Myerscough motorsport degree students build race car

The car will be in the field for this year's Gaz Shocks 116 Trophy, after it was built as part of a second year Motorsport Competition Car Technology Foundation Degree module, with assistance from both first year foundation and full degree students.

Tutor Bart Lang said: "It is a testament to their dedication and commitment that the car is at a point that we can test it this Friday, seven weeks before the end of April season opener."

"Myerscough College Motorsport bought a standard road car and a comprehensive kit of Trophy-specific parts over summer, following student requests to expand into racing. It has been a new experience for all of us, but the students have done a fantastic job."

The Trophy is a clubman level series, but it is an excellent way to learn about circuit racing and will stand the students in great stead when they finish their qualifications.

The team tested the car out at Oulton Park during a track-day, where the students gathered data to help with set-up for the first race at Brands Hatch on the 28th April.

As part of the students’ feedback, a desire to return to racing led to the purchase of two BMW 116 donor cars and kits over summer to allow the cars to be built to the Gaz Shocks 116 Trophy regulations.

Second year FdSc Motorsport Competition Car Technology students then took on the build as part of their Manufacturing and Fabrication module, but as testament to the excellent teamwork across the three years, both first and final year students have helped with the build during after-hours workshop sessions.

Bart added: “The team has done a fantastic job in building the car in the weekly three hour sessions.

“The commitment and attention to detail meant that I had no hesitation in driving the car at Oulton Park this weekend, despite having only driven it at low speeds on campus.”

 “The car ran faultlessly all day, and we were able to gather plenty of data, Simon and I sharing the driving and providing feedback to the students to help with set-up changes."

"All the students were allocated roles and they worked well as a team, and despite the event being a track-day and not an official test, the data and onboard video will be an invaluable source of information for them to digest and analyse back at Myerscough. Designing, executing and analysing results of a test program at a professional level is exactly what they will be doing in top jobs in industry; which is exactly why we go racing for real.”

The series limits significant performance modifications, and with just 130 horsepower it certainly wasn't the fastest car on track. However, with capacity grids of identical BMWs, the team anticipates a tough challenge in the first race.

Tutor Simon Moss added: “It is our intention to contest the first three rounds of the 116 Trophy as a learning experience.

“We have a huge amount of experience in rallying, but we need to brush up on the circuit racing specifics before we offer the car for hire later in the season.”

The first round of the series takes place on Sunday 28th April at Brands Hatch in Kent. Novice racing drivers Bart lang and Simon Moss will then join the 40+ identical cars for a 90-minute race, split into three 30-minute stints.