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Race Team Engineering Jobs

About the Job Role

Race Team Engineering jobs roles include: Race Mechanic, Race Technician, Trackside Engineer, Race Engineer, Pit Crew
Possibly the most obvious job in motorsport is that of the Race Mechanic. Also known as Race Engineer, Race Technician and a multitude of other names, Race Mechanic jobs are highly sought after – competition can be fierce! That said, there are plenty of jobs available if you have the right skills and qualifications.

As a Race Engineer, you’ll be expected to prepare and manage vehicles from set-up to trackside support. Days are ridiculously busy and long periods will be spent away from home but it’s an exciting and rewarding career path.
Chances are, you’ll be working under a Chief Mechanic on all aspects of race prep and maintenance. You’ll be responsible for reporting of faults, fixing issues under huge amounts of pressure and be an integral part of the pit crew logistical rollercoaster. From garage set-up to dismantling and moving onto the next round, there’s never a dull moment.

Becoming a Race Engineer is about more than just fast cars and travel. It’s about teamwork. With that comes the need to be able to communicate, to listen, to follow instructions and to use your initiative.

About the Person

You need tonnes of energy! You’ll be expected to work long hours, be on your feet, think on your feet, regardless of how little sleep you may have had the night before. You’ll love cars, bikes, boats – anything with an engine and you’ll thrive off the challenge of fixing things and pushing the boundaries.

To have a chance of a job in motorsport, Race Mechanics will have to demonstrate both practical experience and qualifications. You must be a qualified vehicle technician or hold a relevant motorsport qualification before you can even begin to hope of a job with a top team.

Although applicants can secure a job with standard automotive qualifications, many teams will request that you hold or be studying towards a specialist motorsport qualification. A recent job advert for Toyota Motorsport asked for the following skillset:

  • Bachelor/Master’s degree in a relevant engineering or mechanical discipline
  • Strong technical background in vehicle dynamics, tyres, suspension, aerodynamics and control systems
  • Team player with the ability to remain clam under pressure
  • As understanding of applied physics, mathematics, modelling and simulation principles
  • At least 3 years professional training with trackside experience

About the Tech

The job of the race mechanic used to be pretty low-tech but in the last decade things have changed dramatically. Race Engineers will be required to have a good understanding of CAD and simulation software as well as a knowledge of data analytics. All of this contributes to your understanding of the engineering principles needed to set-up, maintain and fix performance vehicles under pressure.

How to Get Started

If you’re already a qualified vehicle technician, then you’re off to a good start. You’ll also need experience working with a team, either in an employed or volunteer capacity so the more time you can dedicate to time at the track the better.

Many of the top teams will also want you to have completed or be working towards a motorsport degree. This can be tricky when you are working full-time and on a gruelling race-schedule. Here at the NMA, we have students working in 9 of the 10 Formula 1 teams, World Rally Championship, WEC and a range of other racing series both in the UK and abroad.

Because our degrees are taught online, you can study in your spare time, fitting in assignments around your work and family commitments. You can even choose your own start date if it suits you to start in the off-season, pre-season or summer break.
Both the BSc Motorsport Engineering and the new MSc Advanced Motorsport Engineering offer the opportunity to improve your chances of advancement in the competitive world of motorsport. If you dream of becoming a Race Mechanic or Race Technician, find out how to apply today!

Take a look at other motorsport jobs available:

RaceStaff.com has been developed by motorsport people for motorsport people. As former drivers and engineers they understand the industry and how quickly vacancies can need to be filled so they built a system that is immediate as well as being pro-active and motorsport focussed.

NMA works in association with RaceStaff.com, so after you graduate with an NMA Degree we can help you achieve your dream job within the motorsport industry. 

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