From the first race in 1922,the Ulster Grand Prix has been one of the most thrilling events in the international motorcycling calendar,attracting enormous crowds of spectators to watch the world's great riders in action. Now,a century on,the UGP holds a special place in the hearts of fans here in Northern Ireland and across the world.
A lifelong fan,Norman Windrum has been attending the UGP for seventy-five years and has an unmatched knowledge of the race and its history. In this new book,he vividly captures the excitement of the event,from Hubert Hassall's win in the first race in 1922 to Tom Herron's magnificent treble in 1978 and the domination of the Dunlop dynasty from the 1980s on.
With over 100 photographs,alongside lively commentary and stories,and bringing together statistics about the race from across its entire history,this is the definitive account of one hundred years of the Ulster Grand Prix.
Publisher: Colourpoint Creative LtdISBN: 9781780733050Number of pages: 192Dimensions: 198 x 256 mm
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As sports books go,this has to be one of the very best I have ever read and has over 100 pages packed with information,facts,figures,stats and pictures,which really chronicles Norman's account of his favourite motorcycle road race....If you bike fans want all of the facts then you'll find them in the book.
The story of the UGP is told via Norman Windrum's detailed and loving narrative enhanced by historical programme covers and many action photographs.The forty-five pages of statistics at the end are fascinating in themselves.The book...is a beautiful production.Anyone with even just an inkling of interest in motorcycle racing and Northern Irish sport generally would do themselves a favour and buy this book.
Windrum writes engagingly about the shift from the Clady to the Dundrod circuit and about the heroes of the event - champions Mike Hailwood and John Surtees,Tom Herron and his 1978 triple victory,Ron Haslam,and the triumphant Dunlop dynasty,most of whom he's seen in action - but also the organisational and sponsorship problems which have been constant. Even the supporters'club rebelled one year. In some ways it's not so much the safety aspect of racing between kerbs and lamp-posts that makes the event's survival remarkable,precarious as it remains,as the relentlessly uphill organisational battles it has faced.
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