Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy: May 2015

Welcome!

The purpose of this blog is to inform those who are interested about my journey as one of three students from around the world who earned placements at Infiniti-Red Bull Racing as a result of the Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy. Family, friends, colleagues, aspiring engineers, and any other followers are welcome to visit this page and, if desired, give me feedback or ask questions. It is an effort to streamline documenting the next 12 months for all of these varying audiences, some of which do not participate in social media.

I have never written a journal, never written a blog. This is a first for me. This being the most meaningful and fantastic opportunity I could ever dream of, I would like to share best I can the details of what goes on in my day-to-day during the academy. I am incredibly honored to have won a placement at Infiniti-Red Bull Racing, and I seek to make this opportunity worth everything it possibly can be.

I will write once or twice a week, depending on the accumulation of events and catching up on the previous few days. If you'd like, you can sign up for email notifications for when I create a new post! See the link toward the bottom of this page. I hope you all enjoy, and thank you so much for visiting!

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Tips to Launch a Career as an Engineer in Motorsport

For this post, I’d like to take the opportunity to reach out and put forth my advice for aspiring engineers, especially those seeking to get into motorsport.

The price of winning is always the reduction, if not the elimination of playtime. However, since racing is basically playing any way you want to look at it (real people make their livings by doing something that they hate), we can't bitch too much.

Carroll Smith

I will let you know now that this post is absolutely massive. I worked on this for over two months, and it’s quite detailed. It is also far from perfect. I’ve organized my thoughts into fifteen sections that I feel are most pertinent. Ideas do naturally overlap the sections of course.

Drive
In it for the Money or for the Passion?
Go Beyond the Classroom
Focus on Fundamentals
Fail Successfully
Communicate Effectively
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Ask Questions
Get Organized, Manage Time, and Keep Documentation
Fabricate
Lead, Follow, Teach, Collaborate
Know What You Don't Know
Create Your Own Opportunity
Consider the Long Term Big Picture
Have a Life!

Although my experience of how I’ve gone through getting a dream career off of the ground is not at all the only way to do so, I do feel that my advice can help others. I do not claim that what I say in the following words are empirical truths; they simply reflect my experience and how I got to where I am today, and I’m certainly still working on a lot of them. I’m sure there will be some of you who have experienced the opposite and others who plain disagree.

Saturday 23 May 2015

The Academy in Monaco

Ahead of one of the most prestigious races on the calendar, I thought I'd send out a quick post! It's been a while, and I've been working hard on a long post about my recommendations for becoming a successful engineer in motorsport. Look for that to publish tomorrow! For now, be on the lookout for some cool things coming out of Monaco.

First, the Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy branding is on the car in Monaco! Check it out, pretty neat.

Fellow IPEA winner Jason Zide is also trackside in Monaco to talk about some of his experiences with the Academy. It's safe to say he's probably enjoying the experience. See if you can catch a glimpse of him at the Energy Station!

Don't forget the academy applications close this coming Wednesday, May 27!

See more and apply here: http://academy.infiniti.com/

Also, we've had a few new videos come out!

A Day in the Life of an IPEA Winner:

The Opportunity of a Lifetime:

Daniel Ricciardo Talks Engineering Academy:

Monaco is one of the most anticipated and prestigious races on the calendar. Set on the backdrop of the spectacular Côte d'Azur (French Riviera) and immense wealth, the beauty of the principality of