A young Welsh female student is taking a leading role in a landmark motor sport event for the famous MG brand.
Angharad Davies, from Llantrisant, near Cardiff, is an engineering student at Bath University and is spending a year’s placement with MG in Longbridge helping develop its new racing hot hatch and is one of two female engineering students on the racing project.
Last week, the MG3 low-cost racer built by MG Car Club and SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre made its dynamic debut at Castle Combe Circuit before it races at Silverstone this weekend.
SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre Interns, including Angharad, were tasked with building the car; using an ex-engineering vehicle as a donor car as part of the Internship Project.
The car has been built with low-cost motorsport in mind; a minimal budget to convert the car into a racer for £5,000 to a specification that allows the car to compete in a Club championship, which shares a low-cost ethos.
MG3 will be able to race in Class A Â for standard road going cars of the MG Cup during 2019, providing a first season of testing and development plus the opportunity to score points during its first season racing.
The MG Cup has been running for over 30 years, with a simple structure and regulations designed to keep costs to a minimum and provide a challenge for new and experienced drivers alike.
The regulations have been produced to allow any MG3 model to be converted and get on the grid; not just the All-New MG3, which went on sale last year.
This provides potential competitors a chance to race the most up-to-date MG models on track, which has not previously been possible within the Car Club’s championships.
As an additional strategy to encourage participation from young competitors, the MG Car Club also offers half price entries to any competitor 25 and under for the 2019 season, meaning entry fees for a weekend could be as little as £300.
The MG3 makes its competitive debut this Saturday 30th March in the MG Cup, at the Club’s first race meeting on Silverstone National Circuit alongside the Club’s MG
Trophy, BCV8, Cockshoot Cup, MG Metro Cup championships.
Adam Sloman, General Manager of The MG Car Club commented, “We are delighted to be involved in bringing the latest iteration of MG cars to race circuits up and down the country. Motorsport is a huge part of MG and the Club’s heritage, and we are very much invested in bringing new cars, drivers and young competitors to our grids in the future.”
Angharad, who passed her driving test first time, said working with the MG team on the racing project had really inspired her, “I was studying general engineering but the chance to work on the racing MG really excited me and I love being involved in its development.
“I have worked on the suspension and handling aspect of the car and that has posed challenges which I have really enjoyed. I have never done anything like this before.”
Joanna Burland, another intern at SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre added, “The Intern Project has provided a great opportunity to work on something slightly different, and gain valuable experience of helping to develop a new low-cost race car and work with MG Motor and MG Car Club to make the project a success.”
While experienced race drivers will compete in the car, Angharad and her colleagues will do development driving and shakedown tests on circuits to continually improve the MG3 and hopefully turn it into a championship winner. By Robin Roberts
