Linton Stutley and Tom Farquhar
Enigma Motorsport, a company started by our graduates Linton Sutley and Tom Farquhar
Motorsport graduates Linton Sutley and Tom Farquhar have gone on to set up their own successful business called Enigma Motorsport.
Enigma Motorsport is the racing team founded by race-winning driver turned team manager Linton Stutely and chief engineer Thomas Farquhar. This year they have entered the British Formula Ford championship.
Enigma Motorsport also provides driver coaching with an ARDS-qualified driver coach. And, can also be available for selected Formula 4 and National Kent Formula Ford meetings.
Linton said, "I have been racing since I was 14 years old. I most recently raced in the British Formula Ford Championship where I achieved notable success and decided to start a team in the championship based on this.
We asked Linton a few questions about studying at Derby.
What's your role within your business?
The business is run from my mother's house in a small workshop which is an old farm building. My day is spent on the phone or working on the car. I primarily do the organisation work and Tom mainly works on the car. Although he does contribute a lot to the physical organisation of spares, lubricants, oils and other parts. I mainly do the business side, ringing people up trying to find drivers and similar things.
Did you do a placement or any work experience when you were studying?
"I learnt a lot from the drivers."
The placements we did were tied in with my racing career. When I started Formula Ford Tom came along to the races to help out. I learnt a lot from the drivers and what they taught me really helped when it came to setting up cars for a particular circuit or driving style. Tom learnt a lot about the engineering side. Which was great because when we formed the racing team we had a good knowledge of engineering.
How has your degree helped with your career?
"We have progressed faster."
The degree has helped a lot in understanding the physics of racing. And it helped us to decide which areas we wanted to focus on. When we see other people experimenting, for example, with aerodynamics, we now know what is going to work and what isn't. It has also helped us to develop our cars because we now have an in depth knowledge of racing cars. And we can think outside the box compared to a lot of other teams who only have a basic understanding. Overall we have progressed faster than had we not had the degree.
What advice would you give to students who are taking Motorsport?
"You need to spend as much time at the race tracks as possible and then you'll begin to understand motorsport a lot quicker."
You need more than your degree to work with companies like Ferrari. You need to be aware of the environment of race circuits and passion for the industry. You need to spend as much time at the race tracks as possible and then you'll begin to understand motorsport a lot quicker.
Your degree will help you progress faster but you need to work hard and networking is important. You need to take opportunities seriously, and be committed and focused.
