Leeds Gryphon Racing

A photograph of the Gryphon Racing team, in the garage at Silverstone, pushing the car out on to the track. The team are in their uniform and one student is getting some tools from a red tool box on wheels.

From your first year at Leeds, you’ll have the opportunity to join the Leeds Gryphon Racing team, where you’ll help to design and build an electric single-seat racing car and use it to compete in various international events. The team is currently developing an Autonomous Vehicle that will, for the first time, enter the competition in Silverstone in the summer of 2024.

As well as encountering many of the real-life challenges of working as a professional engineer, you’ll be responsible for raising sponsorship, marketing the project, racing the car at competitions and even leading the subteams. It’s also a great opportunity to demonstrate your abilities to future employers - more than 10 students from the School of Mechanical Engineering have been recruited to F1 teams as a result of their involvement with Leeds Gryphon Racing. Each year, many team members are successful in securing industrial placements with F1 teams and major automotive companies like BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar Land Rover, etc. Students may also be able to choose to work on the race car as part of their final year project.

At the end of each year, the Leeds Gryphon Racing team takes part in the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Formula Student Competition at Silverstone, competing against more than 100 other universities from around the world. Formula Student (FS) is Europe’s most established educational motorsport competition, challenging the innovation of students internationally.

For more information visit the Leeds Gryphon Racing team website, or get the latest updates by following the Leeds Gryphon Racing team on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

A photograph of the full Gryphon Racing team and their car at Silverstone 2022.

Image: Full Team, Silverstone 2022

A photograph of the Gryphon Racing workshop. The chassis is in view with a student sat against the far wall, with a part of the engine in shot.

Image: In the workshop 2023