OUMF’s Ypres Rally 2025

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. 
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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.

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The sun rose on day 3 of the Ypres adventure and we went straight to Pieter-Jan’s. Whilst Ding and Sean recce’d their way around the Belgian roads, the team spent the morning removing the engine with their makeshift hoist, a forklift(!), to inspect a rather noisy clutch release bearing. 

With the engine out, we made the most of the opportunity to pull the steering rack and replace the right-hand track rod. It was a race against time, as Ding and Sean were due back from recce at around 4pm, and we had planned to head straight to Boezinge for the evening shakedown session. We had just enough time to align the wheels and capture some action shots of the car using Ollie’s drone.

The atmosphere in Boezinge was electric. The streets buzzed with excited chatter and the growl of rally cars rumbling towards the start line. Our marquee was up, proudly displaying the freshly printed Philips Tyres and OUMF banners on the newly velcroed sides, impossible to miss for anyone walking by!

At 7pm, having passed scrutineering, helmets were on and adrenaline was high. It was the moment of truth: time to see how the car, along with all our adjustments, would perform under pressure. As Ding and Sean roared off into the distance, the rest of the team could do nothing but wait, hoping all our hard work would pay off.

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After a nail-biting 45 minutes, the Riley appeared down the street and made its way back to the service area, when Ding and Sean emerged from their bucket seats, they told us that the intercom in Ding’s helmet was not working and that he wasn’t able to hear Sean at all the entire way around! It was determined that the wire connecting the battery to the helmet was having some issues and so a few members went on a mission to find someone who may have a spare connector. The first point of call was OUMF sponsors, Alltec-Seys, who told us that although they did not have it with them at the time, they would be able to sort us out with one in the morning and that we should come in then. News that was a great relief to hear as there would have been even bigger issues if the driver was not able to hear the co-driver on the competitive stages! For the time being though, Ding and Sean would have to swap helmets.
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Upon return, the Riley had been given a full spanner check and was given the all clear to head back out into shakedown.The car delivered an outstanding performance, with Ding remarking that it had never driven so well in all his time owning it. With no major concerns, the threat of a storm forecasted, and a team worn out by their busy day, it was decided to pack up and head back to the campsite.

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The first point of call on day four’s agenda was Alltec-Seys, who generously offered to find us a new helmet wire the evening previously. It was a great help and the team really enjoyed meeting their team and having a look around the shop.

Back at the workshop, the helmet issue was resolved and the rear bump stops were analysed. All the tools and equipment were packed up into the back of the Sprinter and a team of four set out for the destination of Shakedown 2, Nieuwkerke, to set up whilst the others waited for Ding and Sean to come back from recce-ing. 

Once through its second scrutineering, the Riley parked up under the marquees and the team got to work spanner checking and assessing some potential issues with the clutch slave cylinder, after a noise was heard coming from that area on the drive there. At the same time, the driver’s side window was refitted more securely and Charlie Lemme was collecting data from all the sensors he had been fitting, and logging the readings into a chart, hoping to determine whether there were any problems with the car that we weren’t aware of. Luckily, after a multitude of checks and inspections it would appear that there was nothing to be concerned about. 

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Out on the shakedown stage Ding pushed the Riley to the max, making sure to really get a feel for every part of the car - and to make sure things were running as they should. At the end of the run, there was a hay bale placed in the centre of the cobbles, designed for cars to show off their drifting skills to the throng of fans waiting in anticipation. Ding went for it (although a little wide) and the crowd went wild, the commentator even gave out a special announcement thanking OUMF for returning each year and explaining how they loved the car and its uniqueness.

Due to an earlier problem that closed the stage for 30 minutes, we decided that just the one time around was enough for the night, it was 10pm and the preparations for the competitive stages started bright and early the following day. Back in Ypres, we parked the Riley in its dedicated service bay and went to bed. 

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Friday morning, the first day of rallying was upon us. We didn’t have to be anywhere important until the ceremonial start at 3pm, so the morning was spent setting up the service area and doing some more checkovers of the car to make sure nothing had been missed. 

The ceremonial start was the spectacular Menin Gate. The Riley glistened in the Belgian sun as spectators watched as the oldest car on the entry list made its way across the starting podium. Back at service, the team waited to begin their 15 minute spanner check before the car went out to take on stages 1 and 2, and when it arrived, they promptly got to work!

Ding and Sean left on time and headed to the first stage located in Reninge. Guided by Sean’s instruction, Ding ripped through the winding country lanes, energised by the crowds cheering him on. The Riley showed no sign of stopping at stage 2, Langemark, and timings were looking good despite our class being changed at the last minute that placed us against a lot of Ford Escorts!
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Upon returning to Ypres, the rest of the team had their spanners at the ready for their 45 minute service. Ding and Sean sat down and discussed their thoughts on the behaviour of the car and how well they were working as a pair. It was concluded that there were no complaints from the crew and that the Riley was running incredibly well with pressures staying persistent and not falling into any red zones. 
No major problems were discovered during the service and soon the Riley was tucked up in parc fermé for the night, giving the team a chance to get something to eat and head out to watch the division 1 cars take on the night time stages. 

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The next day, the peaceful dawn chorus was soon overtaken by the buzz of alarm clocks and excited chatter coming from the tents. By 7:45, the team had gathered at the service area, ready to begin their initial checks as the car made its return from parc fermé. Once everything had been carefully inspected and given the green light, the Riley roared to life and set off toward stages 3-6.
At Dikkebus and Watou things were running smoothly. No worrying updates came through from Sean to the team, who were back in town monitoring the live timing feeds with sharp eyes and steady nerves. At Kemmel, Ding floored it around the cobbled hairpin, much to the awe of onlookers, and flew off and out of sight. However, during the stage at Zillebeke, the first warning signs of something not being quite right began to show. 

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When the crew returned to service at midday there was a worrying rumbling sound when the car was accelerating and a ticking coming from the rear differential when driving at road speed. With only 25 minutes to diagnose and resolve this issue, every corner and critical component were being fiddled with and placed under intense examination. The team was racing against the clock. 

The differential oil was drained, it was clear, showing no signs of it having any malfunctions. The engine bay was given the okay, with no pressures running higher, or lower than normal. It was determined the noises were coming from road conditions and Ding and Sean were told that if it were to persist or become worse, to call someone back at service. 

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The Riley left service once again, destined for the second round of Dikkebus. Whilst out on this stage, a dreadful noise from the differential was alerting the crew to a major problem. Sean relayed this information to the rest of the team who quickly started gathering the necessary tools to perform a remote service into the back of the Volvo. It was on the transfer between stages 7 and 8 that the Riley lost all drive and had to pull into a layby and await assistance. Arriving as quickly as they could, a team of 4 pulled up beside the stranded crew and immediately began removing the differential. Shortly after, the Yaris arrived, bringing the equipment that had been left behind in the rush to depart. 

Once it had been pulled out and taken apart, it was obvious what had happened. The differential had twisted on itself, the pressure causing it to take chunks off of the teeth, leaving pieces of metal too big to drain into the oil pan, which is why it hadn’t been detected earlier at service. There was however, a glimmer of hope, a spare differential had been brought with the emergency supplies, and so it was quickly bolted in place of the other one, but then disaster struck.

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As a result of the huge amount of pressure that had been placed on the differential, the axle itself had been bent out of shape, and so the half shafts would not go all the way back in. After exhausting every possible solution to the half shaft issue, including nearly resorting to hammering them back into place, the team was met with bitter disappointment as they were forced to retire from their 11th Ypres Rally.
Ding went to get the trailer from Pieter-Jans whilst the rescue team stayed by the side of the Riley, waving to other crews passing by. Back at the workshop, the team morale was running a bit low as they assessed the damage in a less stressful environment. It wasn’t pretty. Luckily, a couple of crates of Belgian beers and a barbeque were able to raise the spirits a bit. The decommissioned rally car was strapped back onto the trailer, where it would remain until it was time to go home. 

Sunday offered a break from the cars. After a well-earned lie-in, the team visited Hill 60 and ‘The Caterpillar’ crater, two sites of significance during World War I. The area was deeply fascinating, steeped in history, and carried a moving atmosphere. A lunch of pizza and pasta back in Ypres was devoured and then the team separated into two groups, those who wanted to visit the ‘In Flanders Field’ museum, and those who wanted to visit Black Mountain on the Belgium-France border. Everyone reconvened at the Pool of Peace and spent some time watching the pondskaters and dragonflies whilst divulging everything that had been going on over the past week. 

The last evening of the great Ypres extravaganza was spent in the fantastic company of hosts Patricia and Kris, who had booked a table at a lovely restaurant just outside of the town. Everyone ate delicious food and chatted about their favourite parts of the trip and how excited they were for next year. 
After saying our final thanks and goodbyes to Kris and Patricia, we hit the road. The DFDS crossing back to Dover was very pleasant and before long, we were back on home soil and en-route to the barn. 
The Riley was rolled off of the trailer back into its well-known surroundings, the van was unpacked and the team sat down to have a final debrief to discuss the trip and to create a plan to get the Riley back on all 4 wheels and rolling again. 

Overall, OUMF’s 11th Ypres Rally, although not ending how we wanted, was an incredible experience. One that would not be possible without the support and generosity of our sponsors. We would like to say a massive thank you to all of those who have made once in a lifetime opportunities like this, and many others, available to the students. We are so grateful for the doors it will open for us in the future and for the fun we have whilst taking part. 
OUMF hope to return to Ypres for their 12th year in 2026, but until then, we have a busy race season ahead of us for the Riley Racer, Sprite and Elva! 

Written by Sophie Rugg, 3rd year Events Management student at Oxford Brookes

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