Clady Circuit situated in

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

describes a motor-cycle road racing street circuit used for the

Ulster Grand Prix The Ulster Grand Prix is a motorcycle race that takes place on the Dundrod Circuit made up entirely of closed-off public roads near Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first races took place in 1922 and in 1935 and 1948 the Fédération Internatio ...

. The Clady Circuit was used between 1922 and 1939 and an amended shorter circuit between 1947 and 1952.

History

The Clady Circuit, ( ga, Clóidigh; i.e. ''Washing river'') first used in 1922 for the Ulster Grand Prix was in length in County Antrim. The original course start line was situated near Loanends Primary School on the secondary B39 Antrim to

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

Road. The event held on public roads closed for racing including the secondary B39 ''Seven Mile Straight'' between Antrim and Clady Corner including ''Christy's Brae'', the primary A52 Belfast to Crumlin Road between Clady Corner and Thorn Cottage, a tertiary road north from Thorn Cottage to Greenmount near the town of Antrim (including a section of

RAF Aldergrove Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove or more simply JHC FS Aldergrove is located south of Antrim, Northern Ireland and northwest of Belfast and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is sometimes referred to simply as Alde ...

) and from Greenmount to Muckamore Corner with the road junction of the B39 'Seven Mile Straight.' The Clady Circuit was shortened in 1947 to a length of with the omission of the Aldergrove section from Thorn Cottage to Greenmount. The ''short'' Clady Circuit now ran from Clady Corner to

Nutts Corner Royal Air Force Nutts Corner or more simply RAF Nutts Corner is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Crumlin, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and north west of Belfast. It was originally a civil airfield, then it became a military ...

on the primary A52 Belfast to Crumlin Road and used a section of the primary A 26

Banbridge Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iv ...

to Coleraine Road from Nutts Corner to Muckamore House near Antrim. For the

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yug ...

racing season the Clady Circuit was abandoned for motor-cycle racing and the

as part of the FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship was moved to the nearby

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, Northe ...

in Co Antrim.

Speed and Race Records

The lap record for the ''short'' Clady Circuit is 9 Minutes and 21 seconds at an average speed of set by Les Graham riding a 500cc MV Agusta 4C during the

1952 Ulster Grand Prix The 1952 Ulster Grand Prix was the sixth round of the 1952 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 14–16 August 1952 at the Clady Circuit. 500 cc classification 350 cc classification 250 cc classification 12 ...

. The lap record for the 1922–1939 Clady Circuit is 12 minutes and 17.8 seconds at an average speed of by

Dorino Serafini Teodoro "Dorino" Serafini (22 July 1909 – 5 July 2000) was a motorcycle road racer and racing driver from Italy. A native of Pesaro (Marche), he won the 1939 500cc European Championship on a Gilera. He participated in one Formula One World C ...

riding a 500cc

Gilera Gilera is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in Arcore in 1909 by Giuseppe Gilera (1887–1971). In 1969, the company was purchased by Piaggio. History In 1935, Gilera acquired rights to the Rondine four-cylinder engine. It was, at th ...

motor-cycle during the 1939 Ulster Grand Prix. The race record for the ''short'' Clady Circuit is an average speed of set by Cromie McCandless riding a 500cc Gilera also during the 1952 Ulster Grand Prix.

Sources

{{MotoGP circuits Defunct motorsportsport venues in Northern Ireland Grand Prix motorcycle circuits Sports venues in County Antrim Motorcycle Road Racing Venues

History

Speed and Race Records

See also

Sources