Below is a timeline of Adrian Reynards life. To see a summary, click below.
Chartered Engineer
Doctor of Engineering
Doctor of Science
Professor Oxford Brookes University (Motorsport Design)
Professor Cranfield University (Motorsport Engineering)
Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Married to Gill
5 children
6 grandchildren
Motorsport competing, single seaters and motorcycles
Electric vehicles
3D printing
World travel – off-road motorcycles (India, South America, Vietnam, South Africa, Laos, Canada, Madagascar, Morocco, Bali, Java, Sri Lanka).
Sailing – 2 x Trans-Atlantic crossings in 2011 & 2022 (Commercial YachtMaster)
PPL Aircraft and Helicopter pilot. Spaceflight astronaut. R44, JetRanger, Bell 505.
Vehicle and motorcycle restoration.
Sustainable energy projects. Solar electricity.
Keeping Alpacas, Dog and Cat rescue
World Land Speed motorcycle record design & manufacture project
Snow skiing, water skiing, Scuba diving, cycling
WW2 Vehicle restoration and history
Tree conservation and planting
Adrian John Reynard is born in Welwyn, United Kingdom to parents Daphne and ‘Foxy’ Reynard.
Alleynes Grammar School, 10 O Levels, 2 A Levels (Physics and Engineering Design), he graduates in 1969
Adrian recieves the Sixth Form Technology Prize in both 1968 & 1969, the British Aircraft Corporation Technology Prize
Adrian Founded Oxford Polytechnic Automobile Club. He was elected president and successfully re-nominated until leaving in 1972.
Adrian broke five Motorcycle World Land Speed Records and six British National records on self-designed and ridden Reynard motorcycle at Elvington Yorkshire
Adrian broke five World Land Speed Records and six British National Records at Elvington, Yorkshire again. He did it on the first Reynard vehicle – 250cc Motorcycle Projectile
Adrian Graduated from Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University) with a HND in Mechanical Engineering
Adrian designed the first ever Reynard Car
Adrian founded Sabre Automotive Ltd with partner Bill Stone. (renamed Reynard Racing Cars Ltd)
Designed built and raced the first Reynard Formula Ford racing car. Won first race.
Adrian was appointed as a Project Engineer for British Leyland – Prototype Build and Development Department
Adrian enrolled in a MSc in Vehicle Dynamics at Cranfield Institute of Technology
Adrian joined Hawke Racing Cars as Chief Designer
Recruited by British Air Ferries as Chief Designer to design and build a Formula 1 car. Project abandoned and Adrian took up a full time position as CEO at Sabre Automotive Ltd which became Reynard Racing Cars Ltd.
Adrian won European and British Formula Ford 2000 Championships. Adrian personally won the European Championship. Dominated category for 6 years
Adrian received a technology grant for carbon fibre research from Department of Industry
Reynard entered Formula 3, won first race and dominated category for 5 years.
Reynard won first race in F3000 and went on to win the international F3000 title at first attempt and again dominated this formula in Europe and Japan for the rest of the decade.
Adrian recieved the Design Council Award presented by the Duke of Edinburgh.
Adrian collected the Queens Award for export
Adrian is elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Adrian is awarded the Sir Henry Royce Gold Medal For Excellence
Elected Fellow of Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Chartered Engineer
Adrian recieves an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering by Oxford Brookes University
Reynard re-wrote the history books scoring a debut win from the front row of the grid when entering the IndyCar World Series.
Adrian recieves the Castrol Institute of Motor Industry Gold Medal for contributions to the Motor Industry
Reynard recieves Indianapolis 500 – Team Winners Award
IndyCar Constructors Championship Award (and again until 2001)
Reynard recieves Indy 500 Winners Award
Reynard received ISO9002 Award for rapid implementation of manufacturing Export Achievement Award from the Motor Industry Association
Awarded the Queens Award for Export Achievements for a second time. The Manufacturing Division achieved ISO 9002 in a record six months.
1996, 1997,1998,1999, 2000 and 2001. Reynard again dominated the FedEx Championship Series, winning the Constructor’s Championship, the Driver’s Championship and Rookie of the Year titles. 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 also saw Reynard winning the Japanese F3000 Series.
Co-Founded Reynard Aviation Ltd with Virgin Atlantic. Elected a Companion of the Royal Aeronautical Society, in recognition of his company’s pioneering technologies for innovative seat design for Virgin Upper Class.
Adrian is appointed Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Cranfield University
1997 – Present. Acquired 15 acre greenfield site in Northamptonshire and designed 250,000 sq ft Reynard Technology Park for the development, design, manufacture and team operation.
Co-Founded British American Racing Formula One Team in partnership with British American Tobacco. Sold shares to Honda Racing F1 in 2005 which became Brawn GP in 2009 and then Mercedes-AMG F1 in 2011
1997-2000 – Assisted Don Panoz to become a race car constructor by the co-design and manufacture of a front engine, carbon fibre chassis Le Mans challenger – the Panoz Esperante GTR-1. This car drew much acclaim at Le Mans for its unconventional design, which was developed into the first ever hybrid Le Mans contender.
Adrian is given the Duke of Edinburgh Award for contribution to Motor Sport
Adrian is Elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Adrian is appointed visiting professor in Motor Sport Design at Oxford Brookes University
Adrian is Elected MIA Committee Member & Ambassador for the Education and Skills Initiative
Adrian is Awarded Crompton Lanchester Medal by the IMechE for outstanding contribution to Mechanical Engineering in Motorsport Awarded The Most Outstanding Contribution To The UK Motorsport Industry by the MIA
Adrian is Elected Member of Society of Automotive Engineers
Founder and Managing Partner of Auto Research Centre LLC – a unique wind tunnel and vehicle research facility in Indianapolis serving the major manufacturers and the motor sport industry.
Established the Adrian Reynard Prize for engineering excellence for young engineers
Adrian was the first to sign up as an Astronaut with Virgin Galactic
Adrian undertakes Centrifuge training for Space flight with Virgin Galactic
Reynard Racing Cars Ltd. Designed, developed and manufactured the first Reynard road car – a two-seater sports car for road and track with unique aerodynamic properties. The Inverter sports car with Andre Brown..
Adrian elected Chairman of the Motorsports Industry Advisory Board at Cranfield University
Brawn GP, (which occupies Reynard Park in Brackley, owned by RRCDPF) wins the 2009 F1 Drivers and Constructors Championship – with Jenson Button,
Auto Research Center LLC expands to 45,000 sq ft and 45 staff and now established as the US authority on reducing fuel consumption on cars and trucks utilizing moving ground scale model testing validated by CFD facility.
Skippered yacht “Foxy Lady” round the Mediterranean and then trans-Atlantic crossing in 16 days to St Lucia, in the Caribbean.
Several outright and class wins whilst Adrian raced self-built Reynard Inverter in the 750 MC Bikesports Championship.
Founded ‘Streamline Solutions’ – a US based company partnered with software developer ENGYS Ltd to exploit Open Foam CFD software in order to educate car stylists with aerodynamic consequences and reduce product cycle time.
The First Reynard car registered on the road in the U.K.
Investment in 3D additive manufacturing machines with KW Special Projects Ltd.
Mercedes AMG Formula 1 Team presently occupies the advanced F1 Team facility at Reynard Park and comes 2nd in 2013 F1 Constructors Championship with Lewis Hamilton.
Consultant to HTT in Canada on a SuperCar project.
Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes wins the World Driver’s Championship and Mercedes AMG F1 Team the F1 Constructors Championship.
Adrian wins Overall and Class A in the Bikesports Championship racing a Radical SR3
Adrian wins Class A in the Bikesports Championship racing a Radical SR3
Consultant to Don Panoz on the DeltaWing project
Nico Rosberg wins the World Driver’s Championship and Mercedes AMG F1 Team the F1 Constructors Championship based at Reynard Park.
Adrian re-unites with ex Reynard staff at Delta Motorsport Ltd with the HTT SuperCar project.
Adrian continues race wins in his Radical SR3
Cranfield University involvement expands into Mechatronics and Autonomous Vehicles.
https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/courses/taught/autonomous-vehicle-dynamics-and-control
Adrian is awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science by Cranfield University
Adrian re-unites racing a Reynard 84FF at Hampton Downs and wins the Final.
Continues with occasional race wins in appearances in the Radical SR3
Delta Motorsport expands into battery systems for electric vehicles, control systems, electric hybrid drivetrains and Autonomous vehicle
Cranfield University becomes a centre of excellence for advanced centre for Mechatronics in Autonomous Vehicles with substantial UK Government Grant funding.
https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/courses/taught/autonomous-vehicle-dynamics-and-control
Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes wins the World Driver’s Championship and Mercedes AMG F1 Team wins the F1 Constructors Championship – based at Reynard Park.
This is the tenth Drivers World Championship for the company ( 3 x formerly for Sir Jackie Stewart as Tyrell Racing, 1 x Jenson Button as Brawn GP, 1 x Nico Rosberg and 6 x for Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes AMG F1) and 8 Constructors Championships ( 1 x Tyrell, 7 x Mercedes AMG F1)
Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes wins the World Driver’s Championship and Mercedes AMG F1 Team wins the F1 Constructors Championship – based at Reynard Park.
Adrian returns to FF2000 racing
5th in HSCC Championship in 2021
5th in HSCC Championship in 2022
Adrian undertakes further training and health assessment in Baltimore and has been selected for the first Virgin Galactic Space Flight due in 2023
Sells interest in Delta Motorsport Ltd to Cosworth Engineering Ltd
Sale of Reynard Park Industrial Estate and home of Mercedes AMG F1 Team. Design finalised for 250cc World Land Speed record motorcycle and construction commences in garage.
Final training for Spaceflight in New Mexico. Launched on Sept 8th in Spaceship Unity – Adrian became the 668th person ever to fly in space achieving an altitude of 55 miles/290,000 feet at speeds of up to Mach 3 (2300mph).
At Elvington airfield in Yorkshire the speed of 169 mph achieved on a Reynard designed and constructed motorcycle projectile (54 years from attaining the record at the same venue). Previous record 157mph. Further attempts planned in 2025.
Invested in Digital Manufacturing Company Ltd – an advanced 3D printing company based in Silverstone UK.
Chartered Engineer
Doctor of Engineering
Doctor of Science
Professor Oxford Brookes University (Motorsport Design)
Professor Cranfield University (Motorsport Engineering)
Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Married to Gill
5 children
6 grandchildren
Motorsport competing, single seaters and motorcycles
Electric vehicles
3D printing
World travel – off-road motorcycles (India, South America, Vietnam, South Africa, Laos, Canada, Madagascar, Morocco, Bali, Java, Sri Lanka).
Sailing – 2 x Trans-Atlantic crossings in 2011 & 2022 (Commercial YachtMaster)
PPL Aircraft and Helicopter pilot. Spaceflight astronaut. R44, JetRanger, Bell 505.
Vehicle and motorcycle restoration.
Sustainable energy projects. Solar electricity.
Keeping Alpacas, Dog and Cat rescue
World Land Speed motorcycle record design & manufacture project
Snow skiing, water skiing, Scuba diving, cycling
WW2 Vehicle restoration and history
Tree conservation and planting