Newswise — He never imagined having a career in racing. After all, his last name isn’t Andretti or Unser.
And growing up in the northern Indiana town of Granger, he was involved in football and other sports. But along came the IUPUI Motorsports program and Nicholas Hawes is now working trackside at IndyCar Series events. Hawes is in his second racing season as an intern with the Indy Racing League.
“For me, it has been something I would never imagine could happen. It’s been a dream come true,” Hawes, 24, said.
Last year, he worked all 17 IRL races, balancing his school work with weekend trips as far away as Japan. Working in timing and scoring for the racing league, Hawes’ average day at the racetrack begins long before the green flag signals the beginning of a race.
“Before the event starts we go and set up the tracks before any of the teams show up,” Hawes said. “Basically there are transponders in each car, and there are timing loops in the track. We set up a decoder right outside the timing loop and when a car comes by, it will take down the lap time,” he explained.
Once the race starts, he works inside the timing and scoring booth, running a high speed camera, and running reports for the media and race officials.
Hawes graduated earlier this month with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology with a certificate in motorsports.
“I have enjoyed it a lot,” Hawes said just days before graduation. “It’s a great program. It’s great for the state. It is great for the motorsports industry as a whole.”
Hawes was enrolled as an engineering management major at another university when his father offered him a visit to the IUPUI campus for a Motorsports Day.
“He knew I was interested in motorsports, but I didn’t really think an average person could get into it,” said Hawes. “I thought you needed to be an Andretti or someone like that – someone with connections.”
Hawes hopes to work eventually as an engineer on a racing team, or to work in research and development for the motorsports industry. He predicts a bright future for the IUPUI motorsports program, which is directed by Pete Hylton and includes such faculty as Andrew Borme, engineer for driver Helio Castroneves during his first two Indy 500 wins.
“It will continue to grow,” Hawes said, “It’s a great program because everyone in the program is passionate about what they do. Faculty and staff are very helpful. There are a lot of opportunities here. If you want it, you will be given the tools to do it.”
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