Academia and motorsports industry partner for enhanced performance

A FOUR-YEAR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN MOTORSPORTS ENGINEERING AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS, IN ADDITION TO CERTIFICATES IN MOTORSPORTS TECHNOLOGY AND MOTORSPORTS STUDIES, HAS LED TO THE CREATION OF SOME UNIQUE NEW COLLEGE CLASSES AND ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES.

THERE WAS ONCE A TIME when the construction of racecars was accomplished by the shade-tree mechanic with a tree-limb and a rope to serve as a hoist and a hammer and a set of wrenches as the most sophisticated tools required. Today, things are radically different, and the study of racecar design in the modern era uses extensive 3-D CAD tools and FEA before the first part is manufactured. Aerodynamic configurations are examined using CFD. Components are tested in laboratories and entire cars are tested in wind tunnels and on seven-post chassis rigs before a wheel is ever turned on the racetrack.

Engineers are employed on virtually all major-league race teams as well as in the associated businesses that support the design and fabrication of components for all levels of the motorsports industry, from amateur competitors through the semi-professional ranks and up to the highest levels of the sport. To fill these new career opportunities, institutions of higher education have come to the realization that it makes sense to train college graduates for these careers by teaching specific motorsports skills just as is done for careers in other specialized engineering fields such as aerospace or nanotechnology. These programs are being well received both by students and by industry.