Cosworth’s Advanced Manufacturing Centre enters final development phase

By Sep 9, 2014, 12:00 PM EDT
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Cosworth, the world-renowned performance engineering and manufacturing group, has confirmed that its flagship Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) is on target for completion in January 2015.

The building’s structure is complete and work is now underway to fit out the inside of the facility that will start fulfilling contracts with three global automotive vehicle manufacturers early next year. These partnerships will provide Cosworth with a projected order book of some £75M.

The new state-of-the-art 38,000-square-foot facility, which is being developed with support from local and national government, will house an advanced flexible manufacturing system capable of producing complex machined components for high-performance limited production road vehicles.

Located in the Waterside Enterprise Zone in Northampton adjacent to Cosworth’s existing St James Mill Road site, the new facility will create around 70 new jobs and apprenticeships.

The leading edge informatics and simulation systems that will play key roles in the AMC are being developed within Cosworth’s Centre of Excellence for Niche Volume Manufacturing, which is supported by a grant from the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI). In partnership with Cranfield University and Flexeye Ltd, the Centre will help OEMs bring new technologies and innovations to market by enabling the cost-effective manufacture of advanced components through the use of Flexible Manufacturing Systems.

Hal Reisiger, Chief Executive, Cosworth Group Holdings:

“Cosworth is uniquely positioned to provide complete powertrain consultancy, component manufacture and engine assembly services for vehicle makers seeking to create high performance vehicles.

Our Advanced Manufacturing Centre is a striking example of the strategic focus and investment that is developing our business with global automotive OEMs. The new facility will enable us to begin work on new contracts with three automotive manufacturers, which will generate around £75M of business for Cosworth.

We have restructured Cosworth’s business over the past 18 months to support delivery of a new business strategy, focusing on automotive OEMs, motorsport and the performance aftermarket. The completion of the AMC will allow Cosworth to enter an exciting new period of growth.”

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
IndyCar video game 2024
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”