Headshots, practice laps and inspiration for the next generation? Easier said than done, right?
Well, these are all things Christina Lam tackled before her big debut at the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.
[From track day junkie to IMSA rookie: Christina Lam]
But how?
“A big part of my education and professional career involves STEM, and I believe it is such an important area …
If IMSA wants to show their importance to schools, they need to go start recruiting. I'm kind of surprised that there isn't a massive connection between imsa and fsae given it would be an easy pool of people to recruit from.
I know OEMs give a lot of preference to fsae participants. Racing is a business, so they need to do the same.
Maybe there needs to be a high level company to recruit talent for all of the Motorsports teams in the US.
In reply to alfadriver :
Maybe like some kind of IMSA/FSAE job fair or recruitment program?
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I would say that and also events with the local colleges at each of the stops. If you look where they race, doing events at/with RPI, U of M, Georgia Tech, Va Tech, etc. should be a no brainer. Invite the teams to the track to shadow the IMSA teams. Build that bridge. Introduce the FSAE students to these teams and vice versa.
To be honest, I'm a little surprised they don't do this already.
bmw88rider said:In reply to David S. Wallens :
I would say that and also events with the local colleges at each of the stops. If you look where they race, doing events at/with RPI, U of M, Georgia Tech, Va Tech, etc. should be a no brainer. Invite the teams to the track to shadow the IMSA teams. Build that bridge. Introduce the FSAE students to these teams and vice versa.
This is exactly what I plan on doing for each of my IMSA races this year! Partnering with local schools and FSAE teams to have students out to learn and shadow our race team. If any GRM readers have suggestions or connections to schools near MidO, WGI, Indy, or Road Atlanta would love some intros! Huge shoutout to Paris who helped connect me with these students for Daytona!
David S. Wallens said:In reply to alfadriver :
Maybe like some kind of IMSA/FSAE job fair or recruitment program?
Yup. But if imsa isn't big enough, add in other racing programs.
I can very much see how one team would have a hard time getting out and recruiting- most are smaller businesses, so making an organization to pool recruiting may help small teams find talent from the whole fsae country.
In reply to christinaylam (Forum Supporter) :
That's awesome. Hopefully it rubs off to the other teams in the paddock.
I don't have any direct connections other than just following along from a distance anymore. It's been 30+ years since I've been involved.
Here are some schools to think of off the top of my head. Ohio State is right there at MidO and they are a top program. Indy would be Purdue mostly. RPI and Penn State are close to WGI. Road Atlanta is in Wreck Racing's backyard. They do the challenge so I've sure someone here would have contacts.
In reply to christinaylam (Forum Supporter) :
Question for you- in terms of jobs and careers, what kind of opportunities are available on each imsa racing level?
In reply to christinaylam (Forum Supporter) :
As someone who did this type of thing locally (Las Vegas, I work for the school District) you are going to have so much fun with this.......more fun than you even realize now.
Auburn University has a winning FSAE team and a solar car that did well if you want somewhere in south east. https://aufsae.auburn.edu/
In reply to christinaylam (Forum Supporter) :
Saw you walking around the Pits and other area's of the track all of last weekend, better understanding of what you were doing now.
Very cool to see your interaction with the different students.
Already have my tickets paid for next year, hope to see you out there again and say hi to you!
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