Now in just its second year, the motorsports engineering program at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI) boasts an enrollment of nearly 60 students from more than 16 states.
As the first American university to offer a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Motorsports Engineering, IUPUI is placing those students on fast tracks to careers across the motorsports industry.
An impressive list of accomplishments on race tracks, as well as in race team shops and classrooms, is indicative of the success of the program that is leading the pack in motorsports engineering education.
Student racing teams from IUPUI took first and second place at the Purdue University Grand Prix this April. IUPUI Junior Justin Penix, driver of the winning kart, waved the flag for the Indianapolis 500 practices on May 16, 2010, in honor of his recent victory.
“Winning the Purdue Grand Prix is a dream come true,” said Penix, who lead 139 of the 160 laps. “It truly was a team effort – I wouldn’t have won the race without the amazing work of the pit crew. Having the honor of waving the green flag for the IndyCar practice as the cars passed me at over 220 MPH was a spectacular reward.”
Student driver Riley Dill’s qualification for the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) National Championship Runoffs in September 2009 marked the first time that a university race team qualified for nationals with a car that was built, crewed and driven by students.
The motorsports program’s relationships with big-name motorsports crews, such as Sarah Fisher Racing, Don Schumacher Racing, Vance and Hines, Luczo Dragon/de Ferran Motorsports Team and the Indy Lights Palm Beach Indy Racing Team, among others, have also provided incredible internship opportunities where students learn to apply their knowledge in a real-world setting.
For example, Nicholas Hawes, who graduated this month from IUPUI, is in his second racing season working in timing and scoring as intern with the IndyCar Racing League. Last year he worked all 17 IRL races, balancing his school work with weekend trips as far away as Japan.
“For me, it has been something I would never imagine could happen. It’s been a dream come true,” Hawes, 24, said. “I have enjoyed it a lot. It’s a great program. It’s great for the state. It is great for the motorsports industry as a whole.”
Last fall, a group of 12 students worked alongside Motorsports Director Pete Hylton to rebuild an SCCA Spec Racer. In the process the student team also re-wrote and designed a full technical manual for SCCA Enterprises, the manufacturer of the vehicle.
Racing expert Andrew Borme, whose resume includes working as the chief engineer for Helio Castroneves during his first win at the Indianapolis 500, joined the IUPUI facuilty in the fall of 2009.
“When I went into motorsports industry when I was 24, there was no formal training for a career in motorsport engineering. I learned everything on the job ... the hard way,” Borme said.
Compared to an IUPUI motorsports engineering graduate, a graduate of a more traditional engineering program will have a lot more to learn before he or she can become productive in the motorsports industry, according to Borme.
“An IUPUI (motorsports engineering) graduate shortcuts that on-the-job training part,” he says.
A summer racing course offered as a joint course with Winston Salem University includes trips to tracks and race team shops in Indianapolis and North Carolina.
For additional information on the motorsports engineering program at IUPUI, go to: http://www.engr.iupui.edu/motorsports/.
