At the National Motorsport Academy, our tutors don’t just teach—they go the extra mile for their students.
Meet Nivesh, an Online MSc Advanced Motorsport Engineering student from South Africa. Like many, he’s always been passionate about motorsport, but with no motorsport-related degrees available in South Africa, he initially pursued a career in Computer Science. Thirteen years later, he found the NMA…
His dedication and work ethic quickly stood out. Within a year (thanks to his hard work and the connections of NMA tutor Tim Mullis!), Nivesh landed his first role in motorsport; working with the South African Rico Barlow Racing. In fact, he recently helped them take victory at the SAES Four Hours of Zwartkops, the opening round of the SA Endurance National Championship. (Read more about that here)
But enough from us—here’s Nivesh’s journey in his own words!
Nivesh (Bottom Middle) celebrating with his teammates / Credit: motorsport.co.za
Hey Nivesh! Let’s start with your story—tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to motorsport.
My name is Nivesh, I’m 40 years old and I’m studying the MSc in Advanced Motorsport Engineering. Currently I am on module 4.
I’ve been watching motorsport since primary school, my father used to watch F1 regularly and buy me toy race cars so that was how it started. My older cousin was also a big fan of local South African motorsport and used to teach me a lot about the local racing scene and the big racing families such as the Van de Merwes and Scheckters and race car builders such as Basil Green. As I got older, I started to appreciate and enjoy the details and strategy aspects of motorsport more. When I finally got my first car, I started to investigate how they worked and what things were done to improve performance in the faster track variants.
As an international student, what drew you to study motorsport engineering? And why did you choose NMA over other options?
By this point, I had been a software engineer for over 13 years working primarily with vehicle drivetrain simulations since I had originally studied a BSc in computer science with some speciality in physics and dynamics.
My home country does not offer motorsport related qualifications (at least none that I’m aware of that are internationally recognized). For many years I tried to move from working with industrial and military vehicles to race vehicles, however despite years of experience and knowledge I often fell short in motorsport job interviews due to not having any formal motorsport training.
So I did a CPD module from NMA on Vehicle Dynamics & Data Acquisition, which opened many doors for me, once I completed it, race teams were much more open to having me attend races with them and observe an assist closely. Many teams were very positive about the information taught in the course and commented on the practical usefulness of teaching things like how to use Motec i2 properly which is often an expected skill.
Due to this I decided to expand on my knowledge set and start the MSc in motorsport engineering which is certified by De Montfort University and is respected by many race teams.
What’s a typical day like for you?
I work full-time for a large successful vehicle simulator manufacturer in Durban South Africa who produces high fidelity simulators for military, mining and construction companies worldwide. Since completing my CPD course from NMA I have been offered part time and seasonal roles from local motorsport teams. I have accepted a seasonal technical/engineer role at a South African Endurance Race team, with the support from my employer who generously allows me to attend the races even during work weeks. My day is generally busy especially during race weekend, but with careful planning and the flexibility in study times allowed for by NMA, I very rarely feel overwhelmed, I believe that there is no better option currently than NMA to improve your motorsport knowledge if you also work full-time.
Which module has been your favourite so far? Any you're excited to take next?
The Advanced Vehicle Dynamics module with Tim Mullis has been my favourite so far, since a lot of the content I learned in that module helped me immensely on race days. Things like analysing suspension behaviour and how to correct things like excessive oversteer and understeer as well as improving ride quality over bumpy tracks were directly applicable and are things that teams expect an engineer to be able to do on a race weekend.
How have the tutors supported you throughout your studies?
Tutor support has been excellent with queries and assistance available, usually within a day you get detailed advice and feedback with your questions on the content. The information and references provided by the tutors is very up to date and useable even after the module.
Can you share how Tim Mullis played a part in helping you break into motorsport?
Tim has been my tutor for 2 modules so far, hence we have formed a good relationship. I was not aware of any large teams operating dedicated GT3/LMP3/LMP2 style race cars and using things such as Motec ECUs/loggers in my country, I had always travelled overseas (at great expense) to get to visit teams and experience motorsport at this level.
Tim has worked with many teams and drivers around the world and had informed me about a growing endurance race series in South Africa called the SAES, and a team owner (Nick Adcock) who was the first to run a modern LMP3 style race car (Nova Proto NP02) in South Africa. Once I had completed my CPD modules and armed with some proof of my knowledge I had contacted Nick Adcock with the support of Tim who was willing to vouch for the new motorsport skills I had learned.
Nick was happy with what I was learning as well as the discipline required to study part-time and pursue a career motorsport. As a person who understands the challenges of getting into motorsport later in one’s career, Mr Adcock was willing to provide me with the opportunity of working with his successful Adjust4Sleep Rico Barlow Racing team.
”Nivesh is one of those people who is naturally inquisitive and very intelligent. His ability to learn quickly (he mastered VBox and worked it like a pro) and to be so likable that he gets the best out of people.”
Nick Adcock / Professional Racing Driver & Team Owner
Do you think the course and tutor support have made an impact on your motorsport career?
Yes, it definitely helped, since NMA and DMU are known by many major race teams. The tutors work in the field and are not just academics, so they have deep knowledge of the climate and requirements of the motorsport jobs sector.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years, and how does your NMA degree fit into those plans?
I hope to one day have a full-time motorsport job, one that pays well enough so that working two jobs is no longer necessary. I also hope to win the SAES 2025 title with Nick Adcock’s team since they got really close to doing so last year by finishing second.
Once I complete the MSc Masters in Motorsport Engineering, I will start to consider full time motorsport employment, but it has already helped open many doors, and I’m currently already satisfied getting to do my existing job and then do Motorsport SA recognised endurance race events on the weekends.
Would you recommend NMA to other international students?
Yes, for sure, with pricing for a recognised Masters programme that is accessible, well supported and has avenues to meeting people in the real motorsport world, it is something that is extremely valuable, especially if formal motorsport education is not available in the region where you live which was the case for me.
Whilst NMA tutor Tim Mullis played a role in helping Nivesh secure his first motorsport role, his dedication and hard work quickly caught Tim’s attention, and here’s what he had to say about Nivesh’s journey.Â
Tim MullisTutor
I first 'met' Nivesh when he joined us for a CPD module, his work was to a high standard and his passion for motorsport was clear from the start. I was very happy to be able to put him in contact with Nick Adcock - Nivesh followed this up, arranged to go to a race to meet him and has subsequently assisted the team and drivers at another race, gaining some valuable experience. It show perseverance does pay off - we often need a lucky break to start in motorsport (thanks Jonathan Palmer for mine!)...and pleased that this has fallen into place for Nivesh as he works his way through his MSc.
A big thank you to Nivesh for speaking to us! We’re excited to see how his career progresses as he continues with the Online MSc Advanced Motorsport Engineering Degree.Â
