Derisory effort after circuit of track going the wrong way (6)
I believe the answer is:
paltry
'derisory' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'effort after circuit of track going the wrong way' is the wordplay.
'effort' becomes 'try' ('try' can be a synonym of 'effort').
'after' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'circuit of track' becomes 'lap' (I've seen this before).
'going the wrong way' is a reversal indicator.
'lap' backwards is 'pal'.
'try' after 'pal' is 'PALTRY'.
(Other definitions for paltry that I've seen before include "Petty - trifling" , "Mean, petty" , "Minor, insignificant" , "Measly, trifling" , "Derisory" .)