Anyone know about jobs/working in motorsport/automotive development?

[Frank N. O.]

Ok, long story short, as some of you know then I've had an unfair share of family tragedies since I was 20 and this has ruined a lot for me and my future. Only now do I even see a chance in trying to see if I could get anything like a dream-career going. After much thought I've decided to research a job in car development, perhaps related to motorsport.

There are a ton of problems with that, but right now I'm looking for answers about if the job I'm wishing for even exist. And then to find out if it's something I could ever get without having to study the next 5 years. I can't help shake the thought that at my age with no relevant experience it's already too late. And that's even though I'm not aiming to become an F-1 chief-designer but just work at a smaller place with a smaller wage as long as it's a nice company with nice co-workers. In fact if I could just make do with a smaller education and then get a long-term contract with a company where I'd get further education there while working then that would be optimal since the sooner I could get a foot inside the better.

I've thought about specialising in suspension design since even electric cars need suspension links and a properly adjusted set of springs, dampers etc.
What I'm hoping for is if there's a job that would mainly concist of two things: development with computer programs and going out to monitor actual tests, maybe on the racetrack if it's a racing-car. Maybe I'd also be going to check manufacturing of the parts but computer-design as well as actual real-world testing would be the enviroment I'm hoping for. I would not be much useful as a normal mechanic though, mostly due to bad knee-joints that won't allow me to crawl around. Teaching or lecturing isn't something I'm good at either.

One of the places I'm looking at (since Denmark doesn't really have an automotive development industry), is Japan. Some of my favourite championships exist there, like the Super Taikyu and Super GT, as well as the D1GP if you're into driving with style. One of the chiefs at my racing-league is scottish but has worked in Japan for 30 years and even has a japanese wife who works in the foreign office so I got some help there but he doesn't know what jobs there are in the automotive industry.

I know this sounds far out due to many things but I'm at a point in my life now where I just need to know I've tried instead of just giving up. I don't want to be 70 years old still thinking: Could I have done it?

Frank

[Frank N. O.]

I assume this means no-one has any ideas?

Frank

[Avro707C]

You need to do university, and get into engineering - maybe learn machining as well - go through things in the traditional way. And then you join a car company working from a small start and then upwards.

I'm thinking of the way the various Porsche people started, perhaps even Norbert Singer - the legendary racing engineer who himself was quite talented with aerodynamics and engineering. I'm guessing his job description is what you want to do.

I think in Japan, they have a good way of teaching people. I remember the boss of Toyota Australia ages ago spoke of when he went to Toyota in Japan. They would explain things, let you observe - and it was up to you to learn. He later became the only non Japanese member of the Toyota board.

[jtace]

I know the car companies in Detroit are hiring engineers and there's a bit of a shortage in the field.

I don't know much about the racing or auto world directly, but I do work in a partially related field to automotive. I work in the AG/Construction heavy equipment industry. My boss actually used to work for Ford a few years ago.

I know there's other routes, but the only path I know of is the Engineering one, Mechanical or Electrical traditionally, but software is also heavily involved as well.