Interning is the Pits (and Garages) for UNOH High Performance Motorsports Students

by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Stephanie Thomas is a very smart young woman. Everyone in the High Performance Motorsports Program at University of Northwestern Ohio says so. If you ask for a person to speak about the program, professors point you to Stephanie. If you ask other students for someone to talk about participating in the ARCA pit crew part of their training, they tell you to look for Stephanie. If you ask ARCA race team organizers about their participation in collaborative training with UNOH, they use Stephanie as an example.

Stephanie Thomas realizes that the fuels of today won’t be the standard fuels of tomorrow, so she is minoring in alternative fuels. She’s been fascinated with working on car engines since she watched her brother tinker in the garage and cheered him in auto tech competitions. Now she’s the one working auto tech competition with real consequences. She’s interning in the Darrell Basham Racing team garage and pits for the second year at the ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America, a pre-NASCAR series) race in Daytona Beach.

“There’s nothing like the feeling of a pit stop,” she explains with restrained intensity. “30 seconds "over the wall" feels like 4 minutes in slow motion.” The rest of the crew sitting in the warm sun during a break nod in agreement.

For Stephanie, working the pits at the ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 practice, qualifying and race days, is a prelude to joining the US Air Force upon graduation with the idea of getting an MA in mechanical engineering and, eventually, becoming a pilot. She said she’s also considering working with Formula 1 or IRL cars in the future. Wherever her paths take her, she comes highly recommended.

Other interns in the UNOH High Performance Motorsports progarm have similarly well-thought-out career aspirations. Martin Coberly, working on Brad Smith’s #26 ApplianceZone.com car wants to work in racing. He had the interest and confirmed it driving over 100 mph in a go-cart. Working as an intern can give him the experience of working at all positions in the crew: tire changer, gas man, working under the hood, under the body, helping him work on his goal of making a career on a NASCAR race team pit crew.

James Perrin, also interning with ApplianceZone.com, explained that if you want to be good in this industry, you have to DO IT, you have to BE THERE to learn it. It’s not something that you can really understand, or appreciate what it involves, just from classroom or hands-on practice at the college.

The 28 UNOH students working on cars and the 2 students working with the ARCA organizers certainly were having fun in the Florida sun; but it was also very serious business. Students had to earn their jobs in the pits by showing their abilities, attention to detail and reliability in the garages. Not everyone gets to go “over the wall” or to even serve in the pits. Those that do have passed muster on the preliminary parts of this informal auto tech competition.

Real world experience comprises an integral part of UNOH’s educational philosophy. Internship programs established with ARCA at multiple race tracks across the country create an important benefit for High Performance Motorsports students. UNOH clubs such as the Auto-Cross club, the Drag Club, Over-the-Wall Club, Race Club, Student Stock Car and Modified Teams and Technical Support Team at near-by UNOP-operated Limaland Motorsports Park provide not just hands-on experience, but the extra value of the BE THERE, DO IT experience promoted by James.

Kudos also to the teams who agree to take on interns, to teach them the ropes: technical, professional, practical, sportsmanship and character-building.

The impressive demeanor and professionalism shown by the UNOH interns at ARCA when the circumstances called for it speaks volumes about the value of the High Performance Motorsport program. For the students and the teams.

Now, let’s see in UNOH’s promotional materials and class offerings more attention to biofuels and advanced biofuels and the new engines being designed and used to best use these liquid fuels of the future of racing and every day mobility. UNOH site