019
Photo by: Stephen Davison
“The effect of Coronavirus and the restrictions aimed at controlling the pandemic have hindered the process but significant progress has now been made with the Dundrod and District Motorcycle Club Limited entering a Company Voluntary Arrangement with its creditors.
“The Club would like to thank everyone involved for their understanding of the circumstances that led to the event’s unprecedented financial difficulties and their co-operation in helping resolve this difficult situation.
“The financial problems, plus the effects of Coronavirus, meant the race did not take place in 2020 and the event will not happen during this year either.
“Despite these setbacks, the Dundrod club remains committed to resurrecting the event.
“Conversations have already taken place with public and commercial groups who share a similar aim and more discussions are planned.
“This work will continue throughout the coming months in the hope of celebrating the centenary of the world‘s fastest road race with a return to action at Dundrod in 2022.”
Organisers for the Ulster GP in 2019 were accused of misusing public funds allocated for safety and paddock facility upgrades, but organisers denied any wrongdoing and said Sport NI were aware of how the £255,000 grant was to be spent.
During the 2019 event, former Clerk of the Course Noel Johnston told Autosport that the Ulster GP gets “very little for what the event brings to the country” in terms of government support.
In 2019, Five-time Isle of Man TT winner Peter Hickman made history at the Ulster GP when he took a clean sweep of seven race wins on his Smiths BMW and set a new lap record of 136.415mph in the first Superbike race.
This made the Ulster GP once again the world’s fastest road race – a record Hickman stripped from it in 2018 at the TT when he posted a lap of 135.452mph on his way to victory in that year’s Senior TT.
Related video

How the world's fastest road racer is helping Britain's motorcycling future
Ulster Grand Prix to return in 2022 after two-year absence

Latest news
The latest Rich Energy saga amid Superbikes team sponsorship
Controversial energy drinks company Rich Energy and owner William Storey is once again at the centre of a motorsport storm, this time with British Superbike squad OMG Racing.
Inquest finds reason for mistaken identity of TT Sidecar racer killed in crash
An inquest into the fatal Isle of Man TT Sidecar accident that claimed the life of Cesar Chanal found that the French crew were carrying each other’s dog tags.
McGuinness will happily ‘blow wind up the arse’ of TT rookie Irwin
Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness has heaped praise on event rookie and Honda team-mate Glenn Irwin, saying he's happy to “stand here and blow wind up his arse”.
The moral complexities of the Isle of Man TT that can’t be ignored
OPINION: The 2022 Isle of Man TT was marred by the tragic deaths of five competitors, with two others still in a serious condition after accidents. Death is an accepted part of the event, which makes it easy for armchair observers to misunderstand. But questions over the event's future aren't as black and white as they may appear...
How a much-needed 'revolution' is key to a motorsport gem's future
OPINION: The Isle of Man TT is one of motorsport’s oldest events and one of its most revered. After a COVID-enforced two-year hiatus, the TT is back in 2022 and for the first time will be broadcast live, a much-needed move that will help to address some of the fundamental problems it faces
How the world's fastest road racer is helping Britain's motorcycling future
Britain has dominated motorcycle racing for three decades, but its representation at the top table is in decline. Looking to provide fresh energy and opportunity in the junior ranks, the world's fastest road racer Peter Hickman may have found a solution
The far-reaching impact of cancelling motorcycling's greatest race
The coronavirus-induced cancellation of the Isle of Man TT was unavoidable, but as thoughts turn to its return in 2021, the ramifications could be felt for a long time yet
How the IoM TT's greatest race was won
In our final feature looking back at the major motorsport moments from the 2010s, we recall a day at the 2018 Isle of Man TT that featured broken records and the making of a new star of the motorbike road racing scene
What went wrong with McGuinness's TT comeback
John McGuinness targeted scoring a podium "at least" with Norton at the Isle of Man TT, but his return to the island - in the major classes at least - could scarcely have gone worse. What next for the veteran after his most disappointing TT?
What the TT means to those who have braved it
OPINION: The Isle of Man TT is an event like few others in motorsport - and it has a reputation for being incredibly dangerous. But to those involved in the competition, it has a completely different standing
The unavoidable headache challenging TT organisers
For much of the 2019 Isle of Man TT fortnight so far, the weather has dominated the headlines as rain has forced a series of delays and cancellations. This may be frustrating to fans, but stems from the unique challenge that makes the event a motorsport gem
The importance of short-circuit racing for TT success
Isle of Man TT riders using short-circuit races to warm up for the main event is nothing new, but the success of some relative newcomers to the TT in recent years has resulted in a more seismic shift in preparations