500 Owners Association 2025

Nigel Cole
Dec 2, 2025
2 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

Marcus Pye interviewing Richard Robarts & James Baxter

The 500 Owners Association and Vintage Sports-Car Club events enable our spectators to travel back in time to the earlier era’s of motorsport. The 500 OA event features the 500cc motorbike engined cars that were the Formula 3 race cars of the 50’s and 60’s - Cooper being the most well-known. Drivers including Stirling Moss, Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart raced these cars early in their careers. The Cooper’s were also particularly successful on the hills. From 1951 to 1961 Cooper-JAP's won the British Hillclimb Championship driven by Ken Wharton, Tony Marsh and David Boshier-Jones.

There is a long association between Wiscombe Park and the 500 Owners Association. The first event was held on the 13th May 1989. However, the origins of the 500OA are believed to go back to the late 1960’s and discussions between competitors Rodney Cummings and Peter Kendall in the Wiscombe paddock.

In the commentary box for the weekend was renowned journalist, Marcus Pye. Those who have read Autosport since the late 70’s will have enjoyed his many articles and race reports, and his regular column, “Humble Pye”.

This year there were 28 competitors from the 500 Owners Association in their F3 Coopers and similar machines. We also had competitors from the Allard Owners Club, Triumph TR Register, Morgan Sports Car Club and Downton Motor Club. The Saturday entry also included a selection of VSCC members in Austin 7’s, Riley’s, MG’s and Frazer Nash preparing for their big event on Sunday.

The 500OA event has something for everybody and included a selection of contemporary race cars and road going cars too. And we also had the first Wiscombe appearance of the year of the National Hill Climb Association members on their bikes, sidecars and trikes.