The Ulster Automobile Club (UAC) celebrates its Centenary next year. Here we present its prestigious history, events, and some of the motorsport legends it has helped create.

Originally formed as the Ulster Automobile Sports Car Club (UASC) in 1925, the UAC has run many of Northern Ireland’s most legendary motorsport events. The RAC Tourist Trophy races at Dundrod, the Ulster Trophy races, the Circuit of Ireland International Rally, plus the Ballybannon and Craigantlet Hill Climbs, are all stories of its success, and the chronological history of how the Club has developed offers some fascinating context ahead of next year’s celebrations.

1900 to 1930

The first Hill Climb at Ballybannon took place more than 20 years before the UASC came into being, run as part of the Irish Gordon Bennett Race – promoted by the New York paper magnate. It was held on closed roads in Castlewellan, close to Newcastle and the Mourne Mountains, in 1903. Ten years later, on 2nd May 1913, the first Hill Climb at Craigantlet was held – now the second oldest Hill Climb venue still in use – in the outskirts of Belfast.

The opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament by King George V and Queen Mary in 1921 then led to the introduction of the Motor Vehicles Road Races Act on 10 June, 1922. That allowed the permitting of motor racing on closed roads in Ulster and, soon after, ambitious plans were hatched by Harry Ferguson – the Chairman of the Sports Committee of the Motor Trades Association – and several other members of the organisation to hold an International Motor Race on the 22-mile Clady Circuit between Crumlin, Antrim and North Belfast.

The event, which was proposed for September 1922, failed to come to fruition due to widespread political unrest and the outbreak of civil war in the South of Ireland, and although the first Ulster Grand Prix was held on the Clady Circuit, on 14th October 1922, it was run for motorcycles only. Two years later, a special committee of motor agents and private owners made another attempt to run the first Ulster Car Grand Prix, but when Stanley Pyper – a director of Stanley Motor Works in Belfast – was killed in an accident, with his mechanic Charles Conquer escaping unhurt, the race was delayed again, this time until June 6th 1925.

During the remainder of 1924, several meetings were held to discuss the creation of a motor car organisation for Ulster, to be run as a potential branch of the London-based Royal Automobile Club. On 11th September 1925, several gentlemen met in Chichester Street, in Belfast – initially to discuss plans for a Hill Climb at Ballybannon in County Down. By the end of the meeting, the UASC had been formed. The Club was subsequently affiliated with the Royal Irish Automobile Club (RIAC) in Dublin and the Hill Climb the meeting had originally been gathered for was run just under a month later, on 3rd October, with a field of 63 entries.

The following year, in 1926, the Club created and ran the Magilligan Strand Races, which were held on a seven-mile stretch of beach in County Derry / Londonderry close to Downhill, the home of local North Coast landmark Mussenden Temple. Like Ballybannon, the races, which were held on 1st May, were successful mainly because most of the officials were
experienced at running motorcycle races on behalf of the Ulster Motor Cycle Club and Motor Cycle Union of Ireland. The UASC returned for a further set of races on 17th July, attracting around 5,000 spectators, and during the following years Hill Climbs were held at Ballybannon, Craigantlet and Red Brae (near Carrickfergus) in addition to the races at Magilligan, while UAC founding members Wallace McLeod and Harry Ferguson were responsible for bringing the Tourist Trophy Race to Ards in 1928.

1931 to 1945

In August 1931 the UASC organised the first Ulster Motor Rally, using a similar format to the Monte Carlo Rally. This event was the forerunner of what is considered to be the second oldest rally in the World, the Circuit of Ireland International Rally, and was part of the Ulster Motor Week, which was created by Wallace McLeod, a UASC founding member and motoring correspondent for the Belfast Newsletter.

At the following year’s UASC AGM, the word ‘Sports’ was formally removed from the name, resulting in the current badge and title, and the newly-named UAC became very active in its first year. Once again, the Ulster Motor Week proved a huge success, with the Craigantlet Hill Climb on Saturday 13th August, followed by the 750-mile Ulster Motor Rally on the Monday and Tuesday, TT practice on the Wednesday and Thursday – with the Concours D’Elegance in Bangor on the Wednesday afternoon, and a motor ball on the Thursday evening – and the TT closing things off on Saturday 20th August.

In 1934, the Club organised the County Down Trophy Race, introducing grid starts to Ireland for the very first time. The triangular course, located near Donaghadee, was just under four miles in length and its 30 laps resulted in a race distance of approximately 114 miles. Ulster’s public roads have been home to the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) International Tourist Trophy Races held over the Ards Circuit just outside Belfast between 1928 and 1936. The races were organised by the Ulster TT Race Committee which included representatives from the RAC and quite a few UAC members. The UAC were also heavily involved in the background of these events, providing personnel, organising publicity, producing newspaper articles and raising money by way of dinner dances in the Plaza ballroom in Belfast, with Junior TT children’s pedal car races as part of the entertainment. Archive footage can be found HERE.

1946 to 1956

The first British International races after World War Two were organised by the UAC, when the second International Ulster Trophy Races were held at Ballyclare in 1946. The International Ulster Trophy was won by Prince Bira of Siam in an ERA. Dundrod Circuit, on the outskirts of Lisburn, southwest of Belfast, then hosted the Ulster Trophy Grand Prix for Formula One and Formula Two cars from 1950 to 1953.

The 1951 event was the highlight of these Ulster Trophy Races, attended by the then Queen and her daughter Princess Margaret – in place of her father King George VI who was then in failing health – with the royal guests touring the course between races. The winner that year was F1’s reigning World Champion, Giuseppe Farina, in his Alfa Romeo, setting the fastest lap at 4 minutes and 44 seconds (approximately 94mph). Two years later, in 1953, future F1 World Champion Mike Hawthorn took home the Trophy driving his factory Ferrari Tipo 500.

The RAC Tourist Trophy Races – which were entirely separate events for racing sports cars – were also held at Dundrod in September, from 1950 until 1955 (except in 1952) and while they were officially organised by the RAC, much of the organisation was carried out by the UAC. The first two races in the series were rather disappointing entry wise, largely ignored by the continental drivers and factories. However, the 1952 race was cancelled, the RAC handed the complete race organisation to the UAC for 1953, and things started to change. The race was included as the sixth round of the World Sports Car Championship, held just six days after the 1000km Nürburgring event, and sitting on the calendar alongside the legendary Le Mans, Targa Florio and Mille Miglia road races.

At that time, the top Grand Prix drivers also contested sports car events and the 1953 event – the 20th running of the RAC Tourist Trophy – was won by Peter Collins and Pat Griffiths in an Aston Martin DB3S. In 1954 and ‘55, the late-season scheduling saw the Championship reaching its climax at Dundrod, with the world’s best battling it out, two drivers per car, for more than 80 laps and seven hours of drama.

Legendary racing marques included the silver Mercedes, red Ferraris and Maserati’s and green Jaguars and Aston Martins, while drivers included F1 legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari – who between them had won every F1 Drivers World Championship title from 1951 to 1957 – alongside sports car specialists such as veteran silver fox Piero Taruffi, dashing young Eugenio Castellotti, fiery Frenchman Jean Behra and British drivers Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn. A local hero named Desmond Titterington shared the lone factory-entered D Type Jaguar with Hawthorn in 1955, and challenged the almost unbeatable three-car Mercedes team until the car cried enough with a few laps to go, handing victory to Moss in the 300SLR.

Many historians would regard those last two UAC-organised TT races as the greatest motorsport events ever held in Ireland. Indeed, some regard them at least on a level of importance, at the time, with the British Grand Prix. Sadly, however, the Golden Jubilee year of the Tourist Trophy in 1955 was the last time Dundrod hosted a motor race. Three drivers perished that day in fiery accidents and with the cars getting larger and faster – the fastest topping 150mph – the RAC deemed the narrow real road course, with its challenging high-speed corners and undulations mostly lined by high grass banks, too dangerous for motor racing.

1957 and beyond

As time moved on, the UAC continued to promote high profile and local races but also began to organise other motorsport events such as Autotests, Sprints, Hill Climbs, Targa Rallies, Special Stage Rallies, Trials and more. During the 1960s and 70s, the UAC held race meetings at Bishopscourt Circuit, Downpatrick, approximately 21 miles south of Belfast. The three-mile course took in half of the main runway and then ran around the perimeter roads for the remainder of the lap. Races were also run on temporary courses at RAF Long Kesh, Lisburn and Cluntoe airfield in County Tyrone.

The first race held at Bishopscourt, in September 1962, was for 1172cc side-valve Ford Specials and was won by local racing car constructor John Crosslé. Malcolm Templeton took the Champion Trophy for Formula Junior cars in his Lotus, beating the Gemini of John Pollock, who recorded the fastest lap with a 91.37mph average. In 1963, the UAC revived the legendary 1950s Ulster Trophy race, raising Bishopscourts Racing Circuit profile considerably. In the 1966 event, Tommy Reid broke the 100mph barrier when he set a course average of 100.75mph in a 4.7-litre Crosslé-Shelby Ford Cobra.

Hill Climbing has played a major part in the Club’s history and upwards of 20 top British Hill Climb Championship contenders, some of whom have been seen flying up the famous Craigantlet hill, approaching the final corner at over 150mph. There is a strong contingent of local drivers who give a very good account of themselves over the 1460-yard climb, with some of the machinery accelerating faster than an F1 car off the start line. Events have also been run at Knockagh, close to Carrickfergus, all well supported by local competitors. The Club also runs a Targa Rally known as the ‘It’s Not The Boxing Day Rally’ – many years ago it was held on Boxing Day, but due to changes in the law related to hangovers, it was moved to the 27th! The fun event attracts a strong field, keen to get involved, shake off the turkey and get some fresh air.

Autotests and Sprints have also been used to present opportunities for young Club members to begin their motorsport career, alongside seasoned veterans honing their driving skills. The UAC run a Championship Autotest in March, and an October Sprint, which has produced some stunt drivers and very talented racing drivers over the years.

Circuit of Ireland International Rally

The Ulster Motor Rally began life as a 750-mile ‘jaunt around Ireland’ and was won by Jimmy Mc Caherty, accompanied by Winslow Trimble, in an Austin 16 Saloon. The event was
a descendant of the car section of the Irish end-to-end motorcycle trial first run in 1928 and was the first of its kind in Britain or Ireland. Based on the Monte Carlo Rally, it had five starting points – John O’Groats, Land’s End, Dover, Belfast and Bantry. The 77 entrants had to pass multiple route checks and complete 500 miles to qualify as finishers. The ‘sting in the tail’ was that the last 24 miles was a regularity test, which had to be completed at an average of 24mph.

The 1931 event involved Donald Healey, shortly after his win on the Monte Carlo Rally and producer of the legendary Healey sportscars, and during the next five years the UAC enhanced the test for man and machine. By 1936, the event was titled the Circuit of Ireland Trial and had been extended to 1,089 miles, starting and finishing in Bangor, County Down, having visited Killarney in the deep South; Clifden in the far West; and followed a route around Ireland close to its coastline.

The 1936 event was won by Basil Clark and Ronnie Adams – who was 17 at the time and home from boarding school – in an Austin 16 Kempton Saloon. Over the next 19 years the Trial was suspended from 1940 to 1945 during World War Two, and again in 1948 due to petrol rationing. During this time, Chris Lindsay won the 1949 event on his own in a Ford Nufor Special, an achievement which has never been repeated.

The winner of the ‘Circuit’ in 1955 and 1956, Robin McKinney, was Clerk of the Course for the Circuit of Ireland International Rally in 1961 and introduced the concept of special stages on closed public roads – and was Club president for over 30 years. This was initially only in the Republic of Ireland, but from 1965 it was extended to stages in Northern Ireland. In the interim, one of the most famous rally drivers in the world, Paddy Hopkirk, won the Circuit of Ireland Rally, the first of his five triumphs, three of which were alongside co-driver Terry Harryman, who also sat with Ari Vatanen and is a past Chairman of the UAC.

In 1958, the Circuit began to attract high quality sponsorships and went on to be backed by companies including Benson & Hedges, Rothmans, Bank of Ireland Finance and the Automobile Association. Adrian Boyd, with navigator Maurice Johnston, won the ‘Circuit’ in 1960 driving an Austin Healey Sprite at just 19. The brother of Derek Boyd, also an accomplished rally driver, he returned to first place on the podium again in 1971 in a Ford Escort Twin Cam with another famous name in Irish motorsport, Beatty Crawford, the brother of award-winning photographer Esler Crawford. Adrian also competed in a Renault Alpine during the late 1970s which he had restored. Rosemary Smith, one of the few professional lady drivers who duelled with Stirling Moss’ sister, Pat Carlsson, was ably navigated by the wife of Frank Biggar, who was the joint winner of the 1956 Monte Carlo Rally. And on the 1978 event, Markku Alen famously commented that the Circuit was “a harder rally than any round of the World Championship.”

During its 93-year history, it has been a round of the British and European Rally Championships attracting many of the world’s top manufacturer teams and drivers, as well as many famous local competitors. It has been won by Jimmy McRae seven times, with Paddy Hopkirk taking five wins and Roger Clark, Billy Coleman and Russell Brookes three each. Other high-profile entrants have included Chris Sclater, Markku Alen, Hannu Mikkola, Per Eklund, Jan Henriksson, Ari Vatanen, Penti Airikkala, Cathal Curley, Brian Nelson, Billy Coleman, the McCartney brothers, Malcolm Wilson, Rosemary Smith,David Richards, Bertie Fisher, Derek McGarrity, Adrian Boyd. Colin McRae, the first British World Rally Drivers Champion in 1995, won the event in 1991 age 22, and Craig Breen was another famous winner. Both were taken too early and are sadly missed by so many.

In the 1980s, Rodney McComb established an event called the UAC Circuit of Ireland Retrospective. This Rally took place over open public roads, replicating the style of the events held in the 1950s and included night navigation, Autotests and regularity sections. The popular event started and finished from a different place each year and utilised many of the classic Circuit stages.

The Circuit of Ireland International Rally has survived the ‘troubles’, foot and mouth disease, freak weather, as well as financial ups and downs. For a variety of reasons, it was ‘slimmed down’ to two days – mostly to meet new competition rules issued by the FIA and Motorsport UK. Allied to developing technology and increased safety requirements, many of the classic stages were not wellsuited to the 21st Century without creating artificial chicanes and other modifications to ensure average speeds remain ‘below the bogey’ – the time set by organisers for competitors on each special stage.

The Club was a founding member of the Tarmac Rally Organisers Association (TROA) which was set up to promote and organise International Rallies in Ireland. The UAC is still organising and promoting the Circuit at Easter every year, now with increased collaboration from other motor clubs in the province, which is yet another innovative approach to motorsport management. The organisers are all looking forward to a special event between 18th-21st April in 2025 during the Club’s 100th Anniversary.

The Club organised celebrations for the 100th Anniversary of the Road Races Act in 2022, held at Mount Stewart, a world-famous National Trust Property on the Ards Peninsula. Children from the age of three to nine participated in pedal cars races, their energy and enthusiasm creating a set of highly charged battles while having great fun.

In 2020, the Club introduced its Future Champions programme, donating £500 each to four young members to help them progress their motorsport careers. Adam McMullan and Ben McKee are now rapidly rising through the ranks of Autotesting; Dan Harper is currently competing as part of the BMW Junior Team and is a past Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Champion. William Creighton and Liam Regan won the Junior British Rally Championship in 2022, and were crowned WRC Junior Champions in 2023. In 2022, the programme was extended to give £500 each to four women club members, Kathy McDade, Emma Campbell, Katherine Donnelly and Amy Hawthorne – all of whom have made significant progress in their disciplines of hill climbs and sprints.

The UAC is now one of the larger motor clubs in Ireland, with its membership extending to six of the seven continents and including famous names such as ex-F1 driver John Watson, seven-time Circuit of Ireland winner Jimmy McRae and Terry Harryman, a former world-class navigator with Paddy Hopkirk, Ari Vatanen and many others. The Club continues to innovate, create and inspire, based on the raft of experience built from its historic past. This results in a wide range of high-quality events which are world renowned, and which the Club will be giving an extra sparkle in 2025 to celebrating its special anniversary, while also looking towards a strong and successful future.