Students help Skoda team to rally place

John Williams, event organiser from Simpsons Skoda shakes hands with Ayub Moosa, Industry Links Manager for the STEM department at Blackburn College (s)

This rally was the third round of the MSA British Rally Championships, which consisted of seven stages over two days in Carlisle, and was featured on Channel 4 and BT Sport.

During the weekend, students followed driver and managing director of Colne-based Simpsons Skoda, Neil Simpson and co-driver Elliott Edmondson, providing them with technical support with Neil finishing eighth in the rally in his Skoda Fabia R5.

Simpsons Skoda are industry partners with Blackburn College and the students were from the Regional Automotive Technology Hub there.

Last year Simpsons Skoda and Blackburn College teamed up to launch a Scholarship Programme with on the job training to help make students ‘work ready’.

Neil said: “We have been working with the college for around two and a half years at the Regional Automotive Technology Hub.

“When we were looking at our motor sport programme we had the idea to invite the students along, to give them first hand experience of top line motor sports, and give them an insight into future career prospects. We were delighted to be able to provide the students with the opportunity.”