AUTOSPORT ENGINEERING
A NEW YEAR AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES
It’s that time of year again, as Autosport International brings the spotlight back onto the world of engineering in the designated Autosport Engineering hall.
These are exciting times for the industry – and for motorsport especially. With the government’s Industrial Strategy committing extra funding for innovation to the tune of £4.7billion over the next four years, motorsport companies are well-placed to reap the benefits, but as MIA CEO Chris Aylett points out on page 18, the sector is not immune from the skills shortage afflicting the industry-at-large.
There is no magic bullet, no overnight cure to securing the future of engineering. Instead, motorsport companies must be prepared to actively engage with young people and initiatives like The Year of Engineering, which seeks to raise the profile of engineering and inform people about what modern engineers do.
As the UK’S leading motorsport weekly since 1950, it is important for Autosport to be part of this push too, so it is with great pride that the Engineering supplement will become a regular fixture in the magazine, this year rising to six issues, as well as having a dedicated online section to provide additional insight into some of motorsport’s top companies and its brightest minds.
This issue is no different, as Kevin Turner sits down with Autosport Engineering’s new resident columnist Mark Williams to discuss his career as an engineer and designer.
We also go under the skin of Al Kamel Systems, the timekeeping organisation that has embedded itself within the fabric of Formula E, and Jake Boxall-legge takes a tour of F3 paddock luminary Alan Docking’s Silverstone HQ to see how motorsport has influenced the design of drone radiators.
I have greatly enjoyed putting together my first issue as editor of Autosport Engineering, and I hope you enjoy reading it too.