‘Pretty surreal’: JU student secures F1 internship with Cadillac team
· Yahoo Sports
Action News Jax has learned a local Jacksonville University student has secured an exclusive internship with the newest American-led Formula 1 racing team – Cadillac. Action News Jax anchor Chandler Morgan sat down with this student to find out how his education at Jacksonville University is putting him in the fast lane for a career in engineering.
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For JU junior, Stephen Coleman, racing is more than a passion; it’s a career in motion.
“This is, this is the dream. It’s pretty surreal,” Coleman says.
Coleman just secured a highly competitive internship with Cadillac’s new F1 team, helping build parts for the power unit of the racecar.
His love for racing started young, with karting.
Coleman’s path has already hit the gas right here at JU, where he founded and now leads the university’s first Formula SAE International racing chapter.
Action News Jax told you earlier this year, this chapter will give students real-world experience in vehicle design, manufacturing and competition.
It’s an extra experience to layer on top of his education in engineering through the STEAM institute at JU. Coleman praised the program’s mentorship, backed by local motorsport leaders and a JU racecar driver alumnus, Tiger Tari.
“Tiger has become such a big partner in this and being able to talk to him, and you know, like hearing what he does day to day,” Coleman says.
Just this year, Tari took Coleman and aspiring students down to the pit lane at the Rolex 24 race in Daytona and gave them an insider’s perspective of what it’s like to be behind the wheel during a race.
Coleman says those connections have played a pivotal role in his recent success and learning about the industry.
“It’s really tough to get your foot in the door,” explains Coleman. “We have a lot of students here at JU that want to get their foot in the door in motorsports. And through Formula SAE, I’m hoping that we can get them that first experience, that racing on their resume, because it’s a very, very unique field, and you need a unique skill set for it, too.”
After a previous NASCAR XFINITY internship, this summer marks Coleman’s biggest step yet on a global racing stage.
Coleman will spend the summer as a part of Cadillac F1, with hands-on opportunities for engineering and potentially traveling with the team.
“If one day I get the opportunity to drive a race car at a high level, I’ll take it. But I think there’s definitely more of a career, and I definitely have a passion for the engineering side of things and working in. Making cars the best they can be and being innovative and like working the rule book and like really getting the most performance out of a car possible,” Coleman says.
Coming up in just weeks, Cadillac will be racing at the F1 Grand Prix in Miami in May.