Before there was UMW, there was Riverside Service of Plymouth, WI, founded by Rick Dresang in 1974. Rick’s love for sports cars and the pursuit for automotive performance lead him to help numerous drivers in the 1970s, including Jeff Miller and Don Kopiske.  When he sold Riverside Service in 1975, Dresang maintained his love for sports cars, collecting and selling various European cars.

From 1975-1988, Rick raced Arctic Cat, Mercury, Yamaha, Ski-Doo, Sno Jet and Manta snowmobiles at local events around Wisconsin and northern Illinois. During this time, Rick and wife Alison headed up the Chargers Snowmobile Club; organizing, planning and promoting regional racing while also working two jobs. Rick won many races in his snowmobile racing career, which came to an end in 1988 when business and family commitments overrode his desire to race.

UMW was founded in 1996 when Rick and his son Jacques ventured out to the Badger Kart Club in Dousman, Wisconsin with a newly-acquired Coyote racing kart from national champion Guy Schneider for Jacques to race. Success that season did not come easily, as the team struggled at coming to grips with the sport and the subtle skills that are required to make a kart and driver go fast.

Two years later, UMW managed to capture the BKC Jr. Pipe championship after a year-long battle with now-IRA sprint car driver Bill Wirth. The next spring, the team started racing karts on the regional and national level. In 2000, the team won two regional championships in the US-820 Sr. class.

The breakout year for UMW was 2002, when Dresang captured the World Karting Association HPV Sr. Heavy championship, along with several other regional championships. When 2004 came around, the team started to look at other racing possibilities, eventually deciding on SCCA Spec Miata racing for their future endeavors.  

In 2005, the two-car team contested in three regionals, placing 5th in the year-end Fall Sprints at Blackhawk Farms Raceway with Dresang behind the wheel. That fall, the second UMW car suddenly had no driver scheduled for the 2006 season, and it became apparent that long-time family friend Steve Welk would be the perfect match for the driver-friendly Miata.

The duo of Welk and Dresang exceeded expectations for 2006 with a regional win at Blackhawk Farms and a new qualifying track record, set by Welk, at Indianapolis Raceway Park. At the end of 2006, Welk won the Fall Regional at Blackhawk Farms, and Dresang captured his first win the following fall at the Kettle Moraine Regionals held at Road America. That October saw both drivers compete in their first SCCA National Championship Runoffs, where Welk finished 22nd and Dresang 29th after both drivers spun in the muddy conditions at the Heartland Park Topeka facility.

The 2008 racing season saw a new look for the team, as it was temporarily renamed UMW Motorwerks for the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup with Welk behind the wheel. A top finish of sixth at Mosport highlighted their journey before scheduling issues presented the team with no other option but to look towards other ventures in 2009. Before that was announced, Steve drove the car to a well-deserved D-Prepared class win at the 2008 SCCA June Sprints held at Elkhart Lake's famed Road America racing course.

2009 turned out to be an eye-opening year for UMW, as the team raced in two SCCA National events with their former Playboy Cup car, now entered in the STU category. Jacques Dresang piloted the McLaren-orange machine to a second-place finish at the 2009 Chicago Region June Sprints and managed to win the Cat Nationals after losing fifth gear in qualifying. In September, the car was sold to a driving school at New Jersey Motorsports Park, where the car is now used for schooling and private testing. Dresang also returned to kart racing, competing in the WKA Manufacturer's Cup division as well as the Road America Kart Club. A ninth-place effort was the highlight of his national racing, as a 25-lbs. weight disadvantage saw to it that he was never in contention for top honors.

On the other hand, the team had some success at the Road America Kart Club, setting fast-time for the season and finishing in the top three in three of the four races that the #00 machine was rolled out for. In mid-July, Dresang also ventured into an open-wheeled car for the first time, driving one of the Skip Barber Racing School's formula cars for the first time to gain some experience for 2010. 

With that said, UMW will once again be back in 2010 with 1972 All-American Racers Indy Eagle #7225. Driver-mechanic Paul Jagodzinski, who has put in countless hours during the car's restoration and has driven the car in it's two previous showings at The Milwaukee Mile will pilot the car at the 2010 Kohler International Challenge. Jacques Dresang will return to the drivers seat in his BRM/Komet kart in select World Karting Association and Road America Kart Club events during the later half of the 2010 season and will serve as the team's driver for their newly-acquired 1977 All-American Racers DGF Formula Ford in SCCA National competition.