How #AccuDreamJob Helped 3 Young Engineers Build Their Futures

From CAD modelling to a hands-on session working with composites, the #AccuDreamJob competition is a once-in-a-lifetime motorsport experience that offers young engineers the opportunity to learn all about the ins and outs of designing and building a competitive race car. 

Hosted by UK student motorsport team, Oxford Brookes Racing, the experience day is specifically designed to help young people who are pursuing a career in professional racing car engineering.

Taking place on Wednesday 5th April 2023, this year’s #AccuDreamJob Experience Day was a huge success. 

After the four month wait since the winners were announced, we were thrilled to finally meet Nida, Grace and Leo at Oxford Brookes University’s School of Engineering.

Entering The Competition

To enter the competition, the winners needed to share a photo, video or comment detailing their  favourite motorsport memory, tagging Accu (@accucomponents) and using the hashtag #AccuDreamJob.

You can find out more about entering the competition by heading to, ‘Win A Dream Job Experience With Accu & Oxford Brookes Racing Team.’

The #AccuDreamJob 2023 Winners

With fantastic memories shared by many aspiring young engineers, we were thrilled to declare the #AccuDreamJob 2023 winners were Nida Anis, Grace Newman and Leo Al-Baho.

Here is a glimpse into each one of their winning entries.

Nida Anis

“My favourite motorsport memory has been visiting the Ferrari factory in Maranello in June 2022 as part of the two-week ‘Italian Motor Valley Experience’… This was an incredible experience where I was able to discover in-person how the world’s most technologically advanced vehicles are designed, manufactured, and tested.” 

Grace Newman

“While the technology and innovation behind the cars is phenomenal, my favourite motorsport memory has to be walking through the gates of Silverstone for the 2022 British Grand Prix. Standing in the queue outside and hearing the roar of the cars in the distance, I could feel the anticipation building!” 

Leo Al-Baho

“After never having the opportunity to see a Formula One race live, I got a mind-blowing birthday present from my parents to go watch the Monaco GP live for the first time… We took a last minute flight on the day and were back that same night but it was one of the best experiences of my life.”

What The #AccuDreamJob Experience Day 2023 Looked Like

Spending the day with the Oxford Brookes Racing team, Nida, Grace and Leo were fully immersed in motorsport engineering right from the beginning.

Kicking things off with a tour of the Wheatley Campus, the winners were able to familiarise themselves with the day-to-day operations of a student formula team. This was followed by introductions and a run down of the Formula Student Competition.

Take a tour of the Oxford Brookes University Wheatley Campus by heading to the video below. 

Getting straight into practical learning, the first session was all about Composites. 

During this session, the winners were learning how to measure, cut and prep carbon fibre sheets. The sheets were then cured to create a strong and lightweight composite, the material that is commonly used in the bodywork of a racing car.

Next up was the CAD Design Session, where the winners got the chance to design their own trophy, a memento of the Experience Day, that they would then go on to manufacture with expert help from the OBR team.

This was a great opportunity for Nida, Grace and Leo to use CAD modelling software, helping them to develop skills in design work that they can take forward into their future engineering careers.

They then moved onto Car Set-Up, where they were shown the importance of considerations on weight, shaping and design of the chassis, body work and additional packages needed to make the car run as smoothly - and of course as fast - as possible. This included a deep dive into aerodynamics and the process of assembling, testing and fine tuning the race car in the workshop.

Next up was the Data Session delivered by Nikos, a member of the OBR Systems and Testing Team. In this session Nikos demonstrated the role that data has in the operation of the car. This involved learning how to log, download and analyse data to gain a better understanding of the vehicle, and to optimise its performance to be more efficient and reliable. 

The final session of the day was all about Metalwork and using fasteners and other components - Accu’s speciality. It was during this activity that the 3 winners were able to realise the potential of their CAD models, produced in the Design session, by using tools such as a vice, saws, screwdrivers and files to build their own trophies.

Matt Ogden, Accu’s Community Manager, reflected on the day, “It was great to meet Grace, Leo and Nida and see first-hand their joint passion for engineering. 

We all felt, right from the start of the experience day, that they were very worthy #AccuDreamJob winners, demonstrating throughout the sessions that they have bright futures in engineering. 

I think I speak for everyone from Accu and the Oxford Brookes Racing team in saying that we look forward to following their careers with great interest.” 

What Did Our 3 Aspiring Engineers Take Away From The Experience?

Nida Anis

For Nida, the experience day has certainly amplified her desire to take on a career in motorsport, she shared, “The #AccuDreamJob Experience Day has absolutely inspired me!

Being able to connect with students who are also involved in the motorsport industry (I remember that Khanh was involved in IMSA and Tessa was involved with Mercedes HPP) was very insightful.

The experience day has certainly given me the confidence that - with determination and the right mindset - I can break into the motorsport industry.”

“I would definitely advise young people to enter as it allows them to connect with highly experienced young engineers who are innovating within the industry and really see how formula student teams work, quite similar to how a professional level race team works.”

Grace Newman

Ready to take on her Automotive Engineering degree in September, Grace shared, “The day has really inspired me. I aspire to work in motorsport engineering and the day has just enthused my ambition. It gave an incredible insight into the Oxford Brookes FS Team, how they go from concept to producing the car, and maximising its performance.”

“It was fascinating to learn more about the technical aspects of the car, but also to speak with the team - to learn from their experiences, draw on their knowledge and take onboard their advice was invaluable.”

“During the day, I learnt more about the design process. I knew a bit about the carbon fibre production process before but have never had the chance to take a part from concept, to CAD drawing and then make it.

It was a great opportunity to take a small part through the entire design cycle and learn some CAD skills which I’m sure will be really useful in both university, and in industry.”

Leo Al-Baho

“Before the experience day I had barely used CAD software so it was really awesome to use that, if I go into aerodynamics this experience will have been really helpful to get experience of using that software. 

The hands-on work and how the team dynamic works within OBR is not something I'd ever been exposed to before, being able to see how they communicate and organise themselves was really cool. It also clarified some aspects of what motorsport was really about. I enjoyed learning about car set up and how they go about collecting data, that was really great.

I’ve been a little less confident about one specific career path in terms of motorsport or F1 or to pursue engineering and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to throw everything into it. The experience day has been a real eye opener for me about the dedication and commitment it takes and how hard I need to work. The conversation that I had with Tessa at the end was really inspiring, she laid everything out and it actually shocked me that they are still studying! - They seem like a real professional team.”

That’s a wrap on #AccuDreamJob 2023. We hope that this experience will inspire, motivate and help our fantastic winners on their path into engineering and we are certain they will make a positive impact in the world of motorsport.

Want to see our winners in action? Head to the video below to learn more about the experience day and to hear from Nida, Grace and Leo first-hand.

Don’t miss out! Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of next years #AccuDreamJob competition.

Accu Launches New Scholarship Programme ‘Building Tomorrow’

Are you an engineering student ready to take the next step in your career? Find out more about Accu Scholarship opportunities on our website by heading to ‘Accu Launches Student Scholarships To Support Engineers Of Tomorrow’.