The UK motorsport sector employs 50,000 people, with in excess of 30,000 engaged in full-time engineering roles. There are about 4,000 businesses of various sizes involved in motorsport, and this sector accounts for around 28 per cent of those employed by UK engineering companies. Many major players in international motorsport are UK based, including several F1 teams, F1 Engine Suppliers and World Rally Championship teams. This, of course, is only the tip of the iceberg. The UK also plays host to many other types and levels of motorsport, (at both National and Club level), including various 'Tintop' series, Rallycross, SuperMoto, Scrambling, Sportscars and GT championships, and many of these vehicles, along with various specialist components, are designed and manufactured in this country. This includes companies such as TVR, Ginetta, Caterham, Van Diemen, Lola, AP Racing, Alcon and Helix Autosport, to name but a few. According to Dick Scammell, a former MD of Cosworth Racing, more broadly based engineers may be more useful to the industry than tightly focused specialists. Curiosity, perseverance and problem solving skills are very important characteristics required by engineers in this sector. It is this type of engineer that this course aims to produce. The level of technology used in motorsport at all levels is continually increasing. In order to maintain a competitive level of performance, a significant standard of expertise is required in order to maximise the potential of this technology. This course is aimed at providing graduates equipped with the traditional disciplines of a mechanical engineer, but with a particular emphasis on technologies and problems pertinent to the world of motorsport. It focuses on the engineering strategies that influence the design of a good racing vehicle, in particular its safety and maintainability, as well as its performance. As a graduate of this degree, you will be able to contribute immediately in a company that designs and manufactures vehicles or components for use in motorsport, while also being a competent general engineer. Areas that you might be employed in could include designing and carrying out testing programmes for current or proposed components, analysing specific problems and proposing solutions to them, analysing failed or damaged items, or evaluating the suitability of different materials or designs in order to meet the needs of a given situation.

Our degrees can lead to a very wide variety of career choices. To ensure that our degrees make you as employable as possible, the UWE Bristol Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics works closely with seven major partner employers.