Lap times, speed, a rollercoaster thrill; all things we associate with the drive up Campus Drive here at the University of Maryland. Now, sensing an unfulfilled interest in motorsports in the campus community, Maryland Athletics has announced the Campus Drive Time Trial, a motorsports event coming in Fall 2026. The format is the same as any hill climb, rally, or qualifying session one watches across the World Rally Championship, Formula 1, or elsewhere — but with a UMD twist.

Drivers line up one at a time at 4:30PM every Monday at the Campus Drive and Baltimore Avenue intersection. They then blast off at full speed up the roughly 0.75 mile climb to the Campus Drive and Alumni Drive intersection at the top of the hill, and then they blast straight back down again. The twist? There will be no interference to the normal foot traffic up and down this critical junction on campus. There won’t even be new safety equipment installed. It’s like classic rallying, which the athletics department has been quoted as saying, “adds a dramatic flare to campus.”

Given that the events will be occurring on any given Monday, we have had an opportunity to test out how quickly we can expect our drivers to complete the time trial.

One member of The Hare took off in his Honda Civic at exactly 4:30PM. Thundering up to the light, he almost ran into his first obstacle — pedestrians. And then he nearly hit them again… and again… and again. Before posting his lap time: 1.5 miles in 1 hour, 26 minutes, and 37 seconds

Our next (retiring) staff member declared she could do far better, and took off in her Subaru. We did not see her back at the bottom of the hill for another 1 hour and 23 minutes, but she did beat the slow guy in the Honda, claiming that she ran that hill like the true leader of The Hare. 

Finally, one contributor lined up in a clapped red Ford Fusion, and zoomed up the hill. Screams were heard, tires screeched. The entire campus community wondered — would a car finally get up this hill before the heat death of the universe? Everyone wondered, and as a clearly damaged car crossed the line, we had our time: 1 hour and 20 minutes. A winner.

Thus, if our own testing is anything to go by, the time trials will see three cars up and down the hill in five hours — more than double a normal Monday night, and an exhilarating sport for all. 

Image Credits: Kenlynn Ingham