Infiniti Motor Company get students revved up over placements in motorsports

The RB6 racing car

A Formula One racing car, previously driven by racing legends Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, had a temporary pit stop at Imperial this week.

The RB6 racing car, driven by Vettel and Webber during the 2010 Formula One racing season, was squeezed through the College’s revolving doors on Exhibition Road and parked in the Main Entrance. The supercar came to Imperial to showcase the precision engineering of the Infiniti Motor Company.

Below (L to R): Ed Durkin, Imperial student; Ruben Doyle, Imperial Racing Green; Barney Barnett, Infiniti Red Bull Racing; Carl Bayliss, CEO Infiniti UK; James Mostyn, Imperial student; Alex Mason, Imperial student and Guy Khosla, Imperial student.

The aim was to encourage students to apply for a 12 month placement between Infiniti Motor Company and Infiniti Red Bull Racing, the Austrian Formula One racing team based in Milton Keynes. The placement would enable students to work across automotive and motorsports engineering with both organisations. Two of the senior management team from Infiniti Red Bull Racing including Mr Carl Bayliss, Country Manager, and Mr Barney Barnett, Account Manager, gave a lecture to students from the Departments of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering.

The 2014 cohort of students from the Academy were also on hand to talk about their year out of studies and their experiences at the Academy.

Below: The car's bodywork is made of carbon fibre and honeycomb composite monocoque material.

Dr Jonathan Jeffers, organiser of the event and EPSRC Research Fellow from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, said: “Having the RB6 parked inside the Main Entrance really drives home to students how a degree in engineering can potentially lead to an amazing career in elite motorsports. We know from discussions with industry just how important industry placements are in terms helping to kick-start careers, with preference often given to graduates who have industrial experience as part of their degree. I really hope today’s visit spurs on our budding engineers to apply for this great opportunity.”

The year in industry is available to undergraduates who are in their second and third years, where they convert their four year degree in Mechanical Engineering to a five year degree.

Julia Leutenantsmeyer is a fifth year student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 2012-2013, she took a year off her studies and did a placement with Red Bull, where she focussed on working with engineers in the race car team.

Miss Leutenantsmeyer said: “Working with the Red Bull team gave me a really sound knowledge in aerodynamics, which is something I wouldn’t have had the chance to learn about in my studies  in Mechanical Engineering. My experiences have given me lots to talk about in interviews, which I think has ultimately helped me to secure a job with an engineering firm in Germany after I graduate from Imperial.”