Met some BWM Race Engineers

[Guest]

My friends intern at Saleen... they wanna quit... 30 hrs a week and no pay, and that they have to do the b*tch work. I emailed Cosworth a while back and after since the change in ownership, they told me that they are not taking internships as well.

Thanks for the advice tho; I kinda want to go to Infineon Raceway in July to attend the race and then maybe talk a team into letting me in, if it's even that remotely possible

West

[riff_raff]

Just read in the latest issue of Racer Magazine, Mike Gascoyne (of the Toyota F1 team) is paid a $6,000,000 annual retainer. Their #1 driver, Jarno Trulli, is paid $24,000,000. I'd say that a clever designer, like Gascoyne, is a better value, but a driver, like Trulli, takes more risk. Do you think these salaries sound fair?

Of course, the low level engineers/designers at Toyota are probably making less than 10% of Gascoyne's salary, and working the same amount of hours! But they have less pressure.

Finally, if you believe the article, Toyota's F1 budget is over $140,000,000 per year for 800 people and two cars for 19 races. That's $175,000 per person.
Where does all the money go?

[Scuderia_Russ]

That's $175,000 per person.
Where does all the money go?

Not on haircuts...Jarno looks like a hobo.

[abisec]

yeah mates,

looking at the posts so far would have to summarize the requirements to be a race engineer in f1 would be....

1. FINISH WITH SCIENCE STREAM IN SCHOOL

2.ENGINEERING DEGREE IN AUTOMOBILE/MECHANICAL

3.ENTER THE FORMULA SAE EVENT AS A TEAM MEMBER

4.TOP IT WITH "MASTERS IN MOTORSPORS" DEGREE

5.APPRENTISHIP WITH LARGE TEAMS / WORK FOR F3000 OR WORLD SERIES TEAMS FOR PEANUTS

6.PRAY TO BERNIE AND GOD TWICE DAILY.......once after brushing and once before goin to bed.

im completin my automotive engg.,and workin to enter the fsae project.....and will try my best for masters in motorsport engg in cranfield.

[knight]

Heres my advice on how to get into the race industry, based on my experience of working in the professional race engine design industry in the UK.

1) get a degree, either computing, electrical, mechanical or automotive - and do a sensible and realistic final year project, FSAE is fine and well respected.

2) get your CV together with all the "attention grabbing" stuff on ther front page. Assemble a well presented portfolio with pictures of your final year project, illustrations schematics etc......you must also make it very aparrent that you can do practical mechanical and manufacturing stuff, not just churn out maths!

3) work out what you want to do: - design cars? design engines? or work in a race team?????.......once decided, earmark several companies and find their factory locations and names of the cheif engineers

4) dress smart, get your CV's and Portfolio, get in your car, drive to the factories un-invited, doorstep the cheif engineer, ram your CV in their hand, show them your portfolio, then get on your knees and beg them for a job trial.

If I wanted to get into the race industry again, this is what I would do......yes I design race/road engines for a living......companies get swamped with millions of CV's and letters from lazy idiots who can only use snail and e-mail, dont be stupid - go and do it face to face

[manchild]

.....
Finally, if you believe the article, Toyota's F1 budget is over $140,000,000 per year for 800 people and two cars for 19 races. That's $175,000 per person.
Where does all the money go?

I remember when Williams had Renault engines the official info was that they spend 250 engines per season!!! That includes testing, roadshows and races.

Now the engines last two races but even if the number of engines used per season is half of that - 125, approx. 1.000.000 per engine pretty much describes where the money goes...

BTW, in 1996 I read in some German magazine that one liter of Elf costs 300 DM (DeutschMark)!!! Convert that to Euros and multiply with fuel spent on one season (some teams running 3 cars)…

[Guest]

I've done engineering work for a race team (IMSA GTP) and I've done engineering work for a major aerospace company (Rockwell/Boeing on the Space Shuttle). The aerospace work paid way better and was much more fullfilling from a technical standpoint.

On the space shuttle program, I worked with some of the top scientists, engineers and analysts in their fields, and I was paid very well. On the race team, I worked with some very good engineers, but I was paid a very small salary. Fortunately, at the time I worked for the race team, I was not married and had no children, because I was not making enough to support a wife and kids. Even as a design engineer.

Working as an engineer for a race team was fun while it lasted, but as a career choice, FORGET IT! You'll probably starve to death. You're better off looking for an engineering job in aerospace. And watching racing on the weekends.