Oumdc
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The OUMDC (Oxford University Motor Drivers' Club) was established in the 1930's when groups of students from the University of Oxford begin holding rallying events. OUMDC is made up of a mixture of current undergraduates, staff and alumni, and takes part in the British University Karting Championship (BUKC) along with over 30 other universities. Events also include annual Freshers' Karting, Cuppers' Karting and the Ironman event, all usually held at the Klub Kart track in Aylesbury.
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[edit] History
The earliest mention of the OUMC is in October of 1926. Another article in the Autosport publication refers to the OUCC in 1931. The first mention of the club's current name dates back to an article from 1935.
The OUMDC historically organises the Targa rally event (although participation by Oxford students as competitors has fallen), which dates back to 1954 and has run 31 times since. Notable exceptions include the year of Lady Diana's death, when the event was scheduled to run on the day of her funeral and during the Foot and Mouth outbreak, when the Welsh hills were not available to host the event.
Other historical events include the New College Lane reverse racing which led to the club's suspension and subsequent name change when an innocent bystander was injured. There is also a Cambridge to Oxford speed record, the last holder of such a title was John Anstice-Brown who averaged over 80mph in a Lotus 7.
Furthermore the OUMDC managed to retain its 1963 constitution (as amended) up until October 2006 when it was once again threatened with disbandment by the Sports Federation unless it changed to a standardised constitution.
In 2007 the club were awarded half-blue status, and are entitled to award up to 4 half-blues to drivers finishing on the podium in the annual varsity race.
[edit] Committee
The present OUMDC committee (for 2007/2008) is as follows[1]:
| Role | Name | College |
| Chairman | Rob Jacobs | Magdalen |
| President | Cameron Noble | Exeter |
| Treasurer | Philip Senior | University |
| Secretary | Jamie Harvey | St Anne's |
| Karting Secretary | Richard Wootten | St Peter's |
| BUKC Captain | David Tan | LMH |
| Webmaster | Jamie Harvey | St Anne's |
| Rally Babes Procurement Officer (RBPO) (Honorary) | Adam Craig | Wadham Alumni |
Some past committee members include:[2]:
| Year | President | Treasurer | Secretary |
| 2006/7 | Jamie Harvey
St. Annes |
Lawrence Walton
University |
Philip Senior
University |
| 2005/6 | Adam Craig
Wadham |
David Langer
St. Annes |
James Brown
St. Catherines |
| 2004/5 | David Glanville
Jesus |
Thomas Gibson
Lady Margaret Hall |
James Bueno
Jesus |
| 2003/4 | Patrick Nicholls
Hertford |
Peter Hope
Oriel |
James Bueno
Jesus |
| 2002/3 | Alan Coombes
Lady Margaret Hall |
Peter Hope
Oriel |
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| 2001/2 | Rehan Ali
St. Hugh's |
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| 2000/1 | Michael Campbell
Balliol |
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| 1999/2000 | |||
| 1998/9 | Oliver Cotter
Magdalen |
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| 1997/8 | Anthony Preston
St Catherine's |
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| 1996/7 | Michael Duff
Christ Church |
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| 1995/6 | Rob Procter
Exeter |
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| 1994/5 | Ben Cotterel
St John's |
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| 1993/4 | Robert Jacobs
St. Catherine's |
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| 1992/3 | James Thompson
St Hugh's |
[edit] Membership
Any current member of Oxford University can become a member of OUMDC for a sub of £8 per year. This entitles the member to discounted entry into most of the club's organised karting events. OUMDC is a Motor Sports Association of Great Britain (MSA) club. OUMDC is also a member of the Welsh Association of Motor Clubs.
[edit] Activities
[edit] BUKC
The club's main activity is competing in the British University Karting Championship (BUKC) [3]. In the championship over 50 teams from universities across the country compete in 100cc direct drive TKM karts, capable of 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds.
Oxford have been competing since the championship began using TKM karts in 2002. The racing is split into two formats: (i) 30 minute sprint races with one mandatory fuel stop, and (ii) 1 hour endurance races where the kart is shared between two drivers, who must complete three mandatory pit stops. In the past, each round was a two-hour endurance race for all four drivers, but these were replaced with the more popular sprints and pair races during the 2003 season.
Oxford's A-team has been:
| Year | Name (Captain) | College | Name | College | Name | College | Name | College |
| 2008 | David Tan | LMH | Jamie Harvey | St Annes | Cameron Noble | Exeter | Nikos Seretis
Philip Senior |
Jesus
University |
| 2007 | Jamie Harvey | St Annes | David Tan | LMH | Cameron Noble | Exeter | Nikolaos Seretis
Will Bratt Philip Senior Steven Gaskell |
Jesus
Lincoln University LMH |
| 2006 | Andy Davis | Somerville | Adam Craig | Wadham | Jamie Harvey | St Annes | David Tan | LMH |
| 2005 | Adam Craig | Wadham | Andrew Davis | Somerville | Tony Ivetac | Christ Church | James Brown | St Catherines |
| 2004 | Patrick Nicholls | Hertford | Adam Craig | Wadham | James Brown | St Catherines | Marcus Haggers
Rob Jacobs |
LMH
Magdalen |
BUKC Results summary:
| Summary | Position | Driver(s) | Date | Track |
| Best sprint finish | 1st | Harvey, Tan | 2007, 2008 | Rye House, Rye House |
| Best sprint round | 1st | Tan, Harvey, Noble, Senior | 2008 | Rye House |
| Best enduro finish | 1st | Harvey & Tan, Noble & Tan, Noble & Senior, Harvey & Tan | 2007, 2008, 2008, 2008 | Whilton Mill, Buckmore Park, Rye House, Rye House |
| Best enduro round | 1st | Tan & Harvey, Noble & Senior | 2008 | Rye House
Buckmore Park |
| Best championship finish | 5th | Harvey (c), Tan, Noble, Seretis/Bratt/Senior/Gaskell | 2007 | n/a |
Past BUKC Captains of OUMDC are as follows[4]:
| Year | Name | College |
| 2008 | David Tan | Lady Margaret Hall |
| 2007 | Jamie Harvey | St. Anne's |
| 2006 | Andrew Davis | Somerville |
| 2005 | Adam Craig | Wadham |
| 2004 | Patrick Nicholls | Hertford |
| 2003 | Patrick Nicholls | Hertford |
| 2002 | Patrick Nicholls | Hertford |
[edit] 2007 BUKC
On the first race day of the 2007 BUKC season at Whilton Mill, Oxford recorded their best ever result (at the time), with Harvey and Tan taking victory in the first endurance race of the afternoon, finishing 35 seconds ahead of Cambridge [5] Oxford finished the day in 6th overall.
Rye House, was the venue for the second race day, and Oxford's form improved further. Harvey took Oxford's first sprint race victory on a wet track in the first race of the day, having started 26th on the grid. Tan, Noble and Oxford fresher, Formula Renault superstar Bratt, took a 5th, 6th and 5th respectively to ensure Oxford's first ever overall podium - 2nd position behind Warwick A.
In the endurance race Tan and Harvey had to settle for 3rd, after Harvey endured 'racing incident' on the final lap whilst running in 2nd; Noble and Bratt earned a superb 4th position having started in 30th. This was enough to give Oxford A 3rd overall. Oxford achieved the best combined results of any team.
The third race day was held at Buckmore Park, the most technical track on the BUKC. Oxford A didn't fare well in the morning individual sprint races; Harvey finished 8th after being knocked off the track when running in 4th, Senior, on his debut for the A team, spun twice, finishing 28th, Noble achieved a solid 7th, and Tan spun when leading his race by over 15 seconds.
The afternoon endurance races went somewhat better for the team. Noble and Senior managed 7th from 10th on grid, whilst a determined drive by Harvey and Tan gave them 3rd after starting 25th. This gave Oxford another podium finish - 3rd.
The final round of the season saw Oxford travel south to the Clay Pigeon Raceway near Yeovil. Steve Gaskell became the 7th different driver to feature in the Oxford A team having raced for the B team all season thus far. The morning started well with Harvey taking 2nd place from 22th on the grid with the race's fastest lap. Noble secured a solid 4th with alumni Craig shadowing him home. Gaskell took Oxford's most difficult grid, starting in 32rd before working his way through the field to finish a solid 19th. The final race of the morning saw Tan start in 13th for Oxford. Having maneuvered his kart up to 8th, he was involved in a 3 kart incident on the first lap costing Oxford a potential podium, and seeing the team finish in 9th overall.
Oxford's luck remained elusive in the afternoon rounds. Amid controversy, the organisers were forced to adjust every kart's engine mixture following 5 engine seizures, Harvey, paired with Gaskell, started their endurance race. A first corner accident saw Oxford A drop down the order, and the misery was compounded when Harvey was forced to retire Oxford's kart after the engine adjustments proved to be incorrect. Gaskell continued with the new kart, and Harvey finished the race in a lowly 27th, after confusion in the pitlane saw the team complete 6 pit stops. Tan started Oxford's second race and enjoyed a strong run, blighted by an incorrect black flag given for allegedly hitting a safety cone, with Noble bringing the kart home in 10th. These results gave Oxford an overall position of 27th in the afternoon round.
After dropping the two worst round results, Oxford A claimed 5th in the championship with 336 points, seeing a large improvement of their previous championship best of 15th in 2006. Hertforshire were named as champions on 351 points, just one point ahead of Oxford Brookes, the previous champions for 3 years running.
[edit] 2006 BUKC
Oxford A had high hopes for the 2006 BUKC season, after fresher Jamie Harvey set the fastest lap at the first test day, and fellow freshers David Tan, Phil Senior and Cameron Noble also showed pace. However, bad luck blighted the team throughout the season, and they never performed to their ultimate potential. The Oxford A team consisted of seasoned BUKC drivers Andy Davis (capt.) and Adam Craig, with freshers Jamie Harvey and David Tan.
Whilton Mill saw a baptism of fire for Harvey, as he was involved in a nine car pile up on his first ever lap in the BUKC (finishing 24th), while Tan required medical attention after getting covered in petrol due to a split fuel line (finishing 11th). Craig was black flagged for allegedly jumping the start, and black flagged again during the race (finishing 16th), while Davis had a solid race (finishing 23rd). The team fared little better in the afternoon endurance races, Tan getting wiped out by a backmarker after Davis had progressed to 11th (eventually finishing 25th), while Craig and Harvey finished 13th in their race. Overall, a hugely disappointing 32nd in the individual results, and 28th in the endurance races.
The championship moved to Warden Law, where local boy Craig had achieved Oxford's best ever BUKC finish at the time. There were solid results, with Harvey finishing 3rd in the individual results, while Craig was involved in a racing incident when running 2nd. Tan and Davis also had solid races, the former suffering mechanical failure when in line for a strong top ten finish. Nevertheless, a 9th place finish in the overall standings was satisfying. The afternoon was distinctly less successful. Craig, when leading for Oxford A, drove into the fuel bowser at a scheduled pitstop, earning him two black flags, and three laps lost. 18th (Craig/Harvey) and 11th (Davis/Tan) secured Oxford a frustrating 18th overall, after the pace shown in the morning.
A very wet Buckmore Park greeted Oxford for the third raceday of the championship, but this seemed to be advantageous to the team, as they achieved 7th in the morning individual sprints. Harvey looked to be challenging for a win, eventually finishing 3rd. Craig, Davis, and Tan also performed well, with results of 6th, 14th, 11th respectively. Further strong results in the afternoon endurance races led to another 7th place, with Craig/Harvey achieving 4th; Davis/Tan finishing 12th. This was by far Oxford's best raceday in the 2006 championship.
Oxford were in a buoyant mood moving from the torrential rain of Buckmore to the warm sun of Clay. However, this did not last long: in the sprints, Harvey and Davis were taken out by slower drivers, there was yet another black flag for Craig, and Tan salvaged 12th after starting in 28th. Nevertheless, Oxford A suffered the ignominious result of being beaten by Oxford B overall. Sadly, the afternoon was of little consolation. Some unfortunate spins meant that Oxford only managed 18th.
Oxford A finished the 2006 championship in 15th, a satisfactory result.
[edit] Varsity Karting
The Varsity race between Oxford and Cambridge has been held since 1999. It is always a close event and this year was no exception. Oxford have taken the cup for the last three years running, and this year the club's BUKC race-winning partnership of Harvey and Tan took victory by over a lap from the leading Cambridge duo of Dix and Williams. The race, organised this year by Oxford, was held at a rain-swept Rye House in the 100cc TKM direct drive Club100 karts (the first time in the history of Varsity that the race has taken place on such karts), familiar to most of the drivers through prior BUKC experience.
Karting has subsequently received a half-blue status from Oxford University Sports Federation and up to four drivers who finish on the podium will be awarded Half Blue status by the university team captain, should Oxford win the race.
Roll of half-blues:
| Year | Driver |
| 2008 | Steve Gaskell |
| 2008 | Phil Senior |
| 2008 | Cameron Noble |
| 2007 | David Tan |
| 2007 | Jamie Harvey |
Varsity history:
| Year | Winning University | Team Lineup |
| 2008 | Oxford | Harvey, Noble |
| 2007 | Oxford | Harvey, Tan |
| 2006 | Oxford | Craig, Harvey, Noble, na |
| 2005 | Oxford | Craig (c), Davis, na, na |
| 2004 | Cambridge | na |
| 2003 | Cambridge | na |
| 2002 | Oxford | na |
| 2001 | Cambridge | na |
| 2000 | Cambridge | na |
| 1999 | Oxford | na |
[edit] Cuppers Karting
Cuppers is the annual race held between different colleges from Oxford, introduced in the 2002-3 academic year. The two hour eundurance race has been run since its inception at Klub Kart Racing in Aylesbury.
There are limitations on the number of competing teams due to the track size, which mean that cuppers karting is usually between just 12 colleges. St Anne's College have won the trophy for the past two years, led by University captain Jamie Harvey.
The winners' list for Cuppers Karting is as follows:
| Year | Winning College | Team Lineup |
| 2007/8 | Lady Margaret Hall | Tan, Gaskell, Beremski, McClean |
| 2006/7 | St. Anne's | Harvey, Langer, Asver, Gregori |
| 2005/6 | St. Anne's | Harvey, Langer, Asver, Gregori |
| 2004/5 | Jesus | D.Glanville, J.Bueno, R.Cousins, R.Howl |
| 2003/4 | Hertford | Nicholls, de la Mare, Johnston |
| 2002/3 | Lady Margaret Hall | Coombes, Haggers, Walker,? |
[edit] Ironman
2005/2006 saw the introduction of the Ironman event, a gruelling non-stop 100 lap endurance race at Klub Kart. The race was close, with the fastest laps of the top 3 drivers separated by a mere 0.03 seconds, and was eventually won by David Tan, followed by Cameron Noble and Jamie Harvey [6].
[edit] Targa Rusticana
Held 31 times since 1954 in the hills of mid-Wales, this road rally (which became a Navigational Rally for Historic cars) was very much the flagship event of the OUMDC. The 30th Targa was held in September 2004. The event was last held in September 2005. The Targa played host to a new type of timekeeping called Targa timing.
[edit] Klub Kart fastest laps
Since 2003, a database has been compiled with the fastest laps set at OUMDC's local indoor venue, Klub Kart in Aylesbury. The fastest 5 times are as follows:[7]
| Rank | Time | Name | College | Event | Year |
| 1 | 26.15 | David Tan | LMH | Freshers Karting | 2006 |
| 2 | 26.49 | David Tan | LMH | Cuppers Karting | 2007 |
| 3 | 26.61 | Cameron Noble | Exeter | IRONMAN | 2006 |
| 4 | 26.62 | Jamie Harvey | St. Anne's | IRONMAN | 2006 |
| 5 | 26.63 | David Tan | LMH | IRONMAN | 2006 |
Note: The track gained a new fleet of karts that were completed for Christmas 2005. They now run a different more powerful exhaust set up.
[edit] References
- ^ 2006/2007 OUMDC Committee. Oxford University Motor Drivers' Club (2006).
- ^ 2006/2007 OUMDC Committee. Oxford University Motor Drivers' Club (2006).
- ^ 2007 BUKC. Oxford University Motor Drivers' Club (2007).
- ^ 2006/2007 OUMDC Committee. Oxford University Motor Drivers' Club (2006).
- ^ . 2007 BUKC, Round 2, Race 1, Results page. BUKC (2007).
- ^ Ironman results. Oxford University Motor Drivers' Club (2007).
- ^ Klub Kart Fastest Laps. Oxford University Motor Drivers' Club (2007).
