Motorsport pioneer unveils new ‘world class’ engineering facilities at Oxford Brookes University
A legendary name in motorsport has praised Oxford Brookes University’s new state-of-the-art engineering facilities as the “best in the world” during an official opening ceremony.
Alumnus, motorsport engineer and former racing champion Adrian Reynard returned to the University last week to open the Reynard Wing, a new facility within the Workshop building on the Headington Campus, which has been named after him. 
Part of a significant investment in engineering on the Headington Hill site, the Reynard Wing provides advanced resources for students and researchers specialising in aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and motorsport innovation.
The ceremony was attended by professional racing drivers and engineers from across the motorsport industry, Adrian’s family, staff from the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, and members of the Oxford Brookes Racing team.
Adrian said: “I have kept in touch with Oxford Brookes and worked with their motorsport course and department, and I was really excited to see that it’s grown into this fantastic facility, which has got to be the best in the world.”
Professor Helen Laville, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, said: “Adrian embodies one of the guiding principles of this university, which is generosity of spirit. He is a role model for his technical brilliance and achievements in motorsports but also in the way he has shared his success and used his success to support others. The Reynard Wing stands as a lasting testament to Adrian Reynard’s legacy in motorsport engineering and his enduring commitment to supporting future generations of engineers at Oxford Brookes University.”
Torah Ladouceur, Motorsport Engineering Student, said: “Hearing Adrian’s story is really inspiring. The fact that he built his first racing car as a student, broke world records, and went on to become such a successful constructor shows just how far passion, creativity, and determination can take you. And what’s even cooler is seeing that legacy alive today in what we do.
“Being in this workshop every day, with access to lab spaces and state of the art equipment, is incredible. My fellow students and I genuinely believe that having access to these facilities will really enhance our learning. We get to develop our hands-on skills, understand how things work in the real world, and hit the ground running when we start our careers in motorsport.”
Adrian studied Automotive Engineering in the 1970s at what was then Oxford Polytechnic. In 1972, he built his first racing car as part of his final-year project and debuted it at Silverstone the following year — winning the race. After becoming European Formula Ford 2000 Champion in 1979, Adrian retired from racing to focus on engineering and growing his company in Bicester.
Reynard’s racing cars went on to achieve extraordinary success, winning on their debut across multiple categories including Formula Ford 2000 (1984), Formula 3 (1985), Formula 3000 (1988) and US Touring Car and IndyCar (1994). Reynard cars also triumphed at the Indy 500 in 1995 and 1996, with consecutive championship victories for seven years. By the late 1990s, Reynard had become the world’s largest racing car manufacturer, producing thousands of cars globally and twice earning the Queen’s Award for Export.
Adrian later designed and built the BAR F1 Team, with Headquarters in Brackley, which went on to become the Honda F1 team in 2005, Brawn GP in 2009, and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in 2010.
In recognition of his achievements, Adrian received Oxford Brookes’ first Honorary Doctorate in 1993 and was appointed as a Visiting Professor in Motorsport Design in 2000, helping to establish the Motorsport Engineering degree at the University. Each year, Adrian awards the ‘ingenuity medal’ and a prize for best MSc Motorsport student project at Oxford Brookes University.
The Reynard Wing includes the latest Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology, including hardware and software that allows motorsport engineers to analyse and optimise air flow around a race car. By predicting aerodynamic forces such as drag and downforce, CFD enables teams to design more efficient, higher-performing vehicles before any physical prototypes are built.
Learn more about Oxford Brookes University’s Motorsport and Engineering courses. Further information on the award-winning new facilities on the Headington Hill site can also be found on the University’s website.
Photographs:
- Adrian cuts the ribbon to officially open the Reynard Wing.
- Friends, motorsport industry representatives, Adrian's family, students and Oxford Brookes staff get a sneak preview of the forthcoming documentary about Adrian.