Making It Onto The Ladder

[StefanM]

Hi Everyone

I have a huge passion for motorsport and want to make it onto the motorsport ladder as a mechanic. I am leaving secondary school in a year and want to know whether I should take a levels or go to a collage. There is a colloge about 10 miles from where i live and they provide a one year coarse in general motorsport engineering. Any advice would be greatfully appreciated.

Thanks, Stefan

[GORDON STREETER]

Hi Stefan and welcome to the forum.
Several people come on here and ask just that same question over the years and even a member of my family who is pretty smart and highly educated wants to do just the same.
However you might find a COLLEGE hard going and possibly a waste of time in the end as many have.
Go along to your nearest track and try to get in with a team clearing up/making tea or whatever as a start to see if you really have an aptitude for working in the motorsport world.
Watching motorsport from track side or on the box is rather like going on holiday to some amazing place and wanting to live there, and if you do normally it's not what you think.
However I wish you well in what you end up doing . I wanted to work in the film industry when I left school but there were not the opportunities all those years ago and I finished up being a motor mechanic,
The old adage "it's not what you know it's who you know" rings true in most cases and I was offered a job in the states when I was in my 30s by a well known film director that was a customer of mine in the UK but I was already established and wouldn't take the risk.

[StefanM]

Cheers for the reply Gordon. Didnt really expect anyone to answer. Im off down to the tockwith autodrome next week to give them a hand. I know somebody who works there.

[morninggents]

I'm sure the son of a friend went on a motorsport mechanic course a couple of years back at Askham Bryan College just outside York. I'll ask him about it.

Just reread your post - perhaps Askham Bryan is the one as it's about 10 miles from Church Fenton.

[tux]

I personally feel the best way to work as a mechanic in motorsport is to do a roadcar apprenticeship with a well respected brand (vw, ford etc). At the same time try and get some work experience with a team during race weekends. That way you earn some money, gain very good mechanical and electrical knowledge whilst gaining qualifications and motorsport experience. It will then allow you to get a good job if it is not possible to get a full time job in motorsport as they are very difficult to come by.

I wish i had followed my own advice, i spent 3 years at college gaining first and national diplomas in Motorsport Engineering and was lucky enough to be offered a full time position within 3 months of finishing college however as the team has now moved to employing people via season long contracts its hard for me to get work related to the motor industry.

I wish you luck and remember, be punctual, reliable, eager to learn and never turn down a chance because you never know who you will meet!

[StefanM]

it is indeed Askham bryan collage that i was on about (forgot to add the name, silly me) its the motorsport engineering coarse, which morninggents mentioned also, that im possibly applying for. Again cheers for the replies i had a lot of uncertaintity when starting this thread so thanks

[Paul D]

Stefan - please don't take the following as a personal affront, but if you're thinking about going to college to do a motorsport course, then I really think you need to pay more attention to your spelling and grammar.

You may think it's not important, you want to be a mechanic, not a writer, etc, etc. But it's not just about the spelling and grammar - it's about creating a good impression, and the world of business isn't conducted in 'text speak'.

Many people of your age group (not just yours, by the way!) display a lazy attitude towards the written word, so you have a chance to rise above that and give yourself an edge. Jobs, of any kind, are pretty hard to come by in the current climate. Imagine a scenario where a motorsport team manager is looking for a mechanic to work within his team, and in front of him on his desk are two application forms from young, aspiring mechanics, each with similar qualifications. One form is well written, with proper grammar, correct spelling and capital letters where they should be. The second one has little in the way of grammar, has several spelling mistakes and is generally just not as 'professional' as the first. Now, which one do you suppose the team manager is most likely to invite for an interview?

Of course, you may cry "But this is only a forum, it doesn't matter about spelling and grammar, and normally my writing is good." Well, in that case, great, please ignore my comments. However, if that's not the case, then you might want to give it some thought.

Either way, I wish you good luck in whatever path you choose.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Paul D

Stefan - please don't take the following as a personal affront, but if you're thinking about going to college to do a motorsport course, then I really think you need to pay more attention to your spelling and grammar.

I couldn't agree more, if you look at my reply and see what I highlighted in capitals !

[StefanM]

I'm not going to take that comment personally. I tend not to write formally on forums. When im actually writing I make a couple of mistakes with grammer and spelling but im working to iron out those creases as I have been made aware that english is important to motorsport

[wills]

A-levels :- the popular way to getting a place on a Motorsport degree course. Maths and Physics is a must have if you go this route. Unless you work in a garage in the weekends you'll find that you need to catchup on the practical side when you get round to doing the degree. If I were to do this again I would consider doing a BTEC course in engineering at college beforehand as you will learn more relevant stuff and acquire skills that will help you. The best in the industry all have sound engineering background and this is vital if you want to pursue a long career in Motorsport.

As for college courses that offer Motorsport Engineering Courses - unless it is taught by someone who is/was actually in Motorsport I'd avoid it. Chances are it will be taught by the Motor Vehicle staff who don't give 2 monkeys other than to get good grades from their students from assignments(even the marking at times is inconsistent). Problem is the ignorance the colleges have in that they don't appreciate the different requirements between motor vehicle maintenance and motorsport engineering. Universities are generally better but I find they lack the quality of personal teaching and the tuition fees aren't cheap these days. So attend their open evenings and make damn sure that there is someone who is of actual relevance to the industry.

Having said all that I actually did the Motorsport engineering course at my local college (despite numerous negative feedback from people who did it before me) and had a complete blast of a time. I was lucky enough to have classmates who were as passionate about the industry. I was also very lucky to have a very bearded lecturer who used to build and race Formula Vees successfully - he always empthasised the importance of doing things correctly and would shout (and at many times slap with a wet fish) at us if things weren't done the 'proper' way - fundamentals that you really need to know when actually working in the industry but not really taught in Uni. With the small classes in college (<10 compared to 50+ at Uni) we had more opportunities to go to testdays and race weekends to do scrutineering, marshalling, data logging etc as our lecturer had contacts and we organised most of it ourselves(don't rely on the college getting you to Autosport). The college itself didn't have much and we were hated by everyone else there but we milked what we can out of what there is (used the CNC lathe after I learned how to program one during my placement). It swings both ways I guess but thats why its really important to do the research now and be prepared to make it happen whichever option you take. Always be on the case!!

Most people at your current position want to be a mechanic. As you progress through the course (whether at Uni or College) this is likely to change as you'll be exposed to stuff like manufacturing, electronics, technical inspection, CAD, CFM etc. Heck you might be mad enough to do a masters degree afterwards if you feel you've not been punished enough!!

[Casper]

My son has raced since he was nine and is now twenty four and still racing. He decided to leave school and get a job as a mechanic and he was lucky in the sense that he scored a course and apprenticeship that was 50/50 mechanic auto elec. He then got completely immersed in the electronic diagnosis side of things and learned what there was to learn and still is (Mazda). In the last few years he has had a paid gig on sports cars (Radicals) but has decided to forgo that this year and go racing again. His biggest issue which is starting to show through is he finds it bloody boring hanging around when there is not much to do. I suspect that is something that most people involved in this sport at a part time level encounter, if at a full time level then most probably not so.

Don't kid yourself that you can leave school and stop studying. You need a good background in the three R's these days as it is increasingly becoming more complicated. Electronics, data logging etc. The last you definitely need good maths skills for or you will never be able to extract the best out of it. Start talking anything in the suspension or steering and you need maths so you must be good at it. Just to get through the study requires good writing and comprehension skills, I am sure you get the picture. I used to get students coming to me asking to be an apprentice mechanic not having completed high school because it was too hard, they didn't get a job because if they could not be bothered finishing high school they weren't going to finish as apprenticeship, they in reality did not have the scholastic skills to do it.

Finish school, concentrate on the three R's and get an apprenticeship in a dealer where the latest stuff is happening. learn it well and you will have a job, don't learn it and you will be a plodder like the rest of them. You have a choice to rise above the pack or swim in it. When you are doing well people look up to you and you can present a case to move into motor sport. Good luck and I hope you succeed as it is a hard world out there.

[AlexF]

Originally Posted by wills

As for college courses that offer Motorsport Engineering Courses - unless it is taught by someone who is/was actually in Motorsport I'd avoid it. Chances are it will be taught by the Motor Vehicle staff who don't give 2 monkeys other than to get good grades from their students from assignments(even the marking at times is inconsistent).

Not all thank you very much!

I work at a local college in, Motor Vehicle - I race as do two of my colluegs and the stores man is one Chris Carter who has been involved nearly all levels of motorsport!

I agree with the marking BTW LOL

Alex

[sam93]

Your answer is move away from home and go to National College of Motorsport based at Silverstone.

You have 2 options there, these being;
Study for a year and they will find you an apprenticeship afterwards to gain your technical certificate as you would have got your Level 3 in Motorsport Engineering at the college.

Or

The second option of finding an apprenticeship straight away and going to college on block release. Block release being December/Jan of every year for 2 years I believe. This is the way I'm doing it and its brilliant.

Uni isn't the way to get in unless you want to sit there on a computer. I went to Lackham College for a year and got my Level 2 in Motorsport Engineering as I messed up my GCSEs. I know theory side of things, but not the practical side. Which is what is required to be a mechanic.

Hope this helps and get into contact with the national college they'll help you with any questions

[morninggents]

StefanM.
I spoke to the son of my friend who went to the Askham Bryan College on their Motorsport course and his opinion was that it was 'quite good'. Not sure if this means a lot as he gave up the course owing to travelling difficulties!