Author: Paul Robinson
Publisher: Robinson Books
Northern Ireland enjoyed a unique status from the 1920s onwards, as the only part of the United Kingdom where public roads could be closed for motor racing. Eventually that would lead to the TT races of the 1930s and 1950s which cemented the names Ards and Dundrod into motor racing annals. This book chronicles the earlier efforts of the Belfast motor dealers and other enthusiasts to organise events which also attracted drivers from the rest of the United Kingdom. It is the story of hill climbs at Ballybannon, Craigantlet and Red Brae, sand races on Magilligan Strand and the aborted Ulster Grand Prix at Clady, cancelled after a fatal crash. Extensive research by Paul Robinson has revealed the key part in these efforts by Harry Ferguson, later to become world famous as the inventor of the three point hitch that revolutionised the tractor market and whose vision lead to the Ferguson Four Wheel Drive system. Each event is explored in detail from its origins and the course itself, through to the entrants, the running of the event, reporting in the newspapers and the results.
This is a part of the motoring history of the United Kingdom that has not been in the spotlight previously and this book fills out the details. It is self-published by the author, Paul Robinson and is available from Robinson Books at www.robinsonbooks.co.uk
Published 2023
Price: £30.00
ISBN: #978-1-7393118-2-7
