Established 1925
Regrettably the Ulster Automobile Club have had to cancel the event scheduled for Saturday 9th September, due to a lack of entries. The Club would like to thank all those who helped to organise the event and apologise to all the homeowners and famers for any inconvenience this cancellation has caused. Thank you for your continued support.
Visit the wheelspin page on our website.
Thanks to the editor Paul Robinson for all his hard work gathering the content.
Regulations for Knockagh Hill Climb on Saturday 9th September 2023 can be found under the events tab on this site.
Entries made via Rallyscore close at 5:00 pm on Wednesday 6th September 2023.
The UAC July Sprint date has been changed to 8th July 2023.
Regulations can be found below.
A special date for the diary – one with a lot of history!
The Ulster Automobile Club are proud to announce that there will a static display of cars which took part in the Circuit of Ireland Retrospective event in front of Mount Stewart House on Sunday 2nd of July 2023. The ‘Retro’ was a rally which focussed on the cars from the 60’s to the 80’s and followed many of the original Circuit of Ireland Rally Stages, only this time the roads weren’t closed. The weekend event started on a Friday night with a number of auto tests followed by a gruelling night navigation test.
Saturday and Sunday comprised of more auto tests and regularity sections where an average speed had to be maintained between a number of points, a true test of skill and mental agility, just like the original Circuit of Ireland before Road Closed Stages were introduced.
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Alex Summers arrived into Belfast last Friday with his DJ Firestorm for scrutiny at Campbell College along with 19 other competitors from the Avon Tyres Motorsport UK British Hill Climb Championship (BHC) to entertain us all on Patterson Electronics Hytera Craigantlet Hill Climb, kindly supported by Belfast City Council. (Pic A).
Alex was runner up to Wallace Menzies BHC battle and here at Craigantlet in 2022. He wasted no time in getting to grips with the slippery surface on the hill in his practice runs. Alex set the fastest time of the day, 39.97 seconds on his first timed run, just 0.85 seconds off the current record, (a superb result given the changeable weather conditions) which earned him first overall and the prestigious News Letter Trophy. (Pic B).
Read moreThe Ulster Automobile Club (UAC) are thrilled to announce that we have a new title sponsor for Craigantlet Hill Climb; Hytera Communications, who are a leading global provider of professional radio communications equipment and solutions. They are dedicated to bringing the most value-added and user-centric solutions to organisations across the world, with a portfolio of devices, systems and software applications to offer voice, video and data services, providing fast, safe and reliable connectivity solutions for mission-critical communications.
Ian Culbert, (in the blue shirt above), Sales Director of Patterson Electronics, Hytera Communications partner in Northern Ireland, commented “We are extremely delighted to be the title sponsor of Craigantlet as we recognise the significance of this event in the British and ANICC Hill Climb Championships. It is one of the fastest in the series. A hill of two halves, it presents fast sweeping corners, tight uphill twists and a spectacular finish. We have been working with the UAC on this and other events for many years now and have always been a dedicated supporter of motorsport. Craigantlet is a superb event for beginners and experienced drivers alike, exceedingly well organised by a friendly and supportive team of dedicated volunteers and we are extremely proud to be associated with the event and want to wish everyone involved a safe and enjoyable day on the Hill.”
The Club are also delighted to announce that Belfast City Council has just agreed to support the event as well, so look forward to a great day of motorsport!!
Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Christina Black, commented ‘I am delighted Belfast City Council can continue to show our support to this long-standing, historic sporting event and I welcome all motor sport enthusiasts to our city. The beautiful Craigantlet Hills create a perfect destination for drivers as they will make their way through the fast and technical course. I wish all the participants good luck on the day and fingers crossed for some good weather too so that everyone can really enjoy an exciting day of action! Good luck!
The organisers have attracted the top 20 contenders from the UK who are competing for the Motorsport UK Avon Tyres British Hill Climb Championship. These entries are complemented by 70 competitors from our local ANICC Championship, which will provide anyone attending the ‘Hill’ with an absolutely remarkable festival of driving skills and expertise, timed to the 100th of a second. The event will be held on Saturday 29th April 2023, on the outskirts of Belfast.
Please Note: Spectator access will only be allowed from the bottom of the Hill Climb Course (i.e. Belmont Road (B170) approaching from the Old Holywood Road / Massey Avenue directions).
Craigantlet hosts Rounds 3 & 4 of the 2023 Motorsport UK British Hillclimb Championship (BHC) supported by Avon Tyres. Clerk of the Course, Wilson Carson reflected, “The hard work of my team has resulted in a marvellous combination of cross channel and local entries consisting of the crème de la crème of British Hill Climbers. Wallace Menzies, current British Hill Climb Champion, returns to challenge Scott Moran and Dave Uren, current joint record holders of the coveted News Letter Trophy which is awarded to the driver who sets the Fastest Time of the Day (FTD). Alec Summers the 2022 BHC runner up also joins the fray, along with some very fast local competitors such as Tim Woodside, Graeme Thompson and Alan Cassells, so who will reign supreme? Our event programme, a must read, contains several articles from competitors, journalists and volunteers who share their experiences and love of our ‘Hill’, thanks must go to all who have contributed and made this quality production possible. All proceeds from programme sales go to support Macmillan Cancer Support at Antrim Area Hospital, our Club Charity for 2023.
Ryan McGimpsey (pictured above) started his challenge for the 2023 ANICC Motorsport Supplies Hill Climb Championship by setting a blistering pace at Croft last weekend, recording a superb time of 33.90 seconds, 0.34 seconds faster than his brother Richard and almost 4 seconds faster than Robert, the eldest member of this speeding dynasty!! Graham Thompson filled third place a mere 4 hundredths of a second behind Ryan. We are looking forward to the action at Craigantlet on Saturday week. Please join us for a day of great craic and seriously entertaining speed on closed public roads.
It is with a very heavy heart that we report the sad news of the death of Craig Breen. The Council and membership of the Ulster Automobile Club wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and all those mourning his loss. Craig was only 33, a young quiet professional and highly personable individual who inspired many young rally drivers and fans. He won the Circuit of Ireland International Rally in 2015 in a Peugeot 208 T16 and again in 2016 in a Citroen DS3 R5. He was a true talent who has been taken too soon and will be sadly missed by his family and everyone within motorsport across Ireland and the world. R.I.P Craig Breen.
Callum Devine and Noel Stevenson Jnr produced a stunning drive in their VW Polo GTi R5 to win the Milburn Concrete Circuit of Ireland Rally yesterday.
Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes who were the current Irish Tarmac Rally Championship leaders before the 70 stage miles on Saturday finished in second place 10.2s adrift in their Hyundai i20 R5.
Third place was filled by Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson in their VW Polo GTi R5 a further 37.1s behind the Hyundai.
The event started with 120 cars and the terrain took it’s toll losing 1/3 of the field. Thankfully Frank & Lauren Kelly were unhurt after their end over end roll, can’t say the same for ‘Baby Blue’ their the trusted Mark 2 Ford Escort. Another ‘incident’ on stage 8 meant that not every one had the chance to complete the final one. Congratulations must go to Cookstown Motor Club and their superb success in organising and running the ‘Circuit’, along with some ‘elderly’ folk from the UAC!
William Creighton and Liam Regan, WRC junior competitors finished in creditable 13th place. William is one of the UAC Future Champions and he doesn’t disappoint, well done that team!
