The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship’s ongoing educational and operational partnership with the University of Greater Manchester (UGM) continues to flourish with students recently helping to carry out a Fans’ Survey at Oulton Park.
UGM runs a BEng Motorsport Engineering Degree programme and is launching an Apprenticeship in September 2026, designed specifically to cultivate talent within professional motorsport, which has seen the university build a strong relationship within the BTCC paddock.
Key elements of the partnership have included internships and placements with students going on to secure full-time roles with both TOCA – in its engineering, scrutineering and medical departments – and BTCC teams, such as Speedworks Motorsport, Power Maxed Racing and the support Paddock with Toro Verde .
Furthermore, the university's Sports Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy department operates a clinical paddock base at races where students provide injury assessments, sports massage, and treatment to drivers and mechanics.
This latest activity worked on the fan and STEM engagement side of the partnership with students helping spectators to complete a survey – aimed at continuing to improve the fans’ BTCC experience over the coming years.
“The partnership with the University of Greater Manchester is invaluable,” said Simon Melluish, BTCC Communications Director.
“Further to our work with Driven by Sport, which is an introduction to motorsport for younger school children, this aspect helps to assist young men and women on the cusp of looking for employment within the sport.
“The relationship works both ways of course, and while we are delighted to educate and integrate these students into the world of motorsport, we are equally buoyed by the energy, quality and professionalism displayed at such a young age – it is testament to the students themselves and indeed UGM as a whole.”
"We have observed a significant positive trend in graduate employability among students who engage with our numerous British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) paddock collaboration projects," said Dr Mark Busfield, Director of the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering at UGM.
"This invaluable partnership successfully bridges the gap between theoretical education and real-world application, while providing students with direct access to industry professionals. Furthermore, our Sports Rehabilitation students continue to deliver vital support to drivers and team personnel through our dedicated on-track facility.
"We extend our sincere thanks to Alan Gow and Dr Paul Trafford for their continued support of these impactful initiatives."
The recent Fans’ Survey – carried out in person at the recent Oulton Park event – will be launching online via the official BTCC website over the coming days with 20x pairs of BTCC tickets to be given away for some lucky participants.
