“I would like to thank my management for giving me this opportunity to visit ARA Institute of Canterbury for the Faculty Exchange Program and do pursue an International Certification Program on Motorsports Engineering along with 6 students from III Yr B.E. Automobile Engineering. The coordinators of ARA gave a warm welcome for us on 28th Jan along with the Homestay families. Our day zero started with a city tour in coordination with Mrs Kristy Billington, Administrative Officer of ARA who picked all of us from our respective homestay places and visited few shopping places and then we experienced a gondola ride by the end of the day. The next day we were given a traditional Maori welcome in ARA campus in the presence of their top management and followed by the course works. In the consecutive days, we learnt a lot in motorsport engineering with Mr. Graeme Harris, the course coordinator and a motorsport enthusiast. The highlights of the course contents are mentioned below,

  • Wind Tunnel testing
  • Dyno Testing with Link ECU
  • Formula Race Karting – Driver & Race engineer experience
  • Vehicle Data-logging
  • CAD – Formula Car Frame Design
  • Engine simulation

Industrial visits – Martin JetPack, Sprintec, Aeromotors and others
and Hands on training of performance tuning in race cars, karts, race motorcycles
Apart from the course work, we did a backpacking to Queenstown where I experienced the thrill of doing a bungee jump from the Kawarau Bridge of height 150 ft and visited few other beautiful places of New Zealand. The homestay families were mostly Fiji-Indians, who were very kind and treated us one amongst their family and getting along with them was a new cultural exposure and meeting various kiwi people every day helped us to explore their lifestyle & educational system”.

– Mr. R Kishore

 

“First of all, I would like to thank my Automobile Department for giving me this wonderful opportunity. The course was on Motorsports Engineering in the ARA institute of Canterbury, New Zealand. We had a great welcome from the team when we landed in the Christchurch airport. We were then introduced to our host family and they gave us a good company throughout our stay in New Zealand. They welcomed us in ARA in their traditional Maori Culture. We were taught about testing of engines and the way to improve their performance. The teaching was completely practical and the way they taught us was different. We had track sessions for few days where we had fun time driving the karts and tuning the karts to improve the performance of the vehicle. We had wonderful weekends, we enjoyed the beauty and charm of New Zealand. The tradition in New Zealand was different and the Kiwi people were very friendly and they helped us every minute. Overall the time we spent in New Zealand was awesome and I had a great exposure towards my future career!”

– Mr. Hari Pragadish SB 

“Myself Hari Prasath.T was one of the students who got a chance to go New Zealand. The course undertaken was Automotive system analysis. The welcome at ARA was different. They welcomed us in Maori style. Among a lot of best things which we explored few are

1. A chance to learn in abroad.
2. View and work on a race car at a race track.
3. Maori culture.
4. Bungee jumping.
5. Experiencing their method of study.
6. Trip to Akaroa.

There are more things but the above one were the best. Learning at ARA was fun and worthy. It gave us an idea on doing higher studies. I thank KCT for this once in a lifetime opportunity”.

– Mr. Hari Prasath T 

“The trip to New Zealand was an amazing experience. The course had great exposure and was based on practical knowledge. We have experienced the real engineering. The classes were good. The life at New Zealand is very different when compared to the life here in India. New Zealand is a beautiful country and has lots of adventure too. It was a trip that had both education and fun. The professors were very friendly and helpful. I had learnt a lot in the trip and learnt it practically, which was very excited. ARA has a very good campus with great facilities. The home stay was very comfortable. It was a to experience the Kiwi culture and food. I got to know the families’ life there along with spending time with them. I had a great time spending time with a few international students. It was completely a different experience. The visit to different places was amazing. We had visited Queenstown and Auckland. The Bungee Jump was a one-time experience in my life. The trip was just great and we had a great time visiting a new country”.

– Mr. Adit Bhardwaj 

“New Zealand! I’m already missing it! At first, I would like to thank KCT for giving me the opportunity to explore and experience New Zealand. It was a pleasant, unforgettable and a unique experience. The academic part of the trip was astonishing. We had a friendly relationship with the lecturers and students at ARA Institute. The course was more practical and similar to real world engineering and the field trips were interesting and knowledgeable. I found myself knowledgeable and enthusiastic while working with race engineers on the race cars. I had unique experience living with my homestay family. The people of New Zealand are very kind and friendly, they never saw us as a stranger. I really enjoyed the beautiful sceneries of New Zealand and the culture and lifestyle of the Kiwi and the Māori people. We visited the most beautiful, breathtaking and stunning places of New Zealand such as the Lake Takepo, Lake Pukaki, Lake Wanaka, Akoroa, Sky Tower. Sometimes while sleeping I would wake up and look out the window and wondered if I was still dreaming. The adventurous parts of the trip for me were the Bungy jumping, the Luge ride, the McLaren 650s fast dash, the ruapuna track days, the grass kart race and the rare sighting of Orca Whales at the Pacific Ocean. We are glad that we were able to manage both the academics and adventures part of the trip. Overall it was an once-in-a-lifetime experience and it made me confident, responsible, independent and was adapt myself to a different environment and helped me broaden my thoughts. I’m sure that this experience will help me in the future for my career. I personally think that the students exchange is the best way to study and travel at the same time”.

– Mr. Kabiraj N K

“The name “New Zealand” was exciting enough for us all to sign up for the exclusive short-term course on Motorsports Engineering. But after the first few classes, we realized that the course was far more interesting and exciting that New Zealand itself. As kids, we often used to wonder what makes the sports car look so different. The course which was based on practical engagements showcased exactly these differentiators – the components that define and deliver high-performance racing. Never in my life I’ve seen a high performance wind tunnel so far and it was inspiring to check our own creations in the labs. At the end of the course, we were confident that if given a chance, we can customize the car for high-performance needs provided we get the right accessories and tools.
I’d like to thank my department head Mr. C Vasanth Raj and our course coordinator Mr. R Kishore for providing us this opportunity and continued support to learn such interesting courses as a part of our curriculum.
NZ made its impact too. Right from the traditional Maori welcome we got from ARA Institute at Canterbury to the new mountain that spawned from a recent earthquake, Auckland’s magnificence, the sumptuous food and amazingly friendly people, everything was just perfect. Of course, we missed our college and home food – so we all decided to come back 😉 No place like home”.

– Mr. Vallinayagam S

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