Tatuus iMagazine - page 7

Luca Orlandi
“Freedom and autonomy: motorsport
helps you develop as a professional”
Luca Orlandi graduated in Mechanical
Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering at
the University of Brescia under the tutelage of
Engineer Gadola. «At Tatuus», he explains, with
a smile on his face, «I’m responsible for
designing practically anything you can think of,
ranging from the cars, through the installation
of components such as the Magneti Marelli
electrical gear‐box, to the models for the wind
tunnel. This means that I’m less involved in the
trackside aspects. In practice I act as a
supervisor: I observe what happens to the cars,
interview the teams, try to understand their
requirements, process them and offer solutions.
I don’t help the teams directly but try to
understand and interpret the problem. I only
intervene on the project when it is absolutely
necessary».
How did you end up at Tatuus?
«I didn’t initially intend to get involved with
racing cars. I’ve always been passionate about
motorcycles and my ambition was to design
bikes. However, when I completed my studies I
was offered the chance to work at Tatuus and
now I really don’t know if I would swap it for
anything else. The great thing about this job is
the freedom that it gives you, the autonomy to
make your own choices».
Are you another “convert” to
the Prototype program?
The “Sport” project has really
caught my interest because my
thesis was based on a small Cn,
so I’m using all the experience I
gained while preparing for that
on the project. The longer races
of the VdeV and Speed
championships are more
stimulating from a design point
of view. If we talk about pre‐
race organisation and track
strategy, there’s much more
than in Formula, where the race
is limited to half an hour and the cars are only
on the track for 2 or 3 hours over the whole
weekend. It’s my top priority at the moment».
Is it still possible for the production car industry
to benefit from racing technology?
«At Tatuus while we were designing the car in
the wind tunnel we also began to work on a
small, hybrid city‐car: from this point of view
it’s the ideal job because it gives you the chance
to grow and gain experience,
even if the city‐car is just a
project for the time being. We
built a prototype with an electric
motor in collaboration with
Engineer Giancarlo Bruno».
Does the experience of working
in the motorsports sector lead to
professional opportunities
outside the racing world?
«The knowledge and expertise
that I have acquired have helped
me to develop both from a
personal and a cultural point of
view. I think this would serve me in good stead
outside the racing environment or even the
automobile sector as a whole».
Brandon Maisano with the PY 012 at Magione 2012
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