In the past few years motorsport companies have offered their unique capability to British defence companies with real success. MOD DCB spoke to Chris Aylett, CEO of the Motorsport Industry Association, to discuss the links between motorsport and defence in the past and for the future.
The links between motorsport and the defence industry go back some time. Following the Second World War many of those who went into UK motorsport were from the defence industry. They were specialists in lightweight materials and aerodynamics and saw motorsport as a competitive arena for their skills in engineering and innovation. The result was a unique constellation of skills and capabilities that has become famous the world over for its success on the track.
Most of the British motorsport industry is based in Motorsport Valley in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, close to the Silverstone Circuit. Around 3500 companies associated with motorsport are based in Motorsport Valley employing around 40,000 people, including around 80 per cent of the world’s high-performance engineers. Most top-level motorsport constructors are based in the UK and around 75 per cent of motorsport research and development (R&D) takes place in the UK.
Motorsport-based businesses spend at least 30 per cent of their turnover on R&D. That compares to six per cent in automotive and 15 per cent in pharmaceuticals, while the general engineering average spend on R&D is around three per cent. With many established industries now seeking flexible R&D prototype building capability, it seems the motorsport industry can offer unique solutions due to the way it operates. Motorsport offers rapid solution providers in solving high-performance engineering problems, and then getting those results back out to the field very quickly – a potentially essential supplement to the defence industry.
Motorsport companies have been offering their unique capability to British defence companies primarily in the field of Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs), although not singularly so. Defence suppliers such as Supercat and Ricardo have used motorsport in recent times for major vehicle projects such as Foxhound. Foxhound incorporates Formula One racing technology and was devised by engineers from the World Rally Championship, McLaren F1 and BMW. Its engine can be removed and replaced in just 30 minutes and it can drive away from an ambush on only three wheels.
Chris Aylett, CEO of the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA), said: “When you think about it, when Jenson Button calls into the pits under intense pressure and says ‘fix this urgently’, that’s a UOR. It’s an extreme case of a UOR and they respond very quickly. That’s a very visual way of capturing why the supply chain in motorsport has developed this ability to summarise an engineering problem very quickly, get to the heart of it and get a solution delivered.
“That is an asset in the field with UOR and we only get there by working with partner companies in the defence industry. The greatest competition for engineering is war and I know people have been working with BAE Systems, for example, and indeed Ricardo and Supercat to respond to these UORs.”
There are many examples of engineering UORs being solved by motorsport companies, such as when the NAR Group drew upon their experience of supplying equipment for the Paris-Dakar Rally to design a new dust-proof cooling system now used on the Panther, Mastiff and Ridgeback armoured vehicles, increasing the number of vehicles available for operations. Then there’s Lola Composites Ltd, specialising in the manufacture of racing car bodies, who contributed their expertise in helping to build the Watchkeeper remotely piloted air system. Another example is Williams Hybrid Power Ltd, who adapted their technology to develop an electromechanical flywheel to increase the power efficiency of the diesel generators that power Forward Operating Bases in Afghanistan.
The MIA is keen to focus on the capability of its members rather than their products because it believes what the defence industry may be short of is certain capabilities. Many companies involved in motorsport are SMEs who are innovative and fast moving with speedy resolutions, low production volumes and high performance outcomes. It’s not a case of these companies going into the defence industry per se; it’s more about supporting the defence industry with capabilities where defence may have a weakness in the supply chain.
Mr Aylett commented: “If you think about the defence world in particular and to some degree elements of automotive and marine, it’s a hard bit of the manufacturing process to stay inside because most companies actually move through it into production. The capability we’ve uncovered in Motorsport Valley – and it is truly unique as nobody else in the world has 3500 companies who focus on building prototypes – is a massive capability, and the world of motorsport has happily used it. Japan, Australia, South America – all have been happily trading with Motorsport Valley, and there have been billions of pounds worth of sales and business generated for sporting purposes.
“It was the idea of Lord Drayson and Lord Astor, and developed by the MIA, that we have a very interesting capability here, and we wondered if any other established industries needed this capability. The answer has been a resounding yes.”
The MIA is the flag-bearer for the Motorsport to Defence programme, inviting companies such as BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin to create what it calls ‘a showcase of capability’. These showcases are focused on engineering problems rather than the particular products motorsport can offer. The emphasis is on finding solutions.
Mr Aylett explained: “It’s not a product showcase. It’s very low key and it’s focused on engineer meets engineer. We try hard not to let the purchase process or the supplier registration process get in the way of an engineer with a problem meeting an engineer with a possible solution. Once you have established that the capability is there to resolve something, surprisingly all the other things that seem to be barriers fall away. We make these things happen, almost fighting against the inertia of people who say we’ve never done that before and don’t need to do it now.”
The MIA is a facilitator and promoter of these meetings and does so purely with the motive of knocking down any potential barriers between the industries. It is there to promote engagement. Many of the innovative motorsport companies it represents are SMEs, which fits snugly with the Government’s Defence Growth Partnership ideal of greater engagement with small and medium-sized companies.
Mr Aylett said: “I’ve read under the Defence Growth Partnership about this strong requirement from Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, who we’ve met several times and who embraces this concept – as did Peter Luff before him, that the supply chain in the defence industry has to engage more with SMEs. What I’m doing is bringing a coach load of them.”
The Technology Strategy Board recently announced it is to invest up to £1 million in innovative business-led R&D projects in motorsport, high-performance engineering and related technology consultancy centred in Motorsport Valley. The aim is to stimulate and engage this innovative cluster in broader technology and business partnerships with other sectors. The Board said it wants to draw investment and people into the area and to encourage networking to strengthen this cluster of motorsport companies. The funding is intended for projects that companies could not fund without broader support, or that may take them into new areas, and where the majority of the project activities will take place within Motorsport Valley.
What is interesting is the intention for motorsport R&D to leak into other sectors such as defence. Mr Aylett sees the £1 million heading to what is a world-class sector, with nearly £10 billion of turnover, more as a possible sign of things to come.
He stated: “It’s a small but very important first step. It’s a signal that the excellent Technology Strategy Board has recognised there’s an unusual capability here focused on R&D, and that if we can now encourage them with a little more money to stretch their arms out to other sectors, then more money will be invested. It’s the first time it’s ever been done and it’s to try and attract the attention of small Motorsport Valley companies and for them to go on a journey and engage with other sectors. And do that quickly.”
Following the success of projects like Foxhound, and now with the new Technology Strategy Boardfunding, the future looks bright for further collaboration between defence and motorsport companies. It seems to be clear on both sides that Motorsport Valley has a part to play in the defence industry.
Mr Aylett concluded: “I can’t imagine now that it’s started, now that the Foxhound is successful and Supercat is successful, that it won’t continue. It’s happening all over the place. I think it’s going to take time, patience and determination but the defence industry needs this kind of capability local to it in the UK; and as Motorsport Valley discovers it has a capability that the defence industry wants, it’s only a matter of time before they do more business together. I’m really very confident, and I’m guided by Minister Philip Dunne that this is the right thing for us to be doing.”
For more information on the MIA, please visit www.the-mia.com