Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation … gets soaked at the HRDC ‘Allstars’ and ‘Jack Sears Trophy’ at the Castle Combe Autumn Classic Festival - September 2024 Race Report

Riley 1.5 leaves the flooded pit lane

​Following OUMF’s historic return with their Elva Courier Mk 2 to a remarkably wet but enjoyable Goodwood Revival 2024, the team came back to dry off their pants and take a small breather before their next event just a fortnight afterwards, as the HRDC family reassembled themselves at Castle Combe for the “Autumn Historic Festival”. This entailed the team getting both the Elva and the Riley 1.5 into a fresh race-ready state, while also handling Oxford Brookes University’s “Freshers Week” which culminated as always in our annual Open Day BBQ for the new members. However this year great logistical skills were required as it fell on the same day that we had to pack the van, load the cars, and make our way to the circuit in time for food at the pub!

The ‘après-Goodwood’ leak-down test on the Elva - an integral part of any race team’s post-event proceedings - revealed a 25% compression loss in cylinder 1, so the first priority was to investigate this. Following the removal of the head, our great supporter Dave Crisell helped recut the valve seats and lap in the valves. This was a great exercise for a few new faces in the first days of their start at university. Following the refitting the head, the car was road tested which revealed a myriad of unexpected handling issues, including blown dampers, which led to the Elva sadly having to be withdrawn from the event, as parts were not available and it could not be fixed within such a short window. In its stead, “Little BeWT” OUMF’s Sebring Sprite was substituted for the Elva, in its first race since HRDC Snetterton in June, and it only required a thorough spanner check, inspection of the front hubs, and a good road test to ensure it was in “race ready” state.

The OUMF Riley 1.5 was also in a similar state of readiness, so with both cars checked, fuelled and tested in the days leading up to the event, the OUMF Team found themselves in the rare position of being ahead of the curve and virtually ready to leave for Castle Combe on the preceding Thursday! This was just as well, as the Brookes Freshers Fair was all day on the Friday, with the team helping their sister club, the Brookes Classic Car Society with their stand on campus, and Saturday’s OUMF Open Day BBQ attracted a record turnout of over 120+ new students. This continued the positive trend of popularity that OUMF has benefitted from post-Covid - and we were blessed with a sunny break in the previous two weeks of relentless rain for the welcome address!

Due to this high level of interest, we decided to spur further enthusiasm and inspire a lifetime passion in motorsports, by holding a raffle for 3 freshers win a place on the OUMF race team for the weekend. The winners were James, Charlotte, and Shaba, and when the excellent BBQ was over (deliciously cooked by Connor Johnstone and Ollie Raja Brown), we all set off for Castle Combe circuit, arriving just in time to set up in the paddock and hot foot it to the nearby Bell Inn, where we enjoyed more good food and a warm reprieve from the rain outside.

Freshers gather for the Welcome address

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Once back at the track, the team split up, with the bulk going on a track walk, while others went to bed to be prepared for the 6am start in the morning. We woke up in the dark, to the sound of a relentless assault of rain which set the scene for the day. However despite the deluge, the team got to work spanner checking, with brave Charlie Lemme volunteering to lie in the puddle and check the underside of the Sebring Sprite – which was out in first practice/qualifying for the HRDC ‘Allstars’. It had copious amounts of RainX applied to the windows and a valiant effort was made to try and keep the driver dry so his steaming race suit didn’t fog the glass and deny visibility. After a 15 minute soaking, the Sprite returned safely, despite losing a windscreen wiper, having qualified 8th in Class. A spare wiper and more RainX was sourced, as Eddie Scheer found play in both front hub bearings - an issue that has plagued the Sprite this year. Ollie Raja Brown and Tom Reid helped Eddie re-tighten the hubs with new split pins. While this was happening the Riley was prepped and sent out for qualifying in what was a brief reprieve from the rain, much to the relief of Ding, and also to myself, who had been manning the pit wall all morning where no umbrellas are permitted! The Riley set a 1:44 lap time, slightly quicker than the Sprite, but Ding reported serious lack of handling in the conditions, which were now not just wet, but dangerously greasy too. Between sessions the Riley got more RainX and the tyres pressures were increased to open the treads and find grip. The axle also had a drip, spotted by Bailey Hughes, so the half-shafts came out out and new gaskets were fitted.
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The Sprite was refuelled for the Allstars race and the tyres pumped up to match the conditions, but with the rain abating, it looked like the Sprite would be out in the ‘driest’ race of the day. Starting 8th in Class and 29th on the grid, the Sprit scythed through the field off the line as Ding showed his prowess, making it up to 5th in Class when the Safety Car was deployed after an off by the Broadspeed driven by Alice Locke. This gave a chance for the gap between Ding and the next two cars in its class to close up, and as soon as the Safety Car came in, the Sprite got back to work, dispatching the TVR Grantura and MGB Roadster coming into Camp Corner, much to the delight of the team watching from Folly bank. It kept the hard-charging Austin A40 of Robert Burdett behind all the way to the chequered flag just as the rain started to return with a vengeance, and the Sprite finished 2nd in Class and 17th overall! A stunning recovery! The rain then began to double, then triple, down, once again turning the paddock in to a river – and we were unfortunately at the receiving end! We kept a close eye on the conditions while the Riley’s electrics were repaired by Ethan Wakeman. Other checks were headed by Charlie Stratton and Ollie Raja Brown, who showed no signs of stopping, bar a very short window for a burger break. All was going according to plan until the car set off for the assembly area, and the lights went out. In what can only be described as a last minute miracle, Ethan Wakeman jumped into the car, delved into the switchbox, and the lights came back on as the cars went out for the formation lap, so late it was relegated to the back of the grid. Conditions by this point could only be described as “biblical” (you can only say wet so many times!) with the track now a giant puddle. When the “Jack Sears Trophy” lined up for the start everyone braced for what would be a 40 minute showdown in a waterfall. The Riley started from the back of the grid, but after a couple of sighting laps in the monsoon, and many aquaplaning cars on and off track, the Riley peeled off into the pit and the decision was taken to retire the car before it got any more dangerous and/or expensive; it was just one of 10 other teams who made the same decision. It was not a decision taken lightly but ultimately the entire team was relieved that Ding would not be further endangering himself or the car. And once again a small reprieve for myself, having ran out of dry sets of clothes following the last stint on the pit wall! The team spectated the other two races before our Sebring Sprite’s award at the prize-giving, before returning on a trouble-free journey back to Oxford to hang up our boots and dry out for the first time in 24 hours.

Sprite chasing for 2nd in class

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They say “when it rains, it pours” and it certainly was the case at Castle Combe, which highlighted the urgent need to test our cars to optimize them for such wet conditions. Testing is something other teams have plentiful access to, but OUMF, as an unfunded student organization, direly needs assistance with! However, another podium finish for the Sprite was more than we dared expect, and despite the rain, the whole team certainly did not let it dampen their spirits; smiles never ceased!

Once again our sincere thanks go to Julius Thurgood for offering OUMF the chance to bathe both our cars in 1st Class rainwater (!) and allowing us to take part with the HRDC in the premier historic racing series in the country. Also to NGK for their continued support with sparkplugs; Powerlite for providing our projects with their great alternators and starter motors; Phillips Tyres for agreeing to refresh the Riley racer’s bald Dunlop tyres for our next outing at Silverstone, and to all of OUMFs generous sponsors, who’s invaluable support allows us to keep the cars running hot in the middle of the coldest and wettest weekend we’ve attended in a long while!

Sebastian Paul, 3rd Year Electro-Mechanical Engineering, Oxford Brookes