Automotive
Motor racing may appear a glamorous business to those who watch Grand Prix on a Sunday afternoon. However, behind every Lewis Hamilton there is an army of many highly-skilled people, there because of the technical challenges now posed by the sport.
An army which, it seems, is growing. A typical Formula 1 team, for example, has a staff of over 500. There are also many other less obvious companies supporting levels from F1 down to club racing. As Renaults executive director of engineering Dr Pat Symonds, says: F1 may get the lions share of the publicity, but it is important to realise that there is a lot more out there.
In the 14 years since Renault moved to its factory in British expertise is also much sought after in the USA.The Indianapolis 500 this year has the likes of Les McTaggart as senior technical director of the Indy Racing League and Roger Griffiths as race team technical group leader of Honda Racing Developments which supplies the whole grid both of whom are British. Of the UK firms expected to grow substantially over the next two years, around half of them expect to recruit during this period. However, according to John Grant, chairman of the Motorsport Academy, which acts as a bridge between education and the industry, they will have difficulty recruiting the right people. In a recent survey, 60 per cent of companies questioned believed that universities do not deliver graduates with appropriate skills. In response to industry needs, specialist motorsport degree courses have sprung up in a number of universities such as Oxford Brookes University in the UK. Tom Ferenc, a sales engineer at AP Racing, chose to do his degree at Oxford Brookes despite hailing from Canada, strictly because of its motorsport involvement. Postgraduate courses have also been created at institutions such as the METCA in the Basque region of Spain. Based at the site of international racing team, Epsilon Euskadi, the METCA takes 24 students on an 11-month multi-discipline course endorsed by Mondragon Unibertsitatea. Now in its fourth year, a number of graduates have found jobs in both Formula 1 and in Epsilon Euskadis design department.
Expertise in Europe
Many coutries in Europe provide opportunities for graduates wanting to get into motorsport, such as Italy and France. However, its the UK's so-called Motorsport Valley that has been the main region in Europe dating back to the British dominance of Formula 1 in the 1960s. Many of the companies that grew up to support this still exist, even though the number of actual race car manufacturers has shrunk.
The right graduates A Formula 1 teams technical staff requirements are fairly broad based. However, even simple aspects, such as the ballast required to ensure that the car does not weigh less than the regulated limit, can require complex drawings. This, is why we need more skills, says Symonds. It is becoming increasingly difficult for engineers just to rely on experience. Engineers now need to have a good first degree or even higher.
Graduate opportunities
Graduates opportunities exist in component firms as well as racing teams. Gal Macé, head of advanced analysis at AP Racing, completed a Masters at the
However, its not just engineering graduates that the motorsport industry recruits. Lola Cars, the
Highly competitive
Motorsport still remains a very competitive industry for graduates. Peter May graduated from the
The most important thing you get from an engineering degree is not the knowledge but rather tools to learn, understand and solve problems, he says. As his experience shows, finding a job in a top motorsport firm requires determination and ambition. But as he and
many others have found, the benefits are well worth the effort.
About the author
Ian Wagstaff is a freelance journalist specialising in motorsport and the automotive components industry. A member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, he writes regularly for a number of magazines in both Europe and the
Did You know?
The very first Grand Prix event took place in Le Mans in France in 1906
German racing driver Michael Schumacher holds the record for number of Grand Prix titles won:an impressive 91 titles
The weight limit for a Formula 1 car is just 605kg
Website-Links
METCA www.epsiloneuskadi.com
Mondragon Unibertsitatea www.mondragon.edu
Motorsport Academy www.motorsportacademy.org
Motorsport Industry Association www.the-mia.com
Oxford Brookes University www.brookes.ac.uk
Racecar Engineering magazine www.racecar-engineering.com
