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Harvey Levell, a student at the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø (ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø), never planned to attend university after leaving sixth form. With ambitions set on an apprenticeship, it was a teacher’s recommendation that encouraged him to attend a ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø open day. That visit proved to be a transformative experience, guiding him towards a future in motorsport engineering that he hadn’t previously considered.

Now in his second year of the BEng Motorsport Engineering program at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s Swansea campus, Harvey is a key member of the University’s student-led racing team, Team MCR. Harvey recently shared his journey, from initial hesitations to the challenges and triumphs he has encountered in the programme.

“University had never been my first-choice post sixth form as I had always been set on getting out the classroom and gaining real world experience through an apprenticeship. This was until a teacher at Sixth Form had showed me the motorsport course offered by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and the Sports 2000 team at the University. After attending one of the open days, meeting all the staff and having a tour of the workshop and classrooms, I knew that ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø would be a great fit for me. I could gain real life experience in a motorsport team as well as further my knowledge and understanding of engineering. 

“My Motorsport Engineering course has provided me with a blend of theory and practical experience, with lab research including engine testing and vehicle dynamics. One highlight for me was CAD Week, an intense period dedicated to developing our Computer Aided Design (CAD) skills with a final exam at the end of the week. This really developed my CAD skills massively allowing me to develop my own designs. The hands-on approach allowed me to improve my CAD proficiency significantly, seeing my designs evolve into real-world applications. 

“Team MCR has definitely been the most rewarding and exciting part of my time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, it has provided me with invaluable knowledge and experience of the motorsport world. The best learning experiences are when problems arise on the car, or it has been involved in a collision. As a team we have to overcome these issues and work to provide solutions and implement them in a short time frame and ensure that the car can still perform and be competitive. These experiences have not only strengthened my engineering skills but have also taught me invaluable lessons in leadership, teamwork, and resilience. 

After the 2024 season, I was pleased to be appointed as the lead for car #40, which has been a significant achievement for me. I’m excited to take on this role, further developing my leadership skills while applying my knowledge and understanding to enhance the car’s performance.

The 2024 season has been full of many ups and downs including having to completely rebuild the rear suspension after a failure in the bell housing due to an unexpected trip over a sausage curb. But times like these are the best for learning about the car and developing my own skills. We went on to have a successful endurance round at Castle Combe Circuit with the cars finishing P3 and P5 after a very wet race. This was extremely rewarding for us all following a less-than-ideal start to the season.  

The combination of classroom lectures, lab sessions and my time on the MCR team have greatly built on my knowledge of not only engineering but my leadership skills and ability to work in a team. 

Further Information

Rebecca Davies

Executive Press and Media Relations Officer    
Corporate Communications and PR    
Email: rebecca.davies@uwtsd.ac.uk    
Phone: 07384 467071