Motorsport is good for you
Businesses involved in the sport should not forget their roots, argues the MIA’s CEO
O
ver 15 years ago the MIA first introduced
the ‘Energy-Efficient Motorsport’ initiative
to give members an introduction into
mainstream automotive R&D, which has been
extremely lucrative for many large and small
motorsport businesses. But recently I heard that
some of these same companies are now considering
leaving motorsport to focus purely on automotive
engineering and the like, which causes me concern.
I believe they should re-evaluate the unique value
they gain from being a motorsport supplier.
In July I hosted the MIA’s annual motorsport
conference on business growth so had the chance
to speak with business leaders and hear their plans.
Those at the peak of technology transfer from
motorsport, such as McLaren Applied Technologies
and Williams Advanced Engineering, gave the
same response as most others. All
agreed that over the next decade we
will increasingly see calls for the very
capabilities that motorsport-based
engineering companies have acquired
and are now making available.
Major companies face exceptional
challenges as demand for their
products changes rapidly as consumers
enjoy a wider choice of mobility and
transport options than they could
have ever imagined. OEMs and Tier
One companies will require the skills
and capabilities of motorsport to meet
these various engineering challenges, to
develop and test prototypes in the real
world ready for production.
OEMs need this work to be done
as cost and time effectively as possible
and won’t find it easy to keep this in-
house. They will look to the motorsport communities
for supplies, and no community is better equipped
for this work than Motorsport Valley UK.Reasons to be cheerful
Recent business news headlines predict gloom;
investment falls; cash crunch; inevitable recession
in Germany; fall in output; risk aversion and the
global economy is uncertain and unpredictable. All
positive messages to give confidence to businesses!
However, looking at headlines that came out of
our motorsport conference and a different picture
emerges: Bentley sets a world record; innovations
bring victory; fast growth in new global markets;
innovators and disruptors grow fastest; MercedesFormula 1 sets a new record; confidence to increase
workforce; Le Mans to race hypercars, and NASCAR
new regulations will increase business.
GT Racing has attracted 11 OEMs into GT3 and
six into GT4 (Formula 1 has just four). These OEMs
want their brands to reach global markets served by
GT3 – USA, Europe and Asia. Rule changes in 2022,
and with LMP1 from September next year, means
there will be some 25 new motorsport programmes
in development for GT over the next two years
covering engine, chassis, brakes, aero, hybrids,
sustainable materials and much more, and most
OEM programmes rely on outsourced components
and services. And this is just one category.
So clearly motorsport business is indeed good
for you; you can celebrate this by approaching the
engineering world with total confidence that youcan meet its new demands. Our community knows
that every second of time, millimetre of space and
gram of weight really matters and we always deliver
on time. This capability has come from meeting
a cocktail of challenges which are motorsport’s
differentiator and battleground. Meeting rigid
time constraints, constant prototyping, changing
technical regulations, rapid response delivery and
intense competition – there’s no business sector like
this one, where only winners survive.
Motorsport Valley also attracts the world’s
best talent. Professor Greenwood of Warwick
University says that just a few years ago he would
recommend that his best students should go to
major companies, but now he points them towardsSMEs and motorsport ‘where they will learn fast and
rapidly acquire skills fit for the future’. Tony Harper
from Jaguar Land Rover and the Faraday Challenge
agreed that motorsport is the best place to achieve
these aims. Powerful allies indeed.The road ahead
The UK Automotive Council regularly produces
technology road maps that indicate the likely
direction of travel for future technology. Steve
Sapsford, with the MIA, overlays changes in
motorsport technology to see how best motorsport
can stay relevant, improve value for money for
R&D and encourage rule makers to connect with
the OEM’s direction of technology.
This excellent work will be released by the MIA
shortly. It shows there will be, for at least 20 years,
continuous development of internal
combustion engines in low carbon,
renewable fuels, hydrogen and many
other technologies alongside electric
machines, power electronics, battery
systems and fuel cell development.
There will be developments in
integrated hybrids/electric drive units
in transmissions and an urgent demand
for integrated thermal management
solutions. Motorsport will secure work
within the connected and autonomous
fields where development must
accelerate to create safe environments
for road users and where autonomy will
complement existing race technology,
not compete with it. For example, we
will see autonomy in pit stops and
safety car deployment and connectivity
between racers to avoid accidents.
I hope more businesses will recognise that
motorsport really is good for you; in fact without
it they could become just another ‘three-quote
engineering supplier’ – an awful future. Those with
experience and success in motorsport have learnt
their business the hard way; they don’t let customers
down and certainly don’t enter quotation battles- what they supply is the very best solution at the
right price and always on time.
These unique, invaluable assets can only be
learnt and tested through competitive engineering - which is motorsport. I strongly believe those in
motorsport have an exciting, positive future and to
use the MIA to help you make certain of success,
please just contact me at [email protected]
Our community knows that every second of time, millimetre of space
and gram of weight really matters and we always deliver ontime
BUSINESS TALK – CHRIS AYLETT
Manufacturers have recognised the value of GT racing in general and GT3 in
particular and motorsport companies are perfectly placed to profit from thisSEPTEMBER 2019 http://www.racecar-engineering.com 97