Category Archives: Motorsport Students

Student gets ‘Drive of his Life’ for Placement Achievement

Posted on by

Final Year BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology student, Matthew Brill enjoyed the ‘drive of his life’ recently courtesy of his placement company.

Matthew undertook his year-long placement with Staffordshire University partners Slidesports Race Engineering, who currently undertake a wide variety of consultancy motorsport engineering projects alongside their racing commitments in the UK and internationally.

Matthew with the Pallex Slidesports Porsche Cayman GT4 in Hungary recently. Photo: M Jenkins

Matthew with the Pallex Slidesports Porsche Cayman GT4 in Hungary recently. Photo: M Jenkins

His excellent progress and commitment to the placement didn’t go unnoticed with Slidesports providing him with an end of placement experience to remember – tuition and solo laps in a race prepared Volkswagen Scirocco.

Team Principal Mark Jenkins said,

“Matthew came to us in September 2015 and he’s made himself an invaluable member of the team, he’s worked extremely hard all season and that’s why we arranged this experience for him. I’d be happy to do that again for any placement student that showed the same calibre Matthew did.”

Slidesports have worked in partnership with Staffordshire University for nearly a decade to provide ‘live’ work based learning experience to students on the Foundation Degree and BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology awards.

Matthew following his solo laps in a race prepared Volkswagen Scirocco. Photo: M Jenkins

Matthew following his solo laps in a race prepared Volkswagen Scirocco. Photo: M Jenkins

During Matthew’s placement year he has worked on an extensive range of cars including the Pallex Slidesports Porsche Cayman GT4, the Team BRIT Volkswagen Golf GTi and rally cars.

Matthew had very little mechanical experience prior to his placement, and feels he;

“gained an amazing amount of experience during the placement, allowing the classroom knowledge I’d gained to be put into practice.”

For more information on Staffordshire University Motorsport courses, click here, or contact enquiries@staffs.ac.uk or to contact Slidesports Race Engineering, info@slidesports.co.uk

Welcome Week 2015

Posted on by

It’s been a little while since our last blog post, pre- semester preparation giving way to clearing. This was followed rapidly by our new and old students joining or returning to the campus for the excitement that is Welcome Week and the start of a new term. As the chaos of the first week dies down, we thought this was a fantastic time to bring you up to date with the activities of our students during Welcome Week 2015.

Our new Level 4 Automotive and Motorsport students joined us on the Monday, where Award Leader Debi Roberts briefed them on the awards they were going to be studying and the key rules and regulations they needed to stay on the right side of during their time at the University. Sounds a little dry perhaps, but by knowing exactly what is expected from the start, we can avoid any situations further down the line.

Time was also taken to help the students find their timetables and learn to access systems such as the email and Blackboard learning environment.

It was not all work for the students though, a School of Engineering buffet was held to allow them to meet their tutors and get to know other students on the Engineering courses and for the Automotive and Motorsport students – a free trip to the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon was organised for the Thursday.

After travelling down to Gaydon, we were given a tour of the exhibits by the museum staff, who were able to supplement the students own knowledge with their own tales of the history and the engineering of the exhibits. We then got to explore the rest of the museum and hear the plans for the new hall – currently being build nearby. All of us had a fantastic day with some really interesting discussions taking place.

Students discussing the engineering challenges of one of the first ‘modern’ automobiles

DSC_0363

DSC_0365

DSC_0410

DSC_0399

 

Brands Hatch – Lotus Festival Race Weekend

Posted on by

The weekend of the 15th and 16th August saw the 9th Lotus Festival take place, being held for the 6th time at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. There has been motor racing at Brands since 1926, when it was first used for grass track bike racing.

Gareth Downing in the Lotus Evora GTE

Staffordshire University were there as part of their GT Cup commitments, staff and students working in partnership with the National Motorsport Academy and drivers Kevin Riley and Gareth Downing in the Lotus Evora GTE and also students working in a long time collaboration with Slidesports and team owner Mark Jenkins – assisting in the running of the Pallex Motorsports Porsche 997 GT3 Cup.

Staffordshire University students working with Slidesports to run the Pallex Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car.

The weekend had three sessions instead of the usual six, the result of a last minute calendar change, with a race on both the Saturday and Sunday. In the Saturday qualifying, Gareth went out towards the end of the session to claim fourth fastest time and pole in the GTC class. Talking to the GT Cup media afterwards, Gareth said;

“It was pleasing. The circuit suits the Lotus as there are no long straights so we are not sacrificing anything to the Ferraris. It’s all about cornering, handling and carrying the speed. We’ve made subtle changes to the car and it’s working.”

The Pallex Motorsports Porsche of James Greenaway qualified fifth overall and first in the GTB class.

Staffordshire University students working over the weekend

In the first race, the black and gold Lotus got off to a slow start, later shown to be due to mechanical issues and Downing dropped through the pack, managing to pick up third place in the GTC class and sixth overall. Greenaway took first place in the GTB class, and second overall.

Mandatory pit stop in the Sunday race.

Time taken on Saturday to chase and resolve the technical issues seemed to pay off for the Lotus of Downing and Riley as it was running well before the Sunday morning pit stop race. Downing found himself second after Paul Bailey’s Aston Martin Vantage and Phil Burgan’s Audi R8 collided, the Safety Car had to be dispatched bunching the field together, mandatory pit stops rearranged the field and a second Safety Car on lap nineteen. This unfortunately disadvantaged Downing and he managed to bring the car home third in class for the second time in the weekend.

Weekend team photograph

The next GT Cup rounds are at Donington Park on the 19th and 20th September and weekend highlights will be shown on Motors TV.

 

Graduation 2015

Posted on by

Last week, on the gloriously sunny afternoon of Tuesday 7th July 2015, the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Sciences held their Engineering and Sciences Graduation Ceremony – the highlight of the year, a chance to celebrate the hard work of our Automotive and Motorsport students.

It’s not just a special day for the students and staff though, this is a key chance for family, who have been supporting their graduate during the last few years to really see their family member shine.

BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology graduate Jenny Broom attended with her parents and sisters, her parents talking about the joy in seeing their daughter pursue her dreams.

Students Chris, Jenny and James at Graduation 2015.

Students Chris, Jenny and James at Graduation.

James Bruce, another BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology graduate has been working at McLaren since finishing his course, so it was great for him to catch up with his former classmates for the day.

Automotive Technology graduates, Frazer, Tim, Jack and Owen. Photo taken by Amelia May Lancaster.

Automotive Technology graduates, Frazer, Tim, Jack and Owen. Photo taken by Amelia May Lancaster.

It’s not just about our Motorsport graduates though, shown above are some of our BSc(Hons) Automotive Technology graduates, Frazer Killops, Tim Lancaster, Jack Ellis and Owen Morgan. The picture is taken by Tim’s wife Amelia, who is also graduating from her own course this year.

As well as the excellent work put in by our graduates, graduation is also the time to celebrate prize winners, BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology graduate, Christopher Harpham was awarded the IMechE Institution Project Prize for his final project looking at ‘The Aerodynamic Effects of Oversteer on Performance Vehicles’, He was presented with a certificate from the Dean of the Faculty, Hastings McKenzie and Motorsport Award Leader, Debi Roberts.

Chris Harpham receiving his award from Professor Hastings McKenzie and Debi Roberts.

Chris Harpham receiving his award from Professor Hastings McKenzie and Debi Roberts.

Award Leader for the Automotive and Motorsport courses, Debi Roberts, said “Graduation is a very special time for the graduates and their families, but it’s also a lovely, as a lecturer and tutor, to see the end result – the change in those students that comes after three or four years of hard work on their part. To celebrate with them and say ‘look, you achieved all that’ and then keeping in touch to see where their career takes them.”

National Motorsport Week

Posted on by

It’s National Motorsport Week this week (27 June – 5 July 2015) – this is a celebration of the UK Motorsport Industry. It encompasses a busy week for the UK Motorsport scene, the Goodwood Festival of Speed starting the week, the first Formula E race in London and finishing with the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend.

However, it’s not just about those high profile events, National Motorsport Week is about initiatives and activities to promote UK Motorsport. This can range from novice taster events, to factory visits and open days. It’s about promoting the industry, inspiring the excitement to new audiences – this brings more interest, more spectators, more competitors, more officials and marshals – and as a result more jobs and a huge benefit to the UK economy.

Here’s some UK Motorsport Industry facts provided by the National Motorsport Week team to show what a big deal this is;

  • The 750 or so motor clubs registered with the MSA have an estimated national membership of a staggering 200,000, with more than 32,000 MSA Competition Licence holders in the UK.
  • Britain has produced more F1 World Champions than any other nation – 10 title winners; Brazil and Finland are up next with 3 each.
  • More British drivers (32) have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans than those representing any other nation, including hosts France (27).
  • Seven out of the 10 current F1 teams are based in the UK
  • Over 4,300 UK companies are involved in the high-technology business world of Motorsport, and performance engineering, with £9 billion of combined annual turnover, of which £3 billion is exported.
  • Motorsport in the UK supports nearly 41,000 full and part time jobs, of which some 25,000 are qualified engineers.
  • Motorsport is a genuine UK success story and something this country should be very proud of.

So if you are looking to get involved in Motorsport – what is the best way?

Volunteering?

All Motorsport events need volunteers to help run them both safely and effectively. Getting involved in marshalling, scrutineering, timekeeping or rescue will get you out there and involved – volunteers are welcome at any are, although there may be restrictions on the duties you can do. The best place to start is the Volunteers in Motorsport website.

Driving?

The really good news for those getting involved in competitive motorsport is the range of different disciplines to pick from. This means there is something for every person. From arrive and drive karting championships and track days to formal competition, there are plenty of chances to find something that suits you.

Working?

Motorsport has wide ranging career choices, and it’s a worthwhile and rewarding industry. However, it can involve working long hours, weekends and being away from home…. Not to mention being exposed to the elements…. So if you’re still interested… What do you need? 

Again this depends on the path you wish to take – Engineers will want to be looking at English, Maths and Sciences – moving on to these at school or college and then maybe looking at these or more vocational qualifications before considering University and one of the many Motorsport, Automotive or Engineering courses out there.

But Motorsport is not just about Engineering: there are so many supporting business roles – sales, marketing, accounting, project management. You need to think about what you enjoy and where you want to be in the future; office role or more practical?

It’s great to gain experience, work on your own vehicle, help out a local team with basic duties, volunteer as a marshal to get experience and meet others but most importantly, learn about the industry, and look at the skills you are gaining and how they might be transferable too.

Watching?

Watching on television is one thing, but nothing beats the experience of seeing motorsport live, the smell, sights and sounds are spectacular! There are over 4,500 events taking place every year, all over the country, so you are bound to find something of interest near you. It’s well worth checking out GoMotorsport for events.

There’s a way for everyone to get involved so however you want to do so, get out there and get involved in Motorsport in your area.

GradEX 2015

Posted on by

The Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Sciences, alongside the Faculty of Arts and Creative Technologies, recently held their Annual Graduate Exhibition of student work – GradEX 2015. A high proportion of our Automotive and Motorsport final year students entered – in the Aeronautical and Automotive category.

The event is well attended by industry and it is from industry that the judging panel join us. They view the students work, and speak to the students before retiring to make a decision on the prizes in their category.

With a mix of Automotive, Motorsport, Aeronautical and Mechanical students in this year’s group – the end result was a tough decision for the judges. Two students were not placed but given a special mention – our own Christopher Harpham (BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology) for his excellent presentation and communication skills and BSc(Hons) Aeronautical Technology student David Reeves who was passionate about the commercial viability of his project.

Third place went to BSc(Hons) Aeronautical Technology student William Kwarteng-Ferradas for his project ‘Investigation of Pre-Spin in Aircraft Landing Gear Wheels’.

Second place went to Frazer Killops, BSc(Hons) Automotive Technology student for his project ‘Feasibility of a V4 Engine with Cylinder Deactivation’.

First Place in the category went to BEng(Hons) Mechanical Engineering student Jorge Morais and his project ‘Design and Development of a Dual Resonant Intake System’ which was undertaken as part of the development of a Formula Student vehicle.

For images of the winners receiving their certificates from the Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Sciences, Professor Hastings MacKenzie, click here.

For more information on the GradEX event, click here