help to get me into motorsport
Discussion
hello, i am looking to get into motor sport engineering but frankly dont no wear to start i have a huge passion for motor sports, i have been doing mechanics for the past one and half years so i know the basics of how car components works, how would i get in to motor sport engineering??
school? college? university? location?
whichever is appropriate there are a lot of schemes and courses availble. Look at Formula Student and that sort of thing. There was an electric car race for schools at Castle Combe recently and I am sure they are all over the country. you may have to pester teachers to get involved but nothing ventured nothing gained etc etc
There are loads of motor trade/engineering type courses for post 16 students and loads of very specific motorsport engineering degrees at universities.
Go to races, ask to help out. I knowe few people in the iundustry and they got there by being the ones who get up early, gdrove/got a train to a race meeting, flogged their arses off in a pit garage for nothing more than expenses and got home tired....
whichever is appropriate there are a lot of schemes and courses availble. Look at Formula Student and that sort of thing. There was an electric car race for schools at Castle Combe recently and I am sure they are all over the country. you may have to pester teachers to get involved but nothing ventured nothing gained etc etc
There are loads of motor trade/engineering type courses for post 16 students and loads of very specific motorsport engineering degrees at universities.
Go to races, ask to help out. I knowe few people in the iundustry and they got there by being the ones who get up early, gdrove/got a train to a race meeting, flogged their arses off in a pit garage for nothing more than expenses and got home tired....
i am from st helens and i am in st helens college (northwest) the nearest major race circuit to me is oulton park about 30-40 miles away, there is only two person i could contact to get in to motor sport and thats Kim Mather and John Middlehurst, but one sponsors his son and the other is retired.
I would suggest not doing Motorsport engineering at college. Anyone in the know will know they aren't worth the paper they're written on.
You would be better off building your own car and documenting everything you do to it, using the portfolio as evidence of your skills and competencies.
You can also contact any/all companies that are involved in Motorsport and offer to work for free, at weekends etc to try and get your foot in the door.
It is also worth coming to terms that 'Motorsport engineering' is rarely a field you choose as a direct career. Most the fellas doing it will have trained in other fields and moved across. So start looking into engineering apprenticeships and college courses.
As with most careers, it has a lot to do with who you know so you are looking to gain qualifications in engineering as well as coming into contact with people who can put a good word in for you or even hire you directly themselves.
Best of luck
You would be better off building your own car and documenting everything you do to it, using the portfolio as evidence of your skills and competencies.
You can also contact any/all companies that are involved in Motorsport and offer to work for free, at weekends etc to try and get your foot in the door.
It is also worth coming to terms that 'Motorsport engineering' is rarely a field you choose as a direct career. Most the fellas doing it will have trained in other fields and moved across. So start looking into engineering apprenticeships and college courses.
As with most careers, it has a lot to do with who you know so you are looking to gain qualifications in engineering as well as coming into contact with people who can put a good word in for you or even hire you directly themselves.
Best of luck
karting legend said:
i am from st helens and i am in st helens college (northwest) the nearest major race circuit to me is oulton park about 30-40 miles away, there is only two person i could contact to get in to motor sport and thats Kim Mather and John Middlehurst, but one sponsors his son and the other is retired.
Are you after a job or sponsorship?If its the former, you need to go online and search for every single team and company asssociated with the sport. If your attitude is "there are only two people I can contact to get into motorsport" then you are going to fail. Be a little bit more creative....Think of every component on a car, then think about how many comapnies are there to supply such parts... then go find those companies....get to Oulton Park and speak to every single person there, if you dont walk away with at least some sort of piit crew post, even if tis unpaid, i'll be amazed. its all about experience and getting out there. St Helens to Oulton Park is easily doable by train and bicycle....
if its the latter, then you have no hope unless you already have a good set of results behind you..
the motorsport engineering masters course at cranfield has some reasonable ties to motorsport. or at least it did, when i was there (i did a different course but a friend did that one - he ended up working for not much money and only on the odd occasion, i think in GT3 type teams, before moving to nissan for ride and handling. i got a job at BP and went to work in F1 for 6 years...!). the moral of the story is that some people get lucky.
Get yourself a degree, preferably a masters in mechanical or automotive engineering, do formula student every year, do a placement (sandwich) year (most formula 1 teams and other big Motorsport companies take on students for placements), get a 1st and then get on a graduate role when you leave uni.
Oh and you'll need flawless maths and physics skills, extensive materials knowledge, you'll need to interview very well and have fantastic communication skills. get someone from a recruitment firm to check your CV, which needs regularly updating to show your skill set in the best light.
And even then there is no guarantee you'll be able to get in Motorsport, some people just don't.
Finally, don't assume you'll enjoy working in Motorsport because you are passionate about it. Motorsport can be pretty horrible work sometimes (the hours can be an absolute joke at times, and very few people pay overtime) so you need to make sure you are going into it because you want to be an engineer, not because you like Motorsport.
Oh and you'll need flawless maths and physics skills, extensive materials knowledge, you'll need to interview very well and have fantastic communication skills. get someone from a recruitment firm to check your CV, which needs regularly updating to show your skill set in the best light.
And even then there is no guarantee you'll be able to get in Motorsport, some people just don't.
Finally, don't assume you'll enjoy working in Motorsport because you are passionate about it. Motorsport can be pretty horrible work sometimes (the hours can be an absolute joke at times, and very few people pay overtime) so you need to make sure you are going into it because you want to be an engineer, not because you like Motorsport.
Edited by nice audi driver on Saturday 21st April 08:12
karting legend said:
hello, i am looking to get into motor sport engineering but frankly dont no wear to start i have a huge passion for motor sports, i have been doing mechanics for the past one and half years so i know the basics of how car components works, how would i get in to motor sport engineering??
Start by analysing your post and see what you can improve. You'll be taking a first step towards the rigorous attention to detail expected of any engineer.Good luck!
Some interesting replies, some with bad advice.
Decide what you want, do you want to be an engineer or a technician?
To be an engineer you need maths, computing (data analysis, design etc.) and physics ability to a high level. Did you get A/B in these at GCSE? If so take Maths and Physics A levels, get on to a good university and study motorsport or automotive engineering/technology (BEng/BSc). Don't just build a car and take pictures of everything, you won't actually learn any engineering.
To be a technician I'm not overly sure on the route, although a solid mechanic base is a good start but make sure that you learn diagnostics, fabrication (metals and composites) and try to gain experience. Working as a mechanic in a garage will not give you the skill set required. Completing a diagnostics course at college is very useful for understanding engines. As you're training volunteer at races to help teams - google race teams and email their contacts with a CV and what you're wanting to do.
Motorsport is a very unique employment, especially considering the automotive sector. Long hours, no overtime pay, 7 days a week working but the rewards are good. Lots of travelling an a brilliant CV for when you're looking to settle down to a normal automotive job.
Good luck!
Decide what you want, do you want to be an engineer or a technician?
To be an engineer you need maths, computing (data analysis, design etc.) and physics ability to a high level. Did you get A/B in these at GCSE? If so take Maths and Physics A levels, get on to a good university and study motorsport or automotive engineering/technology (BEng/BSc). Don't just build a car and take pictures of everything, you won't actually learn any engineering.
To be a technician I'm not overly sure on the route, although a solid mechanic base is a good start but make sure that you learn diagnostics, fabrication (metals and composites) and try to gain experience. Working as a mechanic in a garage will not give you the skill set required. Completing a diagnostics course at college is very useful for understanding engines. As you're training volunteer at races to help teams - google race teams and email their contacts with a CV and what you're wanting to do.
Motorsport is a very unique employment, especially considering the automotive sector. Long hours, no overtime pay, 7 days a week working but the rewards are good. Lots of travelling an a brilliant CV for when you're looking to settle down to a normal automotive job.
Good luck!
nice audi driver said:
Get yourself a degree, preferably a masters in mechanical or automotive engineering, do formula student every year, do a placement (sandwich) year (most formula 1 teams and other big Motorsport companies take on students for placements), get a 1st and then get on a graduate role when you leave uni.
Oh and you'll need flawless maths and physics skills, extensive materials knowledge, you'll need to interview very well and have fantastic communication skills. get someone from a recruitment firm to check your CV, which needs regularly updating to show your skill set in the best light.
I did most of this ^^^ and worked for Williams in the late 80's. Job was great fun (it was a 6 month project) and I asked if I could have a permanent job. They said very politely that I could join them ...after I worked for ~5 years with VW/Ford/Vauxhaull etc learning the basics as they weren't so interested at the time to bring in engineering graduates. It may have also been a polite way to say I wasn't good enough of course ;-) Oh and you'll need flawless maths and physics skills, extensive materials knowledge, you'll need to interview very well and have fantastic communication skills. get someone from a recruitment firm to check your CV, which needs regularly updating to show your skill set in the best light.
John145 said:
....
To be an engineer you need maths, computing (data analysis, design etc.) and physics ability to a high level. Did you get A/B in these at GCSE? If so take Maths and Physics A levels, get on to a good university and study motorsport or automotive engineering/technology (BEng/BSc) ...
That's certainly the route my son is taking, and he is focussed on attaining good results in Maths, Science and ICT, getting decent GCSE's in Maths, Physics and ICT, ditto at A level and then on to bEng in Automotive Engineering. To be an engineer you need maths, computing (data analysis, design etc.) and physics ability to a high level. Did you get A/B in these at GCSE? If so take Maths and Physics A levels, get on to a good university and study motorsport or automotive engineering/technology (BEng/BSc) ...
He's visited a motorsport engineering company and had a factory tour, which he was very fortunate to get, and which confirmed his interest. He's only 11, but he has his plan and he knows what he needs to do to get where he wants to be. Obviously a lot may happen in the next 12 years to derail that plan, and I have made it clear to him that it is possible that he may not make the grade at various stages, but he will get as much support as I can give if he is prepared to put in the effort. I'm extremely pleased that his year 7 school report last week, and discussion with his teachers, shows he is excelling in Maths and Science. ICT is disappointing at the moment though (especially as it's what I do for a living!). Work to do!
Find out what you want to do first. Motorsport is a varied field, some positions will require different things. For example you'll never become a race engineer if you build your own car and document it, you'll need a degree. If that's not an option for you then look at other roles. Get yourself down to a college that offers a Motorsport course, If you like what you see then sign up. As has been said offer your services to every race team you can think of, you probably won't get paid but work hard, get a name for yourself and the opportunities will start to come in.
If you want to get into engineering as opposed to being a mechanic, In my experience no amount of enthusiasm or real world technical understanding will get you through the door for an interview if you're not getting absolute top notch academic results, the only exception to that is if you know people in the industry that can introduce you and give you a head start.
I did Mech Eng with Automotive Design at Brunel in the late '90s which at the time at least was one of the top courses for getting into motorsport, and yet despite having more interest and real world motorsport engineering knowledge than pretty much anyone on my course, because I wasnt being predicted a first or a very high 2:1 in my degree, it was pretty much hopeless trying to get interviews either for my year placement or for permanent positions afterwards.
I did Mech Eng with Automotive Design at Brunel in the late '90s which at the time at least was one of the top courses for getting into motorsport, and yet despite having more interest and real world motorsport engineering knowledge than pretty much anyone on my course, because I wasnt being predicted a first or a very high 2:1 in my degree, it was pretty much hopeless trying to get interviews either for my year placement or for permanent positions afterwards.
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