Lumen Summer 2018 - Flipbook - Page 31
Kirby asked him to be part of a team building a
custom design race car for Australian GT series
owner Tony Quinn.
Following this job, Jordan worked on a variety
of motorsport engineering projects. He also
moved into trackside engineering at racing
events.”
As a race car engineer, you are the go-between
the driver, the team manager, the mechanics –
basically everybody, and it’s your job to keep
everything on track.
“So if there are three practice sessions for the
day, you need to make sure that for each
session, the cars are ready, the drivers are ready,
all the computer settings are right, the tyres are
the correct pressure, and everyone knows their
job for the day,” Jordan said.
The motorsport industry is big business. “The
tyres alone cost $1000 each, and on a racing
weekend a car can go through 20 tyres easily.
“There can be some very stressful times, you
need strong self-confidence and cannot second
guess yourself,” he said.
Jordan recently returned to the University of
Adelaide to start a Masters in Engineering,
taking on a project in machine learning and
artificial intelligence (AI).
“It’s kind of like turbo-charging problem
solving. It’s the direction everything is moving
in, and I want to be part of it.”
Formula SAE
Jordan sets sights
on big problem solving
It was during orientation week that engineering
graduate and Masters student Jordan Yeomans
set his sights on working in motorsport.
“Kirby walked into my first lecture to talk to
us about a project called Formula SAE – from
there on I was hooked,” he said.
“I immediately loved motorsport as soon as I
saw it. It’s trying to optimise a system with the
same set of rules as everyone else, and the
winner is the person who can do it best.
“For an engineer or a problem solver, it is the
ultimate problem.”
Jordan caught a lucky break in motorsport a
week before his final university exams.
PREVIOUS
Kirby Nankivell in the
Holden Laboratory,
Engineering South,
North Terrace
campus
ABOVE
L to R:
Jordan Yeomans,
Kirby Nankivell and
Jonathan Stephens
At the University of Adelaide, Formula SAE
is a fully student managed extracurricular
activity, overseen by a member of the Faculty
of Engineering.
Fourth year Mechanical Engineering student
Jonathan Stephens is team manager of the 2018
University of Adelaide Formula SAE entry.
“Our team is made up of 60 students. Most are
from mechanical or electrical engineering, but
there are also students from graphic design and
finance.
“We don’t just take engineers, we take anyone
because they bring different skills,” he said.
This year, for the first time, the team has
designed and built an electric car. According to
Jonathan, most electric car teams in their first
year don’t make it as far as the final track event.
“Our goal for this year is to make it to the start
line, and then see what happens from there.”
Find out more about Adelaide University
Motorsport at adelaidemotorsport.com.au
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