Glyndwr University’s Olivier Durieux (left) and TWP Racing’s John Earp
Glyndŵr Racing and TWP Racing claimed the Best Track Car Award at the 2015 MX5 Owners Club annual race meet at Lincolnshire track Blyton Park.
The prize followed months of work on designing and building the TWP-owned racing car by members of Glyndŵr Racing, made up of students, staff and volunteers connected to Glyndŵr University by a passion for motorsport.
The team has been working together since meeting at the annual Autosport International Show in January with the aim of creating a sustainable, long-term project to race cars competitively.
Students on the university’s Performance Car Technology degree get to work on a live engineering project, installing new components and adjusting vehicles to maximise their racing potential. And drivers from team TWP Racing get to test the vehicle on track days.
The winning black MX5 was once used as a family car by TWP Racing founder John Earp, who was happy to hand it over to the students to build into a racing vehicle.
“I delivered it to the students three months ago and left it with them to see what they could come up with,” said John, a retired armed forces serviceman.
“The Blyton Park event was supposed to be a first test of the car after all that work so to pick up Best Track Car first time out was a brilliant achievement.
“It’s a very, very capable car as it’s already proved so we’re looking forward to the races which we have ahead of us.
“I didn’t go to school or university and wanted to give something back to the students here to help them in their future careers. The partnership comes at no cost to the university and helps us to focus on the racing side.”
The car will now go on to race at Snetterton Race Circuit in Norwich in preparation for its biggest race of the year, the Race of Remembrance.
Taking place in Anglesey in November, the event will see 45 teams race for eight hours around Anglesey International Circuit to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War.
It is organised by another of Glyndŵr University’s partners, Mission Motorsport, the Wounded and Injured Servicemen (WIS) Charity which aims to help WIS recovery by motorsport activities.
Christina Blakey, business development manager for Glyndŵr University, said: “We’re delighted that the partnership has got off to such a successful start thanks to months of hard work from our students and to TWP Racing, who have made it all possible.
“Glyndŵr University is all about working in partnership for the benefit of our own students and the region as a whole and we’re hopeful that this one will grow and grow as everyone gains more experience and the project gathers momentum.”
Glyndŵr Racing currently works with local and regional organisations to source materials, race entry fees and uniforms for all of its projects.
It is now recruiting sponsors and supporters for the 2015-16 activities (Sept-Sept). Sponsorship and supporter packages vary and the university prides itself on being flexible partners with industry.
For more information or to discuss this opportunity, please contact Christina Blakey via email [email protected] or call 01978 293985.
