 Some race weekends begin with excitement, this one began with urgency, exhaustion, and the quiet hope that all our late-night efforts would finally pay off. On the evening leading off a sunny October 18th Saturday, the last race of the HRDC season approached, we set off for Silverstone Circuit with two of our race cars in tow. The drive toward the massive Silverstone complex carried routine for regular members and an insightful look into what OUMF does for the 2025 freshmen.
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It was the morning of Saturday September 20 th , the day before race day, and not one idle hand could be seen at the OUMF HQ as we were preparing for… The Annual Freshers BBQ! Though this may have appeared to be typical OUMF last minute antics, but for once, we were prepared, and far from the last minute. The Riley 1.5 and Sebring Sprite had been spanner checked and were ready to hit the west country track before the weekend had begun. The BBQ commenced with some members scurrying to make their very own pop-up restaurant while others undertook the ferrying of between 100 - 150 freshers from pub to HQ for a day of socialising, eating, and most importantly, recruitment of future race engineers! The end of Ding’s ‘Kings speech’ to the newcomers marked the start of our race weekend. As freshers walked on down the drive feeling enthusiastic at the prospect of joining OUMF, we got to work packing our showcased projects away, loading the two race cars onto their trailers and sorting who was to go in who’s car to get to Castle Combe circuit before dark…but only just! Arriving at the circuit at sunset, we had to hurriedly unload the trailers and promptly set off to make it to the Bell Inn in time for the team dinner. Afterwards, with our stomachs full and aching from laughter, we headed back to the circuit to unload some of the van to make room for Ding to sleep in it, and pitched our tents, ready for a 6am wake up. Though most voted against it, Eddie Scheer, Evan Dunbabin-Wray, Christos Karakitsios and myself honoured our tradition and embarked on a windy track walk to partake in certain superstitious rituals en route to ensure race day was as fruitful as possible!   On a wet Wednesday afternoon, the OUMF team departed for the Goodwood Motor Circuit, with the Riley 1.5 trailered securely behind Ollie’s dad’s Land Rover Defender. The journey was made in persistent rain, which seemed to be following us down south. Upon arrival, the team established their base at the campsite, marking out the OUMF area before erecting the Le Mans tent. This task was made more difficult by frequent heavy downpours, leaving most of the team drenched by the time camp was fully set up. The paddocks were then organised into a functional workshop space, with tools, equipment, and spares arranged for use over the coming days. With the essentials in place, the team headed to a nearby country pub for a well-earned dinner, which provided a chance to dry off, warm up, and discuss the plans for the weekend ahead.
The famous Gold Cup weekend marked OUMF’s return to the spectacular Oulton Park circuit after two years - and the racing was as exciting as ever. The beautiful thing about racing historics is its like hopping into a time machine and travelling back to the golden age of racing. We took our Riley racer to compete in the Jack Sears Trophy, and “Little BeWT” the Sebring Sprite in the Dunlop Allstars. Of course, the mighty Ding Boston in the driver’s seat.   At 8am on June 23rd 2025, the team of 13 left the barn, bound for the 12:50 DFDS ferry departing from the Port of Dover. After a very straightforward and comfortable journey, we docked in Calais and drove in the direction of Kris and Patricia's house in Hollebeke, Belgium. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a very warm welcome and plenty of cold Belgian beers. Those who took the generous offer of staying in a real bed, unpacked their bags from the cars whilst everyone else headed to the campsite. A delicious dinner was had at a restaurant in Ypres town centre, consisting of meats hanging from sticks, huge bowls of carbonara, and Ollie and Ding sharing what looked like half a cow! The team relaxed after a long day of travelling and a stressful week of engine rebuilding before.
The following morning, everyone gathered at the Total Energies petrol station, where we thanked Katrien for kindly providing us with some fuel cards. Both the Riley and the Volvo were topped up before heading to the next destination: Pieter-Jan’s workshop. There, the Riley was carefully unloaded from the trailer and settled into what would be its home base for the next few days. A thorough inspection of each corner of the car was conducted, then Pieter-Jan delivered a valuable hands-on lesson in carburettor tuning. He noted that the Riley was running slightly too rich and demonstrated how to adjust the settings for optimal performance. At 5pm, Ding and Sean left the workshop in the Riley, with its newly tuned carburettor, to head into the town centre, and they returned a couple of hours later with the road book and tracker.  In true OUMF last-minute fashion, the weekend kicked off with an email sent out at 10:39, requesting the team to gather for an 11:00 start at the barn. As cars rolled down the drive and students poured out, a warm blanket of sun saw the team don sunglasses, hats, and suncream – a welcome change from the dark, wet evenings we had all grown used to while working on the projects over winter. As the first race of the season – and the first ever race for some of the lucky freshers to make the team (myself included) – a buzz of excitement filled the barn and yard during the final preparations before departure. We secured the race cars onto the trailers, shut the van doors for the last time, and all piled into the convoy vehicles (smallest person goes in the middle seat!), stopping briefly before the circuit for a Sainsbury’s pit stop for some student essentials – beer, energy drinks and sweets.
The 20th of October marked the final round in OUMF’s 14th year racing in the HRDC. Our Riley One Point Five competing in the ‘Jack Sears Trophy’ and the Austin Healey Seabring Sprite in the ‘Dunlop Allstars’. This event would be impossible without the support of the HRDC’s Race Director, Julius Thurgood; him being a key player into letting us race at some of the UK’s finest circuits. This weekend to many of the new freshers, including myself would be their debut race weekend, meaning Ding had his work cut out to pick out a team with the 92+ different members who had joined the club the month prior. The week of Silverstone a list was organized, being a team of 9 previous members to be supported by 10 freshers to ensure the weekend would run as smooth as possible, along with giving the opportunity to see how the freshers would fit in the team and compare to many professional race teams there that weekend.  The Team and cars in the Silverstone pits
The preparations for me began on Thursday evening when I arrived having been away from OUMF due to the start of my placement. It was good to be back at the barn and part of the team again. The team gathered to give our trusty Riley a final once-over before the big weekend. Everything was looking good and by Saturday morning, the Riley was primed and ready to go. We packed up the van, loaded the Riley, and hit the road at 4 PM, bound for Brands Hatch with excitement and optimism.
The OUMF Austin Healey Sebring Sprite had been lucky enough to spend a few months on sabbatical leave at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon – and some readers may have seen it on its own display in the entrance foyer. For us at OUMF this was an opportunity we could not miss; a chance to exhibit the 6 year practical project representing the engineering efforts of 100’s of students. At Gaydon – away from the racetrack - the public could get up close and personal with the car and admire all its beautiful details. Upon collecting our ‘Little BeWT’, a week before it was to be on track at Donington, Jeff Coope (the museum’s MD) kindly took Ding and I for some lunch, over which he described the huge public interest there had been in not only the Sprite, but the overall concept of OUMF and the incredible opportunities it gives us as students. Once we were full of sandwiches and cake, the Sprite was loaded onto the trailer in no time with the help of some visitors, and we set off down the M40, Oxford bound!  The OUMF team’s plan was to leave on the afternoon of Saturday 29th July for Oulton Park’s signature Gold Cup, as our race in the Riley - The Jack Sears Trophy - was on Sunday 30th July…or so we thought until 1pm on the Friday afternoon! At that point it was realised that the race was ACTUALLY on Saturday 29th! Now most of you, I’m sure, might say that once the simple mistake is realised, it's an easy fix: ‘just’ pack and leave immediately for the circuit, right? Well, yes, but at this point the team was heading out to collect a semi-dismantled TVR Wedge that had been
Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit |
 | The Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation race team has further cemented its reputation as the top student team in historic motor racing and rallying by another giant killing triumph in Belgium in June in their well-known grey Riley 1.5. This year saw its 8th successive run in the Ypres Rally – one of the hardest and most prestigious annual stage rallies in Europe, with a global audience. |
