Trends and Challenges in Motorsport: Q&A with Connor Murray
Q: What attracted you to join Ricardo?
Connor Murray: After spending nearly ten years in motorsport and working around 30 race weekends a year, the schedule eventually took a toll on me physically, and I had to step away from the track work earlier than planned. I moved into sales for several years, but I always missed the technical side of what I used to do.
When the role at Ricardo came up, it immediately stood out because it brings together both sides of my background – my hands‑on technical experience in motorsport and the commercial skills I’ve developed since. I already knew Ricardo as the benchmark for motorsport gearboxes; they’ve always been considered the pinnacle in that space. Their products were known for being incredibly high‑quality, and within motorsport.
Joining Ricardo gave me the opportunity to be part of a company that’s genuinely respected in the industry I care about. It felt like the ideal way to stay close to motorsport, use the experience I’ve built over the years, and contribute to a name that has always stood out as a leader in its field.
Q: You talked about your technical background. Can you expand more on that and tell us a bit more about your experience and what you did before joining Ricardo?
Connor Murray: Before joining Ricardo, my background was very hands‑on and deeply rooted in motorsport engineering. I originally moved from grammar school to a technical college, where I studied Motorsport Engineering for two years. My lecturer had extensive real world rally and service engineering experience, his enthusiasm was infectious. His approach pushed me to go far beyond basic requirements, where I was producing highly detailed technical reports and ultimately achieved distinction in both elements of the course.
I then completed a degree in Motorsport Engineering at university. During my second year, I was offered a role with a race team in Birmingham, which meant commuting two hours each way while still studying. That opportunity opened the door to my early motorsport career.
My first major technical experience was with M‑Sport on the Junior WRC programme, supporting development and testing of a newly launched rally car. From there, I spent around three years in historic motorsport, which was extremely technical and hands‑on. Unlike modern motorsport, where many components are bought off the shelf, historic motorsport requires full rebuilds from chassis upward. I built fuel, oil, and brake systems from scratch, reverse‑engineered unavailable parts, and worked closely with engineering companies on custom designs. We also did aerodynamic work at places like MIRA’s wind tunnels, along with full setup, preparation, and development testing.
I also gained modern motorsport experience, including a season in Formula Renault with Fortec, and working at events that supported F1 and GT3. I later returned to historic motorsport, where the engineering challenges were more engaging for me, and did additional “weekend warrior” work with McLaren on GT4 events.
At the core of it, I’ve always had a passion for motorsport, especially rally cars, and that passion has driven my entire career so far. My background is a mix of engineering, hands-on build work, development, testing, and direct collaboration with manufacturing-style suppliers. I am excited to be able to take this all this technical and operational experience and apply it to help clients find the right solutions for their programmes.
Q: What are the challenges for customers in the motorsport industry? What can Ricardo do to support customers overcome these challenges?
Connor Murray: In motorsport, one of the biggest challenges customers face is the pace of change. It’s one of the most reactive engineering environments you can work in. New technology is constantly being pioneered, tested, and refined at incredible speed. There’s rarely a straightforward path to market, and development timelines are tight and immovable. Customers need partners who can match that pace, adapt quickly, and deliver reliably.
Our biggest differentiator is the depth and breadth of expertise within Ricardo, and that we are technology agnostic. The level of engineering experience is exceptional - our experts have spent decades understanding and solving the complex technical and operational challenges of motorsport performance. You can learn more from the engineers here in half an hour than you could spending weeks in a classroom. That knowledge base is a huge part of why we can deliver such consistent, high-performance solutions for demanding applications.
What sets Ricardo apart is our ability to provide a full end-to-end solution that solves those exact challenges. We don’t just design components, we engineer them, manufacture them, inspect them, and validate them all under one roof. That level of vertical integration means we control every stage of the process, and we can react far more quickly when customers need changes, improvements, or rapid problem‑solving.
A huge part of how we support customers is through continuous investment in manufacturing technology, ensuring we have a positive impact on quality and delivery and can respond to customer needs. Investment directly reduces risk and variation for our customers.
The same applies to our real-time metrology and inspection capability. We have measurement systems which are directly linked to the machines producing the parts, allowing the equipment to self-correct for tool wear and machining variation.. We can measure down to fractions of a micron, far beyond what the human eye could ever detect, which means every part coming off the line is as close as possible to the original design intent.
Book an appointment with Connor to discuss your motorsport programme
Q: How can Ricardo support our customers to overcome their engineering and manufacturing challenges?
Connor Murray: Customers need a partner that is responsive, can provide clarity, and offer genuine understanding of the complex challenges they are facing.
They need their questions are answering quickly, accurately, and with real attention to detail. What really makes a difference, though, is bringing technical credibility into that first interaction. Because, Ricardo understands the pressures and timelines customers work under, like the planning, cost, and logistics behind a test programme, we can give them straightforward, no‑nonsense information that helps them make informed decisions. Being honest, clear about any issues, and empathetic to their constraints builds trust from the beginning.
Q: What is shaping the future of motorsport?
Connor Murray: New and emerging technology continues to reshape motorsport. From a time where we saw a lot of very traditional big engines, with minimal focus on emissions, and far less crossover with road‑car technology, the industry has become increasingly driven by innovation, including in the development of hybrid systems, full electric series like Formula E, and now even hydrogen programmes such as Extreme H.
Motorsport is moving faster than ever, constantly pushing the limits of what’s possible and acting as a testbed for technologies that later filter into everyday vehicles, whether that’s electrification, battery systems, safety improvements, or powertrain developments. Even within my own career span, the shift has been huge, and the level of technology involved continues to grow year on year.
Did you find this article useful? Book a consultation with Connor about developing a bespoke solution for your platform
