A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file; each boat attempts to catch ("bump") the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind.

The form is mainly used intramurally at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. It is particularly suited where the stretch of water available is long but narrow, precluding side-by-side racing. Bumps racing gives a sharper feel of immediate competition than a head race, where boats are simply timed over a fixed course.

Racing practice and procedures

Bumps races are typically raced over several days. Each day the boats line up bow-to-stern, usually along the bank of the river, with a set distance between each boat and the next (usually about one and a half boat lengths of clear water). The starting positions are usually marked by a rope attached to the bank, the other end of which is held by each boat's cox. At the start signal the cox lets go of the rope and the crew starts to row, attempting to catch the boat in front while simultaneously being chased by the one behind. A crew that catches the boat ahead of it is said to "bump" it.

A bump is made when any form of contact is made with the boat in front, or when the stern of the boat behind completely passes the bow of the boat in front. Outright collisions are neither necessary nor encouraged. Due to the fact that bumps racing usually takes place on narrow stretches of water, when contact does occur it is possible for two or more boats to become tangled up. This can lead to the racing line becoming blocked. This can be very dangerous and the possibility of boats getting damaged is high. To avoid this, the cox of the boat being bumped can concede as soon as slight physical contact occurs or even once it is inevitable. Nonetheless, collisions involving several boats are common in bumps racing. An overtaking bump is relatively rare simply because it is easier to make contact with a rival boat than it is to overtake it. A bump of this kind usually occurs when a boat crashes.

In Cambridge, and at Oxford during Eights Week, once a bump has occurred both crews pull over to the riverbank and take no further part in that race; in Oxford during Torpids a bumping crew pulls over but the bumped crew must continue racing over the entire course and can be bumped by more than one crew per day. Crews in Torpids tend to concede bumps early to avoid being entangled with the crew that caught them: should they be unable to continue, the rest of the division may row past scoring bumps on the bumped crew, sending it to the bottom of the division in minutes. In other competitions there is less incentive to concede before physical contact is made.