Auto Racing 101 - College Credit

Interesting segment on this morning's NBC Today show about auto racing being taught in college, specifically at Purdue. Physics, thermodynamics, and racing business. Belmont Abbey College in NC is offering a four year degree in motor sports. The theory is that you can no longer just have "street smarts" to be successful in auto racing. You have to understand all the principles, including the marketing aspect. $5 billion dollar business with 21,000 jobs in the USA alone.

Why didn't they have this when I went to college, only to graduate with a boring business degree? I could have been the guy that puts the sponsor hats on the race winner instead of building office buildings!

This brought back memories of my college days when we tried to create a collegiate racing series in the midwest. The University of Pittburgh had an AMC Javelin that they built and competed in the TransAm at the time of Donahue, Savage, and Follmer. I approached the admin of my school, Wright State, Dayton, Ohio, to get their interest. They indicated they had no funds, but if I could get the money elsewhere, they would support the idea and even approach the NCAA. Unfortunetely, I was only able to secure a Camaro or Javelin "white body", Goodyear tires, but no major sponsorship prior to graduation. One of those I could have been a contender stories.

 

I wish my school had some program offered like that. We could have our own race team where students learn how to work on the cars and manage the team, but the driver could be a hired guy from outside (unless they want a student doing that to reduce costs). It just gets very expensive, but it would be pretty cool to have a collegiate racing series.

 

The Formula SAE program has been pretty successful for colleges, I think. I'm not sure if it's for-credit or if it's just an extra-curricular activity.

http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/

 

Now if they ever offer a course like that at NYU i'm set.

 

Ryan Newman went to...... Purdue, I believe.

Heck, they had 'Philosophy of Star Trek' where I went to college, eons ago.

Ron ,it's 'contendA', not contendeR... as in 'coulda beena contenda'. lol

 

degree in motorsport, then you can only work in one industry... motorsport...


FSAE is the way to go

 

The different aspects of Motor-racing do not lend to a single course; Marketing, Mechanical, Electronics, Chemistry, ad infinitum.. This seems to be a course to boost enrollment.

 

well said,

was it pat symons that said that all roads lead to F1...

you DO definetely need streets smarts or people skills, plus the theoretical background...

but then again that is for all industries not only motorsport

FYI: racerx, he is talking about a Degree not a Course, a course would be nice though, or a minor

 

There is a motorsports engineering degree at a University in Britain complete with internships provided by major teams. I don't recall the name of the University, but a friend's son went there before moving on to another major. If I'm not mistaken it was Prodrive who sponsored him.

Perhaps our British friends can chime in with more details...

 

Youse talkin to me?

(I used to have the Philosphy of Star Trek concerning women, you know, "go boldly where no man has gone before." But...)

 

There are any number of motorsport degrees offered in England. It's actually relevant, as the motorsport industry is one of the largest employers in the country:

http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79163

 

I'd settle for either or right now, they have nothing at all there as it stands right now other then engineering and the like. Nothing automotive at all as far as i can tell from the course catalog.