Towards a Career in Motorsport Engineering

Kailin Sullivan is a penultimate year student in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)(Mechanical) at the Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, the University of Adelaide.

Kailin is interested in automotive and motorsports which has led him to apply for and being shortlisted as one of 10 applicants for the Asia and Oceania Regional Final for the 2018 INFINITI Engineering Academy – an initiative that seeks talented young engineers across the world to undertake a 12-month internship in the UK consisting of six months with INFINITI Motor Company and six months with the Renault Sport Formula One™ Team.

While Kailin did not win the Regional Final and receive the elusive internship in the UK, qualifying as top 10 is an outstanding achievement as the competition attracts a significant number of applicants annually worldwide (over 12,000 in 2017). He also had the invaluable opportunity to participate in an assessment in Singapore on 12 September during the lead-up to the Formula One™ 2018 Singapore Grand Prix, which tested the participants’ problem-solving and technical skills, and provided an excellent opportunity for further training and networking. Activities included a panel interview, technical exam, dragster challenge, as well as a decision-making challenge run in conjunction with Harvard University.

This was the second time Kailin achieved this accolade – he received the same outcome in 2016 when the Asia and Oceania Final was held in Hong Kong at INFINITI’s global headquarters.

Kailin tells us a bit about his experience:

Once again, I am proud to have been selected for the Academy Final, as one of the top ten applicants in Asia and Oceania and the top seventy worldwide. While it was disappointing not to win, the event was an incredible experience and an invaluable networking opportunity. Reaching this stage for a second time confirmed that my first Academy experience in 2016 was no fluke, encouraging me to continue trying to become an engineer in Formula One™, the pinnacle of motorsport globally.Kailin Sullivan