Northern Irish rider John Ennis, 24, from Andersons Hill, Newtownards, in County Down, Northern Ireland, suffered a fatal accident during the Classic 250 race of the Mid-Antrim 150 meeting. It happened at approximately 16h45 on Saturday, 02 August 1997.
On the final lap of the race, John Ennis lost control of his motorcycle at the Alexander's Leap, along the Cloughwater Road in Broughshane within the Borough of Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bike crashed into a wall and John Ennis was killed almost instantly. Another competitor, John Campell was involved in the accident, suffering a broken leg.
The meeting was abandoned, following the tragic accident. John Ennis was the winner of the previous edition of the Classic 250 race at Mid-Antrim, in 1996.
The Mid-Antrim Motor Club staged the first Mid-Antrim 100 (later 150) in 1946 on the Ballygarvey Circuit, outside Ballymena Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. The race was run over a 6-mile (9.654-kilometer) public roads course. In 1947 the circuit was changed to a 10.4 mile (16.734-kilometer) public roads course with the races being run in a clockwise direction until 1954, and from 1955 in the reverse direction. This circuit was used until 1963. Later the Mid-Antrim 150 Road Race necessitated the move to a different track, the 5.7 mile (9.17-kilometer) Rathkenny Circuit. The first race on the present 3.6-mile (5.793-kilometer) circuit in Clough Village, was held in 1989.
R.I.P
