As part of National careers week, we at the IMI wanted to give you some insight into some of the most exciting Jobs in our industry. From globe trotting F1 teams to grass roots weekend race series, Motorsports represents the pinnacle of Innovation and exhilaration in Automotive. Here are some of the Jobs you could do in the future after starting your automotive career journey with IMI training and qualifications.
Race Team – Mechanics, technicians, engineers, management
Race Team jobs are roles that are based trackside. These types of jobs range from Mechanics, Engineers, and Garage Technicians. They are responsible for setting up the equipment and cars when they arrive at a circuit and then ensure the car is running correctly during sessions.
Example job roles –
Lead Mechanic, No1 Mechanic, No2 Mechanic, No3 Mechanic, Race Mechanic, No1 Technician, No2 Technician, Vehicle Technician, Garage Technician, Tyre Technician, Electronics Technician, Gearbox Technician, Vinyl & Graphic Technician, Damper Technician, Systems Technician.
Tasks and responsibilities-
The sort of tasks carried out by mechanics and technicians will include setting up the garages properly, ensuring all tools, parts and supplies are organised and accessible.
Once set up, mechanics get to work checking and assembling the car, ensuring all parts are operating correctly and the vehicles are adequately fuelled and lubricated. Work will include cleaning, jacking up the car, wheel changes, checking and replacing air filters, brake pads, and brake bleeding, and any crucial repairs needed throughout a race weekend.
Depending on the size of the team, mechanics will be led by the Chief mechanic or Head mechanic who oversee and set the mechanical strategy and decide tasks and timeframes. The No1 mechanic will implement this, overseeing and monitoring the work of the No2 Mechanics.
ENGINEERING:
Example job roles –
Race Engineer, Strategy Engineer, Data Engineer, Controls Systems Engineer, Performance Engineer, Trackside Engineer.
As a motorsport engineer you will tend to specialise in one of several fields including Electrical systems, Aerodynamics, Materials/Composites, Engine or transmission systems
Tasks and responsibilities-
On the Engineering side of the Race Team, the Race Engineer will often report into the Director of Engineering and is responsible for being the link between driver and the team and must communicate effectively and clearly between engineers and driver to extract the most performance from the car.
Other Engineers on the team that will feed back information to the Race Engineer will be Performance Engineers, Aero Engineers, Tyre Engineers, Systems Engineers, Power Unit Engineers, Gearbox Engineers, and Electronics Engineers – all play a vital role in their fields and are responsible for analysing data and calculating how to optimise the car for maximum performance.
MANAGEMENT:
Example job roles- Team Principle, Technical Director, Director of Engineering, Head of Control Systems, Team Manager.
Tasks and responsibilities-
Team management roles are responsible for coordinating all the specialist elements that make up the team, to ensure they work together in the most effective and efficient way. They oversee the strategic and technical development targets for the team to achieve.
What Qualifications do you need to be part of a race team?
To secure an Engineering role in a Race Team and to be effective in the job you will need to have an engineering degree. You could look at Mechanical or Aeronautical at your first choices, however, most STEM subjects will be sufficient. If you want to get into F1, most teams will insist on a 2:1.
Mechanic roles have slightly different requirements, whilst a degree will be an advantage, you will find it is not always a requirement, as ability and experience are seen to be more important, as the role is much more hands on.
These are just some of the exciting and varied technical roles available in motorsport. Others include Design, Aerodynamics, fabrication and production, Hospitality, marketing, finance, travel and logistics, IT, media and HR roles. As you can see there are a huge range of potential careers, and whilst there is a high level of competition at the very top of the industry, so too are the potential rewards for your hard work and dedication.
To start your Automotive career journey, and to find out more, check out the IMI Motorsport courses and others that could help you on the way to a career in the fastest, loudest and most exciting sport on Earth!
IMI Level 2 Diploma in Motorsport Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (VRQ) (theimi.org.uk)
IMI Level 3 Diploma in Motorsport Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (VRQ) (theimi.org.uk)
Learn | Institute of The Motor Industry (theimi.org.uk)
(Motorsport job descriptions sourced from Motorsportjobs.com)