Race Engineer School

[abe5.0]

I am a senior mechanical engineering student and will be graduating with a B.S. very soon, I was wanting to know if anyone knew of any schools in the U.S. that would offer an education or training as a race-engineer.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by abe5.0

I am a senior mechanical engineering student and will be graduating with a B.S. very soon, I was wanting to know if anyone knew of any schools in the U.S. that would offer an education or training as a race-engineer.

Auburn University has a great one...

Also try Purdue University....another superb school....

I'm sure that there are others, but I know that both schools have very good programs....

[abe5.0]

thanks i will check out both

[mandretti39]

Try this...

http://www.uti.edu/NascarTech/tabid/58/Default.aspx

[hpisloud]

Originally Posted by abe5.0

I am a senior mechanical engineering student and will be graduating with a B.S. very soon, I was wanting to know if anyone knew of any schools in the U.S. that would offer an education or training as a race-engineer.

Congrats on graduating soon! To answer the question- the best school out there is a race track. You have the pre-req degree for the position...now go out and get the experience. Build up your track experience doing whatever you can for a couple of years with midgets or sprints or drag racing (be sure to make good contacts)...or whatever you find...then pursue a position on a racing team. Racing isn't as glamorous as it appears on tv. It's HARD work and not for 95% of the M-F 8-4 engineering types. So be motivated to work hard and succeed...and you will.

[Leighton Irwin]

Get the formal education. At the same time find and hook up with a team at whatever is available, even sweeping. Read Carroll Smith's book "Prepare to Win". His later books are outdated but "Prepare" has the basics. Glamour- forget it. Hard bl--dy work. Lots of all nighters. In over 10 years of wrenching on a Pro team all I often saw was the airport, the track, a motel room and/or the inside of a motor home. Mind you coming around a bend and being eyeball to eyeball with a bighorn is interesting. If I didn't fly many a 10 hrs on the road a couple of hours sleep and another 10 hours or so. No life like it.

[drdisque]

Originally Posted by mandretti39

Try this...

http://www.uti.edu/NascarTech/tabid/58/Default.aspx

That program is a joke. It's way to elementary for a trained engineer. It basically just teaches the principles of preparing and repairing a stock car.

[hpisloud]

Originally Posted by drdisque

That program is a joke. It's way to elementary for a trained engineer. It basically just teaches the principles of preparing and repairing a stock car.

You may want to re-think that. I see plenty of engineers straight out of college wanting to jump in on racing teams who have no familiarity with basic tools whatsoever. I think a school like that plus engineering degree plus side experience will definitely get your foot in the racing industry someway or another...it did me. I mean, it would be stupid for a team not to hire him with that kind of knowledge and those kind of skills if he had the dedication.

Also another plus from the situation is that most of those instructors have connections. I graduated from a school sort of like UTI before pursuing engineering and was offered a job (through my instructor's connections) with a top-notch drag racing team upon graduation....I spent the next 4 years of my life wondering why I turned down the offer, but soon saw why it was for the best.

[Jonerz]

Isn't there a school in England that specializes in motorsports? I believe I saw it on Fifth Gear back when they were being broadcast on Speed. Anyone know what I may be thinking of? (I think Jean Alesi runs a program similar in Italy.)

Chris

[Red Bulldog]

Originally Posted by Jonerz

Isn't there a school in England that specializes in motorsports? I believe I saw it on Fifth Gear back when they were being broadcast on Speed. Anyone know what I may be thinking of? (I think Jean Alesi runs a program similar in Italy.)

Chris

I don't know much about this - but I should imagine the best schools would be in England as this is still the heart of motor racing engineering