So it’s August, summer seems to be making a bit of an effort and we are well into the motorsport season. The disappointing Silverstone GP (if you’re British) has been and gone and perhaps McLaren have turned a corner with their new upgrade package that arrived at Hockenheim and allowed JB to finish 3rd. It still looks unlikely that we are going to see an assault on the title from any of our drivers, particularly with Alonso in his current form.

This month, I thought I would provide a few links to read up on the more technical elements of motorsport.

Some particularly informative websites I guide my students in the direction of are:

http://www.ret-monitor.com/articles/welcome/ – This website provides some excellent articles from some very knowledgeable people in the engine technology industry and are categorised into different areas for ease of access.

http://www.optimumg.com/technical/technical-papers/ – Optimum G have great knowledge in vehicle dynamics and have a range of technical papers and articles that are a great read.

http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers – Stop Tech offer a great range of technical papers on braking systems which are well detailed and full of calculations to help apply your knowledge.

Also, look out for the new Hillier’s Fundamentals of Automotive Electronics book which is out now. It’s full of new features, in full colour and up to date with the latest technology – a great read! There’s a full range of chapters that incorporate everything you need to know about electronics in the automotive sector. To work alongside the Hillier’s electronics book, you may also be interested in the accompanying VLE tutor resource being published in October. It’s something that I am sure will be well used by colleges around the country, with PDFs that can be displayed on whiteboards, tutor notes and worksheets providing a bank of activities to help students consolidate their knowledge.

I am progressing well with my own Fundamentals of Motorsport Engineering book which Nelson Thornes are due to publish in April 2013. Only 3 chapters left to be completed in first draft so nearly there!