Forsyth Tech Looks to the Le Mans
College Enters Partnership with International Racing Company
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (June 4, 2008) – Look closely at the speeding cars in the world-renowned Le Mans race on June 14 and 15 in France, and you may see a familiar local name. Car number 14, Creation Autosportif’s entry in the competition, will sport the Forsyth Tech logo.
Forsyth Technical Community College and Creation Autosportif, an international racing and race car manufacturing company, are pairing up to enhance race car technology training at the college and support the company’s racing and manufacturing operations. The partnership is also expected to help promote the development of motor sports as an economic sector in the Piedmont Triad.
A memorandum of understanding was signed on June 4, 2008, by Dr. Gary Green, president of Forsyth Tech, and Andy Woolgar, commercial manager for Creation Autosportif.
Under the agreement, Creation Autosportif will provide cooperative education experiences for Forsyth Tech students. The students will work with Creation Autosportif professionals to learn race car engineering, data acquisition, structured team management and other aspects of the industry, both in the shop and on-site at race events. The students will be provided with team apparel and use of fire suits, as appropriate to their tasks at races.
“This partnership will give our students hands-on experience with a whole different facet of the racing industry,” said Leonard Kiser, dean of engineering technologies at Forsyth Tech. “The cars raced in the Le Mans are different in design and structure, and require different skills in their manufacture. Working on these cars will open up opportunities that our students have not had before.”
Forsyth Tech operates the largest race car technology training program in North Carolina, and the only one in which race cars are built from the ground up. The college is also the lead institution in the North Carolina Community College System Motorsports Training Initiative.
Creation Autosportif, with headquarters in Oxford, England, builds race cars for sale and also races cars at events in the United States and Europe. In addition to the European Le Mans, Creative Autosportif participates in the American Le Mans Series, and many other races in the United States and abroad.
Creation Autosportif has had an office in Winston-Salem for the past three years.
“North Carolina represents an extremely important location when it comes to motor sports, and it is a logical choice for our U.S. base,” said Woolgar. “The state is at the forefront of advanced manufacturing, logistics, nanotechnology and medical science. It is our goal to increase our presence in North Carolina.”
Creation Autosportif has been participating in the Le Mans 24 Hours race since 2004. The race is run annually on the outskirts of the city of Le Mans, which is about two hours southwest of Paris, in the Loire Valley. Each car has three drivers who alternate during the race. This year’s race is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. EST on June 14, and will be broadcast live to over 250 million television sets across the world.