​I’d like to begin my report with a big thank you to our fuel sponsor, MOTOR SPIRIT, for
inviting us to exhibit our OUMF practical project cars at their headquarters at Bicester
Heritage, and so play a part in the ever-more popular ‘Scrambles’ that are regularly held there.
Also I’d like to mention all the members whose great team-working and sense of fun got the
cars beautifully prepped and made sure we all made the most of this great opportunity.

Tuesday 3rd October

Our Club Nights at The Britannia are where the planning for OUMF events takes place, over a
drink and food, with Ding chairing and announcing plans and recapping on work to do, and
work accomplished over the last week. Imagine a prophet circled by disciples! That evening the
prep and planning for the Autumn Scramble was the focus, which is an event that is looked on
by most of our members as an opportunity to ‘geek out’ at classic, vintage, and supercars. By
the end of the evening, the sign up sheet was filled with interested members wanting to go to
the event, and over the course of the rest of the week the team worked on getting the ‘Inca’
Alfa Sprint GT and the Riley 1.5 rally car in shape for the Scramble. The cars were cleaned,
spanner checks were carried out, levels checked, and any leaks or other issues addressed. All
the logistical requirements for the event were also arranged and taken in hand by members.

​After the incident at the Goodwood Revival, the OUMF Riley 1.5 required a comprehensive pull on a
repair jig to get it back into shape. We were extremely lucky to find that Max and his Dad Neil felt able
to help the team with this job, especially as their workshop, in the town of March in Cambridgeshire,
is widely known for its expertise in restoring accident damaged modern and historic automobiles.

​

Those of you who have been following OUMF recently will have seen that we now have a current project in the form of a Riley Kestrel. This has been on display to the public at the NEC Classic Motor Show in November 2022, and many will have seen it in a particularly sorry state… body panels missing, half painted, no interior - the list of things that were missing or badly damaged was probably longer than the list of what was present. Some of you may wonder, what prompted this departure from the dedicated competition car projects to date, and where did this car come from?

However, before I address these questions, I should first say that – possibly to the surprise of many - this wasn’t how we got it, even though it was fully running and driving when it arrived! So, how on earth did the car end up in the state that is in now?

Firstly, I’d like to take a moment to say a big thank you to all of our sponsors and the individuals who made this week possible. Without you, this would not have been feasible and we are all better off for experiencing this opportunity.

​Welcome to the latest OUMF update - and the most important news is that we are still going! -
despite the best efforts of Covid, Putin, and the economic downturn to kybosh this amazingly resilient &
resourceful student initiative. This edition of the OUMF Newsletter reflects one pithy bit of feedback
about previous ones: “Nobody wants to read a telephone directory of thanks you’s. We all know you’re
grateful! Just give us the highlights – and make it snappy!” Wise advice, acted on, and we hope you enjoy
the shorter, clearer, more digestible result! If your appetite is not appeased, and you find yourself hungry
for more, please see our OUMF website for further news, detailed race reports, great photos, the roll of
our many great supporters, and much more. So here goes…

​Given that time has passed, and exact recollections of this event will soon become hazy, it is with some urgency that this report has been compiled in order to document that great Silverstone weekend.
The latest intake of new students meant that our team was not short of members, with us committing ourselves to a team of about 30. With 9 tickets in hand, this was already set to become quite the logistical challenge.

The National Classic Motor Show, which takes place at the NEC Birmingham exhibition centre, has invited OUMF to stage their own 80 square foot stand at this years exhibition. The show plays host to a great many orginisations and clubs of classic cars, and most importantly multiple different orginisations that are integral to OUMFs mission and provide invaluable support for our multitude of projects. 

The annual ‘Historics on the Hill’ at Lydden is always a cracker, and it is exclusive to members of the
HRDC (Historic Racing Drivers Club) of which OUMF is an invited founder member thanks to our
magnanimous patron Julius Thurgood. The layout of this wonderful little track means that spectators
have unobstructed views of every inch of the racing action, and also the limited number on the grids
translates into a great deal of time spent out on track.

​This year the OUMF team brought both the
Sebring Sprite and Riley 1.5, resulting in 8 sessions in five and a half hours between the two cars!