Swansea student joins WCM.

After being thrown in the deep end at the conclusion of the 2004 season, a BEng motorcycle engineering student from the Swansea Institute of Higher Education has secured a dream full time job with WCM.

After graduation, Andrew Griffith (second from left on back row) got the opportunity to work as a trackside race data engineer for WCM's British rider James Ellison at last year's season-ending Valencia Grand Prix.

"Good racing teams are lean fighting units that have no capacity at all for passengers and precious little for training," explained WCM director of racing Peter Clifford. "We gave Andrew Griffith a trial in the most extreme manner possible. He started with us at the crucial final race of the 2004 MotoGP season with no training from us at all.

"Because of the education he received at Swansea Institute he was able to make sense of what was going on and contribute to the race weekend as a full team member," Clifford continued. "He is now a member of staff and will be an integral part of our development and racing of the Blata V6 for WCM."

"I was lucky enough to be able to analyse MotoGP race data during my final year at Swansea Institute," said Griffith. "This work gave me both the understanding and insight into the complex dynamics of a race motorcycle and how data acquisition techniques can be used to evaluate what is happening on the track."

Griffith will now attend all 17-rounds of the 2005 MotoGP season, where his responsibilities will include acquiring and interpreting race data from the wide range of sensors that are used on the prototype machines.

"It is a fantastic opportunity to be able to work with a grand prix motorcycle race team and to experience the life that few people get to live," enthused Andrew. "These are exciting times in the world of MotoGP, and the links between WCM and Swansea Institute are becoming ever closer."

The news of Andrew's appointment was greeted as a further proof that the Swansea Institute course is meeting the demands and expectations of the racing industry, as Dr Owen Williams - course director of the BEng Motorcycle Engineering degree - explained:

"It's fantastic to see Andrew doing so well with WCM; he worked very hard during his final year to fully understand the handling characteristics and dynamics of race motorcycles when operating under extreme conditions," began Williams. "It is now a great opportunity for him to use his knowledge at the highest level of motorcycle sport.

"It is very important for us at Swansea Institute to be sure that we are teaching students the skills they need to be able to operate effectively as engineers in the highly competitive motorsport environment," he confirmed.

"Andrew's success once again shows that the School of Automotive Engineering at Swansea Institute provides degree programmes that prepare students for the real life challenges they will face in the workplace, even if that workplace is the pit-lane of Donington Park at Grand Prix weekend."

"We get countless applications from people to join our MotoGP team," added Clifford. "Many have mechanical engineering degrees. I left university with an honours degree in mechanical engineering. I wouldn't employ me straight out of university. Racing teams cannot afford to spend the time on people with anything less than the training they get at Swansea Institute."

Praise indeed... For more information about the BEng Motorcycle Engineering degree at Swansea Institute, contact Dr Owen Williams on (UK) 01792 481168 or owen.williams@sihe.ac.uk