Scottish rallycross outfit Albatec Racing and the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME) have announced a collaborative partnership that aims to provide career development opportunities for the next generation of motorsport engineers.
NCME and Albatec will work together in partnership to provide an unrivalled experience to students studying Motorsport and Automotive Performance Engineering at the University of Bolton, both in class and on-event with Albatec’s 2018 MSA British Rallycross Championship campaign.
Albatec brings their expertise to NCME by helping students and staff to contextualise academic learning in the development, assembly, and preparation of its 600bhp Peugeot 208 Supercar, which will be engineered at the University’s brand new GB£13m workshops. As part of the collaboration, NCME’s students will support Albatec engineers and technicians at the track, providing context to theoretical studies in maths, physics, and engineering.
Studying in the University’s classrooms and workshops, and working alongside Albatec’s experienced rallycross personnel at the track will provide the opportunity for students to gain hands-on, real-life career experience. Students will get the chance to engage as part of a professional race team at the track, and understand the careers available in motorsport engineering as well as gain insight into how cars are designed, developed, manufactured and tested.
Partnering with Albatec, a leading team in British, French, and European rallycross, students will gain a unique learning experience, from engineering the cars and dealing with the challenges of events as a team member to securing first-hand experience encompassing pre-event preparation, testing, competition and post-event scrutineering. Student projects will mimic the research and development processes used in industry, helping them prepare for a successful and rewarding career in motorsport engineering.
Albatec is currently considering drivers for the programme, seeking a suitable candidate who is not only capable of powering the team to victory but also one who understands the importance of aligning their own progress with that of junior team members.
“We’re incredibly excited to be collaborating with the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering at the University of Bolton and see this as a long-term investment for both parties,” explained Andy Scott, team principal Albatec Racing. “The UK has produced some of the finest technical minds in the business, with engineers holding key positions across the board right up to Formula One. We’re eager to ensure that this continues and expands into rallycross. While partnerships with universities in motorsport aren’t unique, I believe this will be the first collaboration with a successful UK team at National level, with one of the highest-ranking universities for motorsport engineering.
“We don’t currently have our driver for British Rallycross finalised, that’s the final piece of the puzzle. But one of the major factors in our selection process is to ensure that they are firstly a potential front-runner, we’re not here to finish second. We are also looking for a driver that understands the importance of working with students, our next generation of motorsport engineers, and appreciates the culture of learning and development which is so essential to every member of a successful motorsport operation.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity to be working in collaboration with Albatec Racing and competing in the MSA British Rallycross Championship, a series that is rapidly growing in popularity and strength,” added Dr. Mark Busfield, director, National Centre for Motorsport Engineering. “Partnering in this manner is perfect for the NCME and Albatec; the strong synergy with the infrastructure, data, and hardware from Albatec and the significant number of brilliant students we have on our specific Motorsport Engineering course, within NCME gives us unprecedented advantages and value to the project. Our students can engage fully in true motorsport engineering, and work to understand performance optimisation, and continuously improve the car. We look forward to a long and successful collaboration and are excited to start working with the team.”
