SECTOR FOCUS

FAST FACTS

UK MOTORSPORT

FIRMS COMMAND 80 PER CENT OF THE GLOBAL MARKET

UK MOTORSPORT

SUPPORTS 38,500 FULL AND PART- TIME JOBS, OF WHICH 25,000 ARE QUALIFIED ENGINEERS

PODIUM FINISH

SOME 4,500 COMPANIES ARE

INDUSTRY

INVOLVED IN THE UK MOTORSPORT

NASCAR OPPORTUNITIES

One of the most lucrative overseas markets for UK motorsport companies is the

US, home of the NASCAR racing series. A highly popular sport in the US, second only to NFL, NASCAR television audiences reach nearly 80m and several million race tickets are sold each season. A number of UK motorsport

UK MOTORSPORT COMPANIES GENERATE AN

ANNUAL TURNOVER

OF £6BN, OF WHICH £3.6BN IS EXPORTED

The UK’s automotive industry is increasingly employing the skills and technologies developed in the country’s motorsport sector, with many companies directly transferring innovative ideas into usable products for road vehicles. Examples include ATD (Active Torque Dynamics) and automated manual transmission systems developed by Banbury-based Prodrive, one of the world’s leading motorsport companies which has a growing presence in markets such as China, India and Australia. Such technology transfer is also helping sectors such as aerospace, marine and defence, which regularly benefi t from the UK motorsport industry’s constant development of new components, products and services. “Like all winners, the UK motorsport sector does not rest on its laurels and continues to develop capabilities,” concludes Lockhart. ■

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Best known for its work on F1 and other motorsport engines, global technology business Cosworth generates a signifi cant proportion of its turnover from sectors such as aerospace and defence.

The Northampton-based company, which has offi ces in the US and India and regularly works with UK Trade & Investment, has a global reputation built on 53 years of excellence. It was named SME Manufacturer of the Year and overall UK Manufacturer of the Year in 2011. Rik Temmink, chief marketing offi cer of Cosworth, said: “These awards recognise our successful transition from a motorsports company to a diversifi ed business that can compete worldwide. “By combining Cosworth’s world-

renowned intellectual property in high- performance engines and electronics with our rapid end-to-end engineering and manufacturing approach, we are able to punch above our weight, even in large sectors such as aerospace, automotive and defence – both in the UK and in export markets including

the US, Russia and India.” cosworth.com

fi rms have successfully explored NASCAR-related opportunities in the key US motorsport cluster of North Carolina. They include Tamworth- based Alcon Components Ltd, one of just four NASCAR-approved suppliers of callipers, discs, master cylinders and pedal boxes, which has a site in Mooresville, near the North Carolina state capital, Charlotte; carbon components specialist Delta Composites Ltd, which will open a new $1m manufacturing facility, also in Mooresville, at the end of this year; and GST, which is supplying the NASCAR market with bespoke designs for engine and crankshaft seals.

UKTI SUPPORT

UK Trade & Investment, in partnership with the Motorsport Industry Association and Motorsport Research Associates, has produced a report examining current and future NASCAR-related business opportunities. For further information, or to request a copy, email Spencer Mahony at spencer.mahony@fco.gov.uk

LET’S DO BUSINESS

For further information, contact Ian Lockhart on 0141 228 3654 or email ian.lockhart@ukti.gsi.gov.uk

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