Swansea Metropolitan University
has a new champion, racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart.
He has highlighted
the success of its motor sport technical courses and their importance for the
industry as it struggles in the recession and divisions within Grand Prix.
These are testing times for F1
and aside from the disagreement between the sport's governing body, the FIA,
and participating teams, the future of the British Grand Prix has also been in
doubt. Following the decision to move the event from the ‘home of British
motorsport', Silverstone, to Donnington, it has materialised that the owners of
Donnington are struggling to ensure that the circuit will be ready on time.
Despite the initial indication
from F1 supremeo, Bernie Ecclestone, that the British stage of the championship
would skip a year if Donnington wasn't ready, the resulting backlash has seen
him hint that the event could return to Silverstone for another year.
Three-time world champion Sir
Jackie Stewart (above), said, "Let's not forget, the reason that [Red Bull chief technical officer]
Adrian Newey, [Williams co-founder] Patrick Head and [Brawn owner] Ross Brawn
got bitten by the [F1] bug was coming to Silverstone for a British GP. Not by
watching these races on TV but by smelling them, touching them, hearing them.
"That's why we've got an
industry, that's why we've got aerodynamicists, that's why we've got...Swansea
Metropolitan University's courses on motorsport. We've got to try to employ
these young people [who] are coming from all over the world to here to get
their training. And that's why the government should see this with their eyes
wide open. 50,000 jobs could potentially be lost."
Swansea Metropolitan University, then Swansea Institute, officially launched the world's first Motorsport
Engineering and Design degree in 1998. Since then, the programme has been
praised by the FIA and the industry's leading figures for introducing a
programme relevant to the sport. Sir Jackie Stewart visited the University in 2002
to advocate the course.
Over
the past ten years, Swansea Met's motorsport portfolio has grown to include Motorsport and
Automotive Electronic Systems, Motorsport Manufacturing Engineering, Motorsport
Management and , new for 2009, Motorsport Technology. Graduates can be found
across the motorsport industry, including F1, World Rally Championship, Moto GP
and British Superbike.
Head of Automotive Engineering at Swansea
Met, Roger Dowden said: "Sir Jackie knows our programmes well after visiting
the university a few years ago, with Welsh Secretary Peter Hain, as we were the
first to run motorsport engineering degree programmes.
"Along with many of our students I was up at Silverstone for the F1
Grand Prix this weekend. Having competed at Silverstone on a number of
occasions myself and managed the Darrian GT race team in the supporting
events for the Grand Prix in past years, I agree wholeheartedly that
Silverstone is where the British Grand Prix should stay. The circuit resources
are for the spectators and they still love it."
Swansea Met is a Motorsport Academy UK
Recognised Educator (HE) and a partner of EEMS (Energy Efficient Motorsport).
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