From Oxford To Birmingham
Team members with former F1, WEC & Formula E driver Karun Chandhok
January for most usually means cold weather, darker days, and adjusting to life back at work. For motorsport fans, however, January means Autosport International. This expansive event was back at the NEC, Birmingham, between Thursday 11th and Sunday 14th January 2018 and boasted over 600 of the industry’s biggest and best-known exhibitors, with the added excitement of launches for the professionals and live action for the public. This year saw the arrival of the 2018 World Rally Championship, the launch of the Ginetta LMP1, a celebration of 60 years of the British Touring Car Championship, as well as an exciting look into the world of Roborace. Oxford Brookes Racing were there in full force, promoting ECM; the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Computing here at Brookes. Many of our team members are here at OBU on one of our fantastic courses in BSc/BEng/MEng Motorsport Engineering, BSc/BEng/MEng Mechanical Engineering, and BEng/MEng Automotive Engineering. This huge international event is one of main opportunities throughout the year that we have to promote the university, the courses, and of course, the team.
Prospective students from all over were able to walk around the stand, read about Oxford Brookes, talk to students and staff about Formula Student, and even have a close up look at last season’s car, Terrance. This kind of face-to-face time with prospective students is the exact kind of engagement that encouraged many of our current students to apply, making this an important weekend of networking, not only with trade professionals and those in industry, but also with young motorsport fans. As well as the opportunity to learn about Brookes, ECM, & Formula Student, visitors were also able to have a look at some other ongoing projects undertaken by the department, such as Formula Club-E, an exploration into electric motorsport development in collaboration with Dallara.
ASI is always a treat enjoyed by a number of team members, and we’d like to thank Autosport and the NEC for having us again this year. For more information about Autosport International, applying to Brookes, finding the engineering course for you, and of course, Formula Student, please visit the links below. See you in 2019!
Autosport International: http://www.autosportinternational.com/welcome
Oxford Brookes University: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/
OBU School of Engineering, Mathematics & Computing: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/ecm/
Formula Student: https://www.imeche.org/events/formula-student
Words by Sophie Jamieson
obr.brookes.ac.uk 