Students Engineer Championship Success
Since 2015, the University of Wolverhampton has offered student engineers the chance to participate in live, competitive motorsport to provide professional practice over and above their academic studies, and receive a boost to their employability in the industry.
The University of Wolverhampton Race Team (UWR) raced in the F3 Cup for five seasons, and after being runners-up for the title in 2016, 2017 and 2019, and 3rd place in 2018, the student engineers from the Telford Campus, as well as pro-driver and team mentor Shane Kelly, wanted nothing more than claim the championship for the first time.
With racing suspended by UWR in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, the 2021 championship had been a rollercoaster, with only four students (of 16) allowed at the first race of the year because of the Covid-19 restrictions. As the season went on, rules changed and the full team, as well as vital team sponsors and supporters, visited racing circuits around the country to prove their speed against professional teams.
As UWR and their rivals traded race wins, the championship came down to the final race of the final weekend, with the UWR students holding a slender lead over the rest of the Cup-class drivers. A trio of careful races at Snetterton in Norfolk over a warm September weekend saw the student team seal their first class-championship. The elation of the team was summed up by co-lead student engineers Calum Bach and Sundeep Motay sharing a “shoey”, drinking victory champagne for Shane Kelly’s racing boot, cheered on by UWR’s supporters and their rival teams, who couldn’t help but be pleased for the young engineers who showed such professionalism, hard work and determination through the year.
In 2022, UWR continues to provide opportunities to students by racing in the newly formed Praga Cup, thanks to our title sponsor Highclear Investments, as well as the 40+ sponsors and philanthropists who ensure our engineering students can hone their skills and employability.
We are also maintaining our relationship with the Morgan Motor Company as their factory development team, with thanks to Oceanscan and Sercal NDT as the title partners of the Morgan Plus Four project, and the University continues to enter the IMechE Formula Student competition, giving our engineering students a comprehensive motorsport experience.
To discover more about UWR and our unique racing opportunities, follow @UWRacing on all social media platforms and for information on sponsoring the team, contact Terry Gibson at: t.gibson@wlv.ac.uk.
