Please introduce yourself.
I’m Mark Hassall and I’m the Head Presentation Event Judge at Formula Student. I’ve been the Deputy Head Judge for the previous three years and it’s my first year as head judge for this event, which also means I am involved with the administrative side of things, organising the finals and advising and helping other judges with queries, disputes and so on.
How has Learn To Win changed since you started judging?
I competed in Formula Student in 2005 and 2006 with the University of Manchester and I remember attending Learn To Win when it was held at Silverstone. Back then, it was very much a series of presentations by Formula Student experts on what teams needed to do to succeed, with very few opportunities to ask questions and get feedback.
As it has developed, Learn To Win is now far more interactive, with loads of workshop sessions where teams can come to us and ask questions that we as the lead judges can answer as best and as honestly as we can. This is much better than us just standing there and telling teams what we think they need to hear; Learn To Win is a great opportunity for teams to bring us the right questions and get the most advice and value out of joining the event.
What key area in your judging category is often overlooked?
The whole point of the business presentation is to secure funding and sponsorship for the company producing or selling the car. Some teams either talk far too much about the innovative business ideas that the car becomes a secondary item or they talk only about the car and pretty much ignore the business aspects. You always get teams who turn up for the business presentation and tell you how they built the car, which is very interesting to us as engineers, but the presentation needs to be a business sales pitch.
What one piece of advice would you give teams for this season?
You have to think of the presentation event as the TV show Dragons’ Den; you’re here to get money to progress your car business. As such, you have to make it clear what’s in it for us as an investor and what we are actually investing in. It’s a careful balance between the technical merits of your car and that you can demonstrate an opportunity to make some money. What you see on Dragons' Den is very much what you should expect; ten minutes of your presentation and then we’ll start with the questions.
What can teams look forward to at Learn To Win?
Now that I have taken over as Head Judge, there’s a new deputy, and we’re taking this opportunity to make a few changes. The marking scheme has been the same for a few years and we have spotted similarities in some teams’ presentations year on year – where teams have done well in one year the presentation does not seem to change that much. This year will introduce some changes and tweaks so the event will remain fresh and that both new and established teams will have to put in the effort to score the marks – details to be revealed at Learn To Win!
What do you enjoy about Learn to Win?
Multiple things. There’s always the social side of working alongside great teams – both competitors and the organisers - and Learn to Win is a great opportunity to meet some of the teams who will be competing early on in the season. We’ll see some of them at Learn To Win Live and we’ll catch up with them on track at Silverstone and see how they are getting on. When a new team comes to me at Learn To Win about the presentation, I always try to keep an eye out for them to see how they have done at the presentation and it’s rewarding to hear that they have made the most of the opportunities at Learn To Win.
Mark will be joined by the other judges and prominent automotive experts at Learn To Win on 14 October 2016 at the Institution's London HQ. To hear advice and guidance for all areas of the competition and get essential feedback on your vehicle ahead of the competition, book your team to join Learn to Win.