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Mike’s design skills drive his Black Country career

Walsall’s Mike Beese is home grown talent, nurtured through a Midlands university-education, and now making a valuable contribution to the local economy.

Joining Kingswinford-based Westfield Sportscars, whilst still a student at Birmingham City University’s Technology Innovation Centre (TIC), Mike Beese became part of a three-man team working on an exciting project to design a chassis for a new race-car. He was employed to apply skills, gained on TIC’s computer-aided design, BSc course, to a vehicle chassis which is the basis of the UK’s first ever electric race-car series. The resulting design, complete with 75 kw power motor, made its debut at 2008’s Autosport International Show at Birmingham’s NEC.

Mike Beese (seated) and TIC’s  director for its BSc (Hons) in motor-sports technology course, David Jones, at Autosport International 2008 held at the NEC.

Mike designed the positioning of the many batteries which will power the electric motor in club races at diverse UK circuits. This is preparatory to Westfield’s launch of a single-make, electric car-race series in 2010. As overall weight is significant, positioning of batteries is vital to achieve good handling. Mike was also responsible for locating the electric motor and controller to optimise power-delivery to the wheels.

Mike says: “The electric race-car chassis was derived from extensive experience embodied in previous Westfield designs. However, it had to be much stiffer to account for the distribution of batteries throughout the car. Despite the stresses on the chassis, overall weight was not much different from a petrol-powered 2-litre car.”

The chassis is the subject of a countrywide, student, body-design competition run by Birmingham City University’s TIC. The winning design will be displayed at Autosport International 2009. Since Mike Beese’ 2007 graduation, TIC has launched a BSc course in Motor Sports Technology directed by highly experienced car designer David Jones who Mike describes as having given ‘very valuable encouragement and support’.

Mike Beese has now been recruited by Walsall-based S. MacNeillie and Son, a leading design and build, specialist vehicle manufacturer. The local company’s 350 staff supply individually tailored vehicles to police forces, ambulance and fire services, as well as building a wide range of military and armoured vehicles for home and growing overseas markets. Mike says: “This is an immensely varied job. Every day and every design project is different. We take the vehicle chassis and manufacture a vehicle to the customer’s own specification.” 

Mike’s university-taught, computer-aided, technical design skills are contributing to the success of highly respected, Midlands’ manufacturer MacNeillie in penetrating new markets, worldwide. Mike stays in close touch with course director David Jones who comments: “Mike is a fine example of the students we are producing and are helping the Midlands’ automotive sector develop in new directions.”

For further information please contact Birmingham City University Media Relations Office on 0121 331 6738, email press@bcu.ac.uk or out of hours on 07967 271 532.

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