Press Release
20 Oct 2009 - Damon Hill welcomes initiative to develop future motorsport talent
Damon Hill welcomed the launch of a unique business-university partnership between Silverstone and Cranfield University last week, highlighting the importance of industry interaction in educating the motorsport industry’s future managers, designers and engineers.
The innovative ‘Virtual Silverstone’ project, which enables students on Cranfield’s Master’s degree in Motorsport Engineering and Management to gain a real insight into the business of motorsport, was launched last week at the Silverstone Innovation Centre.
1996 Formula One World Champion and now British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) President, Damon, said: “The BRDC are delighted to have a close relationship with an organisation like Cranfield. Motorsport is a fast moving industry and a great model for demonstrating the thrill of working together as a team. Partnerships such as this will help to develop the Silverstone business and ensure the British motorsport industry retains its standing in the world.”
Students will be participating in numerous activities at Silverstone throughout the year, including track design, motorsport marketing, large scale event management and a range of other business related issues.
As part of this partnership, Silverstone have defined the industrial group project for this year’s motorsport students. The group project allows the students to work on solving real-life challenges within industry, getting as close as possible to the real race environment. The focus of this year’s project will see the students investigating the relationship between the design and safety of a Formula Ford nose cone and the design of temporary barriers located around Silverstone’s Stowe circuit. The students will make recommendations for the most effective design and location for barriers that maximises revenue while optimising safety.
Speakers at the two day launch event included Sir Jackie Stewart, three time Formula One World Champion and keen advocate of auto racing safety, John Symes of the Motor Sports Association and F1 and motorbike design expert Alan Jenkins. Representatives from the Force F1 India team and Populous, architectural advisers on the Silverstone redevelopment, also contributed to the event.
Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Ltd, said: “Silverstone and the BRDC have been working with Cranfield for some years and this is an important part of our education strategy, supporting initiatives for all age groups from young children through to mature students.”
Professor Kambiz Kayvantash, Head of the Centre for Automotive Technology at Cranfield, said: “This partnership is a world first in motorsport teaching and training since it combines a complex design and development challenge with input from a range of professional organisations. We are very pleased with the collaboration with Silverstone and expect this to benefit both Cranfield motorsport students as well as Silverstone.”
More information on Cranfield’s Motorsport Engineering and Management MSc is available at www.motorsport.cranfield.ac.uk.
Further information on Silverstone is available at www.silverstone.co.uk.
ENDS
Further information
Picture: Damon Hill and Richard Phillips (centre) with Dr James Njuguna, Course Director of the Cranfield Motorsport programme (far left), and motorsport students.
Cranfield University is a wholly postgraduate institution with a worldwide reputation for excellence and expertise in aerospace, automotive, defence, engineering, environment and water, health, management and manufacturing. The University is made up of the following Schools: Cranfield Health, School of Management, School of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering, and Cranfield Defence and Security at Shrivenham. For more information visit www.cranfield.ac.uk
Silverstone Circuits Limited - Since its first event in 1948 Silverstone has become one of the World’s most famous motor sport venues and holds a race meeting nearly every weekend of the year from February to November. For those individuals looking for something a little more adventurous, Silverstone has its own Experience Centre offering a full range of Driving Experiences including Ferrari, Aston Martin, Single Seater and Rally. For further information on Silverstone please visit www.silverstone.co.uk
The Cranfield MSc Motorsport Engineering and Management has been developed in conjunction with the international motorsport sector and has an industrial advisory board which includes leading figures in motorsport. Students have gone onto companies such as Williams F1, McLaren Racing, Ferrari, Red Bull Technology, Renault F1, M-Sport, Prodrive and Xtrac. The course is run through Cranfield’s Centre for Automotive Technology.
For further information on Silverstone please visit www.silverstone.co.uk
For further information please contact: Naomie Stanford-Jones, Press Officer, Cranfield University, tel: +44 (0) 1234 754999
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Press release number: PR-30-09-SAS
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