Motorsport presenter and competitor Paul Woodford gave students at Ron Dearing a day to remember
Budding motorsport engineers got the chance to get under the bonnet of a rally car this week thanks to the passion of an East Yorkshire man. Students at Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC) were treated to workshops led by South Cave-based motorsport presenter, competitor and rally fanatic Paul Woodford – a recognisable face in the sport.
Paul took the Mini Cooper S car that he will compete in at this weekend’s Cadwell Stages Rally to the Hull city centre college. Here Year 13 engineering students, and the college’s all-female stem racing team, Apex Angels, were given a taste of how the vehicle is prepared to attack the stages at the Cadwell Park-based event.
The youngsters also got the chance to ask Paul – sporting his racing overalls for the event – about how to get into motorsport. That was followed up with free tickets to Sunday’s event, organised by North Humberside Motor Club.
Paul led similar initiatives when he used to be circuit manager at Cadwell Park and now as commercial director at Hull-based Jupiter IT works with the college on employer engagement. He explained: “It was just a really good opportunity to ask me questions; crucially, how they get involved. There are loads of teams around here who travel out to get involved in rallying, MotoGP and even F1.
“The idea was to inspire them a bit. We’re really lucky in this sport to have something spectacular that we can bring to life for people. I’m really keen that we use that and get people off their computer games to go and see things for real.”
Accompanying Paul was Jamie McBain, a director of motorsport preparation and support company Spark Developments, who talked students through how his company build cars and maintain them on an event. Jamie said: “Inspiring the next generation of competitors and engineers is at the heart of our business. Motorsport, like any industry needs the best people to fill job roles, so to see Ron Dearing UTC showing the vision to create these workshops and bring the sector to life is something we absolutely wanted to support.”
As well as the rally car itself, Jamie showed off the team’s service van and tools that will be used on the event. Paul explained: “It was about showing how the team prepare for the unexpected. And last year, they did have to deal with the unexpected because I crashed into a concrete post and they had to completely rebuild the car – there was a hole in the gearbox and we thought it was game over, but this team rebuilt the car, prepped it and got it back out on the stages! The car was all patched up but we still finished the rally.”
Glenn Jensen, senior assistant principal – employer engagement at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “The partnerships between industry and Ron Dearing UTC play a pivotal role in ensuring the next generation of talent is ready for their next step after education, allowing young people to see how what is taught in the classroom relates to real, sector-specific roles in industry.”
This Cadwell Park Stage uses parts of the Lincolnshire circuit as well as the infield and access roads. Paul explained: “It’s one of the places you can get closer to the rally cars than anywhere else. You can stand there with a coffee or a beer in your hand and watch the cars whistling past you – it’s brilliant.”