Employment Opportunities in Australian Motorsport

RotorFan · 24 Jan 2006, 23:14 (Ref:1508471)

It goes without saying that we're all motorsport nuts here - and some of us are more "in the know" than others for whatever reason. Motorsport is very much one of those things that if you want to get into it its often a matter of who you know and/or how much money you have.

I just wondered if any of you knew much about getting into the sport in terms of jobs. Motorsport is pretty diverse so there is a place for mechanics, management, PR, logistics, artists etc. I am in computing and I would enjoy no job more than one that involved one of my passions and something i'm good at.

What kind of opportunties are there for computing professionals to get into motorsport? The obvious ones are companies like MoTeC etc... someone has to make all those programs that calculate fuel burn and pit strategy and things like channel 10's "pitsmart" software - working on these things would be fantastic.

I've thought about sending an email to some V8 Supercar teams to see what they had to say about it (or in the extreme off chance there was an opportunity).

What do you think?

I wasn't sure which forum to put this in but since I'm in Australia and its to do with Australian motorsport, I thought this would be the best place. My apologies for throwing a spanner in the works and making a change from the many rumour threads

mixxer · 24 Jan 2006, 23:30 (Ref:1508490)

Send the emails you never know unless you have a go, start with the smaller outfits as the larger teams prefer people with experience.
Also let them know your prepared to sweep the garages, take out the trash and be a general dogs body around the place to help get your foot in the door and learn whats required to work in the industry.
You wont be first person who got their entry into motorsport this way.
The hours are long and the rewards are small but if your a "motorsport nut" you wont find a better job than being actively involved in a team.

Good Luck

storyline · 25 Jan 2006, 00:24 (Ref:1508511)

MoTec will advertise when and if needed - beware that there requirements are very high though - especially in related experience.

Teams also advertise/want people BUT again, experience is more than necessary..

Ch 10's software is done through contract to an outside company - once agin, though - experience.

You might have guessed here that the underlying requirement is experience - it's a Catch-22 situation - you can't get a decent job unless you have experience and you can't get that experience until you get a job!

It is literally start at the bottom - look for club rcaers that have some of the equipment you want to get experience with and talk to them - beware that a lot of this will be 'voluntary' though.

RotorFan · 25 Jan 2006, 01:30 (Ref:1508527)

Quote:

Originally Posted by storyline

MoTec will advertise when and if needed - beware that there requirements are very high though - especially in related experience.

Teams also advertise/want people BUT again, experience is more than necessary..

Ch 10's software is done through contract to an outside company - once agin, though - experience.

You might have guessed here that the underlying requirement is experience - it's a Catch-22 situation - you can't get a decent job unless you have experience and you can't get that experience until you get a job!

It is literally start at the bottom - look for club rcaers that have some of the equipment you want to get experience with and talk to them - beware that a lot of this will be 'voluntary' though.

Yes I know that catch-22 all too well, as alot of university graduates - that don't have "people in the know" - discover. I did see a job advertised by MoTeC, for a firmware engineer. Although I don't have the qualifications for that particular one, its exactly the sort of stuff I want to get into. I gues I've got to get back to uni and do engineering if I want that kind of job.

I have had a play (as have many of some of the serious sim-racers out there) with MoTeC when I raced in the game "GTR" (a super-realistic sim that actually outputs the data from the simulation as MoTeC logs). It was very interesting, indeed! Helped me learn about suspension travel, weight shift etc in detail. If anything it was too complex to figure out properly without guidance.

I suppose one thing I didn't think of is that teams/oraganisations in motorsport are always on a shoe-string budget these days - they spend all the money they have in the most effective ways they can, whether they are worth hundreds of thousands or millions. If it was going to be voluntary then one would have to have two jobs to put food on the table.

storyline · 25 Jan 2006, 02:08 (Ref:1508537)

You hit it right on the head - motorsport, like any other business, wants everything it can get for nothing.

This is why I suggested club-racers (State level etc) as a possible 'learning experience' - the expectations are not as high, some of them have some serious money but don't know how to use it 'wisely'.

You dn't say were you are - Sydney, Melburne, Brisbane, Perth etc - give one of their state series a try and see how you go - it may take you a few visits to these race meetings but could be worth it in the long run (a number of 'big gun' teams have techs, mechanics etc working for friends, sons, daughters, relatives in these series as well (Garth Tander comes to mind).

RotorFan · 25 Jan 2006, 02:45 (Ref:1508552)

Yeah I attend as many of the state championships as I can (in fact they're the only motorsport events I go to - never been to the V8s) at Oran Park (so I'm in Sydney), and have had a few chats with drivers/teams, although not about this topic. Its 50/50 whether the team/person will give up their time to talk to you. Some of them are more than happy to do it. Garth Tander didn't really want to talk (although I think the Tander team were just interested in getting home), but Leanne was a bit more talkative, albeit very quietly spoken. I talked at length with a driver by the name of Val Stewart last time and had a very entertaining conversation, she was delightful (and a fellow RX-7 fanatic!). Unfortunately you see these people once and then they forget you, so you disappear off their radar. It seems you really do need to be friends or family to get in on it.

The teams do vary wildly - you'll see some teams looking at data, while others vary their setup only by tyre pressures.

storyline · 25 Jan 2006, 02:58 (Ref:1508560)

When you talk to them don't talk in generalities, mention what you want to do. If that driver can't halep, doesn't need that sort of help, they may know someone that does

RotorFan · 25 Jan 2006, 03:03 (Ref:1508561)

Quote:

Originally Posted by storyline

When you talk to them don't talk in generalities, mention what you want to do. If that driver can't halep, doesn't need that sort of help, they may know someone that does

Thats good advice, thanks.

storyline · 25 Jan 2006, 03:38 (Ref:1508565)

You're welcome (and next time I'll try and spell help correctly!)

RotorFan · 25 Jan 2006, 03:50 (Ref:1508567)

Quote:

Originally Posted by storyline

You're welcome (and next time I'll try and spell help correctly!)

Thats what editors are for

Sandgroper · 25 Jan 2006, 04:04 (Ref:1508570)

SOmetine just to get the experience in anything like this which could be hard to break into, is volunteering your services as someone said, state rounds and classes until you gain the experience and exposure. Ive known of a few people (not in this industry) but in general who continually volunteered their services and in the not to distant future scored a job with the company or industry they were trying to break into.

Vanilla Dice · 25 Jan 2006, 07:01 (Ref:1508599)

What was that ol' line

How do you become a millionair in motorsport?
Start off as a billionair

Or.. use OPM..

Lukin · 25 Jan 2006, 07:23 (Ref:1508609)

I agree with what everyone is saying and that's the path I took. Did mech eng and dabbled in FSAE, but it went no where, so I went to the local track and asked around till I found someone with a data system and offered my services (of which were very limited) for free. Paid my way through the MoTeC seminars (ADL and Claude Rouelle) and bought a heap of books etc (I spent $3500 on seminars and books in one year!).

I sent an e-mail out to all the teams in May, telling them what I was doing and how I wanted to get a job in 12-18 months and asked what I could do to increase my chances. I was VERY lucky in my timing, two teams rang the next day and the rest is history.

It's not all roses, but it is the best job around. When they say experience, they mean it, it's so hard to try and catch up, there is so much to learn. The good thing is the team I'm with seem to understand that and don't put me under too much pressure, but I still put myself under a hell of a lot. But in the beginning, it's not hard to feel incredibly stupid.

One thing, the wages are small (when looking at hours worked) but the rewards are huge. Earning your company $1000 a day (which I have done in mining) is nothing compared to getting on the podium. The bad thing about that; when the highs are highs, it makes the lows absolutely ****house!

storyline · 25 Jan 2006, 11:22 (Ref:1508726)

When you say FSAE went noweher - what, exactly, do you mean? That FSAE is going nowhere or the so-called opportunities FSAE was supposed to present didn't happen?

If you prefer, PM me with answer.

Lukin · 25 Jan 2006, 21:03 (Ref:1509082)

I meant SAE where I was at uni. There was very little enthusiasm where I went to uni from either staff or students. I did as much as I could but it got to the point where it wasn't gonna get me anywhere, which prompted the looking at local series.

FSAE is great though, and very good experience. Some of the guys from Wollongong, UWA, Monash etc are doing very well for themselves.

Accee · 26 Jan 2006, 07:18 (Ref:1509250)

Email the teams ...you will never know if you dont ask. Sometimes the track isnt the right time to talk as it is usually full on on race weekends. I know a team that has filled positions will people without experience and given them a go. Mind you their expectations are high and you have to work hard to get to stay.

RotorFan · 27 Jan 2006, 00:22 (Ref:1509797)

Thanks for everyones advice, its helped alot. It shows that if you want something bad enough, you have a good chance at getting there eventually, thats why I made the post

Cheers

sina · 9 Apr 2012, 20:16 (Ref:3056000)

Hi guys
I'm going to migrate to Melbourne next year. I wanted to see is there any chance for me to find a job in a racing team or a good job in motorsport?
I should note our FSAE team from Iran became 13th among 25 teams in 2009.

Juarez Jed · 11 Apr 2012, 20:26 (Ref:3057386)

The answers are on page 1 of this thread Sina. Good luck !