Leading Auto GP World Series squad Super Nova has announced a partnership with Bedford-based Cranfield University.
The partnership will see the postgraduate university place a masters student within Super Nova, creating a new role while also expanding the team’s research and analysis capacity.
Meanwhile, an educational package is also being produced in an effort to help the team’s drivers better understand the engineering principals of the machines they compete with.
Super Nova team principal, David Sears, is confident this partnership will only add to the success of the Norfolk squad. ”Our team philosophy is built on educating our staff and drivers in order to deliver the success that Super Nova has achieved over the years and Cranfield’s reputation in the field of motorsport engineering is fantastic,” enthused Sears.
Cranfield University is well known in the motorsport industry for its innovative higher-level programme. According to the university prospectus, Cranfield’s Advanced Motorsport Engineering Masters programme was established at the beginning of the last decade and “prepares graduates for a career in motorsport or high performance engineering through the development of a combination of applied research and practical skills, specialist expertise and business management tailored towards a career in motorsport.”
The overview also sites that “motorsport practitioners such as Pat Symonds, Adrian Reynard, Andrew McFarlan, Stefan Strahnz, Mike Pilbeam and Daniele Casanova contribute valuable sessions on the course.”
Continuing Sears said, “Drivers tend to come to us with varying levels of engineering knowledge so I believe that if we can set a standard for this understanding through education then this will enable our drivers to raise their performance and be better prepared as their careers progress.”
Senior Lecturer and Programme Director, Clive Temple added: “Super Nova is an innovative team which recognises the value of education, both in terms of the development of its own drivers and critically in supporting aspiring engineers. The partnership with Super Nova will provide Advanced Motorsport Engineering MSc students with the opportunity to enhance their understanding of motorsport as practitioners working with the team and its drivers. This partnership has the potential to underpin thesis projects for example.”
If nothing else, this will certainly be top-notch real-life experience for an aspiring engineer.
