MOTORSPORT students in Bolton will be hoping to find the winning formula as they work on a new sports prototype race car.

The University of Bolton’s Centre for Advanced Performance Engineering will be working on the LMP3 — a Le Mans prototype race car.

It has teamed up with sports car giants Ginetta to help develop the car, which is the fastest closed-wheel vehicle used in circuit racing today.

Professor George Holmes, vice chancellor and CEO at the university, said it was an exciting project. Prof Holmes said: “Only our advanced performance engineering students have access to work on a Le Mans race team and as a result of our partnership with Ginetta they will now be working on the brand new LMP3 car.”

And he said some of the successful students could look forward to fabulous careers in the industry.

He added: “The UK has a shortage of engineers. Over 1.28m engineering professionals are required by 2020. Graduate engineers with strong experience can expect to enjoy competitive starting salaries, and an average lifetime wage premium in excess of £250k. The real-world experience provided by the university gives our students a competitive edge for a wide range of successful, advanced engineering careers, making them stand out from the crowd.”

Students at the centre are studying for either a BEng (Hons) Automotive Performance Engineering (Motorsport) and BSc (Hons) in Motorsport Technology.

Ginetta will provide opportunities for undergraduate engineers to gain hands-on experience, vital in the competitive motorsport workplace.

Lawrence Tomlinson, chairman of Ginetta, said: “Ginetta is delighted to be able to continually develop our motorsport career ladder.

“Bolton University is one of the UK’s leading centres for the study of advanced performance engineering and prepares students for the best careers in engineering —in particular motorsport engineering — thanks to their first-hand experience working on a car in a motorsport environment, which is what I look for as an employer.”

Ginetta will offer internships to University of Bolton students at their head office in Leeds in areas such as design and aerodynamics.

The Ginetta-Juno LMP3 will make its debut as part of the European and Asian Le Mans Series in 2015.