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Rally Engineers work on some of the most impressive vehicles on the planet, completing complex diagnostics, tune-ups and repairs in sometimes as little as half an hour. The equivalent level and quality of work would take the average car garage a week to complete.
They’re able to achieve this through the level of education and training they’ve received, and the strength of team around them.
Rally Engineers work on cars before and after races, but also during motorsport races themselves. They’ll often arrive days before a race to start work on the car, which must be tuned to the specific track and weather conditions predicted for the day. Every element of the racing car can be changed or improved, so the Engineers will need to do a thorough check to make sure everything is ready.
For repairs or tweaks, the race cars are often split into four sections, with one Engineer per corner of the car who is responsible for everything that happens on that section. Another Engineer will oversee the race car engine. A visual inspection first highlights any areas that need immediate attention. Restoring the racing car to perfect operation is achieved by striving for balance. Racing Engineers don’t make the car faster; they optimise it for the race at hand.
The racing car driver will provide vital feedback about how the car has been handling, and whether any elements of the set-up need changing. Even something as complicated as the suspension can be changed in around five minutes by a competent and well-trained team of Engineers.
Any further decisions are driven by simulations, data and experience. Data is continuously transmitted from the race car to the engineering team, giving them points to work on and an understanding of how the car is performing in real time.
Most Racing Engineers or Rally Engineers will have a degree, although some will have done an apprenticeship. From there, they may have gone on to do Engineering Masters degrees, or to study other engineering fields to complement and enhance their knowledge.
Understanding of the physics at work on the race car is important, as it allows you to optimise all systems to work in the real world. A practical knowledge of machinery, racing and physics means your work won’t be limited to the purely theoretical, you’ll be working on the real thing.
Leading on from this, Racing Engineers will need solid mechanical experience. Knowing how things fit together, how machines work and how to build a car sound like obvious things a Rally Engineer would know, but many graduates have had purely theoretical training.
Getting out there, volunteering with amateur race groups and getting practical, hands-on experience is invaluable to becoming a Racing Engineer.
The best Rally Engineers will have racing experience to understand what it’s like behind the wheel. How the car handles under pressure is something that cannot be explained; it must be felt. This helps engineers understand racing car drivers’ requests, knowing what they mean without having to use the highly technical language that can slow things down.
Racing Engineers are crucial to the racing team and share the glory and excitement of every racing victory.
Read about how car design has changed, or learn why you should use a recruitment agency to find your next engineering job.
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