Infiniti All Set for Final of Infiniti Engineering Academy

A three month long search for the best engineering students in the UAE will culminate in the INFINITI Engineering Academy Regional Final, which is scheduled to be held in Dubai on 25 September. Ten finalists will compete to get a year-long placement in which they will have a chance to work both at Infiniti Motor company and with the Renault Sport Formula One team.

The INFINITI Engineering Academy is being held for the third time this year. After a rigorous selection process, the ten finalists were chosen to attend the Regional Final in which they will be evaluated on both their practical skills and their technical knowledge. The judging panel will consist of experts like David Moss, Vice President, Vehicle Design & Development, INFINITI Technical Centre Europe and Rene Torcato – Lead R&D Engineer with Renault Sport Formula One Team and a representative from INFINITI Middle East.

Juergen Schmitz, Managing Director INFINITI Middle East said that this unique automotive-to-motorsport training program for brilliant young engineers was possible due to Infiniti’s Technical Partnership with the Renault Sport Formula One Team, and has attracted an unprecedented number of entries this year. The INFINITI Engineering Program received 4,108 global registrations, drawn from 44 different countries, double the number of entries it received in 2015 edition and almost three times the number of entries it received in 2014, its inaugural year.

Tommaso Volpe, Global Director, INFINITI Motorsport said that the extraordinarily high level of interest in this year’s INFINITI Engineering Academy has been heartwarming, especially in view of the fact that this was the first year in which UAE students had a chance to enter the Academy. This highlights the fact that they want to use the Academy as a stepping stone to gain vital engineering experience and launch their careers. The high level of interest is mainly due to the unique nature of the placement, as it offers students work experience in both Automotive and Formula One.

According to Bob Bell, Chief Technical Officer, Renault Sport Formula One Team, this year’s “crop of Academy winners who have been working at Enstone are of really good calibre, with the students taking on real jobs. They have been a good asset to the team as they focus on strengthening their technical expertise. He expressed his eagerness to welcome a UAE student to the Team for the first time after the conclusion of the final in Dubai.