Help???

[LandyGirl]

Hi,

Recently, I went and did some work experience with a race team called Fortec Motorsport based in Daventry.
They introduced me further into the world of motorsport and having spoken to one of the mechanics everyday, they have influenced me into applying to study motorsport, and I have now got an offer!

On the othere hand, my interests have always been fairly land rover based and with this in mind I also apploed to study Off-road engineering and now have also got an interview.

I was wondering if anyone could possibly help me shed some light on which path to follow? And also should I go dow the route of doing the off road course, how difficult do you think it would be to apply that knowledge to motorsport?

Many thanks

[morninggents]

Although not a whiz as a mechanic I've been around racing for long enough to pick up some mechanical knowledge. Motorsport covers many disciplines and it depends on which branch interests you most - circuit racing, rallying, hillclimbs and sprints, etc. but as you have spent some time with Fortec I assume it is the circuit racing aspect that you want to follow. In terms of vehicle set-up the parameters relating to off-roading are vastly different from those for circuit racing so not much use there. However, what you would learn would be the basics of vehicle engineering, how changes to suspension set-ups affect vehicle handling, vehicle dynamics and the need to check and recheck what you have done to ensure the vehicles you work on are safe for the drivers to use.

Good luck.

[mountainstar]

First thing I'd think about is what interests you the most? What exactly do you want to do?

Second, the off road world is nothing to sneeze at. As I found myself that's a growth area in the automotive sector. Dakar style racing and other off road racing/rallying is popular around the world and in the road car side you've got a large amount of off road enthusiasts and a thriving market for aftermarket products. At least in my experience from what I have seen is people with good experience and knowledge in off road engineering and ability are fewer and far between whereas I can walk out in the parking lot and kick over a rock and find a mechanic to service an junior formula open wheel car.

In addition, get all the experience and education you can because markets and the business world changes. What might be important now might be useless or less important 10 years from now. I think also a diversity of experiences helps one overcome issues and be more creative. People that get too specialized I find end up not being able to see the woods from the trees.