MOTORSPORT students enjoyed a taste of real Formula 1 action as they raced a historic car at the legendary Brands Hatch Grand prix circuit — driven by F1 race winner Johnny Herbert.
The students from the University of Bolton's National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME) were part of the team racing a 1981 Ensign 180b historic F1 car.
Their racing adventures are being filmed for a special F1 Sky documentary.
The sport’s glorious past was revisited at Brands Hatch’s Masters Historic Festival with headline race action from the Masters Historic F1 Championship.
The car ran faultlessly on the Saturday, qualifying in P4 and raced well to finish fifth, however for race two the car encountered some gear selection problems, so it pitted and adjustments were made but the problem was still evident and the car was retired.
The Ensign car has been loaned to the university by Dr Bob Fernley, a motor racing veteran with 40 years of experience, who has run teams on both sides of the Atlantic in IndyCar and F1.
Mark Busfield, director of NCME (pictured), said the Brands Hatch weekend had been a great experience for the students.
“They have had the opportunity to work in the field and understand the pressure and demands of a proper competitive racing environment,” he said, “We have also been able to benchmark our performance with other very prestigious historic cars.
“They have all worked extremely hard and with great dedication for the last six weeks, preparing the car for the test and race.
“We must not forget we have had the four students and technical staff involved working daily on campus now for the whole summer break while adhering to our Covid-19 safety measures.
Mark added: “We prepared very carefully in advance of the Brands Hatch Masters Historic Festival, but issues crop up in this sport and in many ways it is better for the students so they can experience that first hand, as that is the best way to learn. That is what happens in the real world.
“I would like to say a big thank you to Johnny Herbert and Robert Fernley – without them we would not have been able to do any of this.”
A Sky F1 sports film crew (pictured) has been following the University of Bolton students for a number of weeks and plans to air a documentary about their ambitious project. In the meantime, a shorter feature is planned to be broadcast on Sky F1 in the next few weeks.
Bob, who received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the university, said: “The students’ ability to learn so quickly has been wonderful to follow. It is rewarding for me to see them develop and benefit from the real-life experience of race team activities and grow into our much-needed motorsport engineers of tomorrow.”
Johnny Herbert, who tested the car and raced it at Brands Hatch, said: “It has been nine years since I have raced and I now have the bug again to continue. We had a great test at Anglesey and I really enjoyed driving again at Brands Hatch with so many good and bad memories of my home track.
“I am looking forward to see what further plans Bob has with the university team.”
This is the NCME’s first venture into Formula One.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here