A CUTTING edge sports engineering facility for world class athletes has officially opened at Silverstone Park.
The Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub – which includes two wind tunnels and a sports fabrics R&D centre – is the brainchild of Brackley based aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics specialist TotalSim.
It is housed in a new 26,400 square foot building as part of a wider 125,000 square foot speculative development by Silverstone Park developer MEPC within the Aylesbury Vale Enterprise Zone.
TotalSim MD Rob Lewis believes the hub could attract summer and winter Olympians such as sprinters, cyclists, bobsleigh crews, speed skaters and wheelchair athletes in their pursuit of extra performance.
Rob said: “Our background is aerodynamics in motorsport; we’ve taken what we’ve learnt there and applied it to sports such as cycling and that has led to us creating this engineering hub here at Silverstone Park.
“We’ve formed a company with Chris Boardman and KWSP to design, build and sell these wind tunnels around the world.
“Funding from BTVLEP and government has enabled us to lift our vision to enable small businesses in sports engineering to have a presence here, use the facilities and take their ideas into business.”
Cutting the ribbon at the opening was Richard Harrington, Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) which supported MEPC’s bid to government for Enterprise Zone status at Silverstone Park.
MEPC’s Roz Bird, Commercial Director at Silverstone Park and also Chair of the Silverstone Technology Cluster, said: “Here and across the STC region, it’s all about creating new and exciting areas for businesses to develop their ideas and thrive.
“It’s about taking a fantastic world class brand like Silverstone and the amazing facilities that are here and then promoting that out to people – some of whom might still be at school or wanting to leave the business they are in and maybe asking if they can build a business. This shows them just what is achievable.
“TotalSim has proven expertise that is already applied to elite, gold medal athletes – for them, this is the next step where the business broadens out that knowledge and the facilities and helps other companies in the UK, possibly abroad and in the local area.
“It’s more fantastic news for Silverstone Park and the Silverstone Technology Custer.”