North Canterbury-based James has proved himself in karts, winning nine New Zealand Sprint Kart Championships over a range of classes. He has been nominated twice for Junior Sportsman of the Year for the sport. His experience in Formula Ford gave him the experience to excel in Formula SAE going on to compete in Melbourne in UCM15 at the 2015 Formula SAE competition placing second in the autocross event.

James Penrose - 2016 UCM16

North Canterbury-based James has proved himself in karts, winning nine New Zealand Sprint Kart Championships over a range of classes. He has been nominated twice for Junior Sportsman of the Year for the sport. His experience in Formula Ford gave him the experience to excel in Formula SAE going on to compete in Melbourne in UCM15 at the 2015 Formula SAE competition placing second in the autocross event.

2016 UCM16:

UCM16 is the University of Canterbury student-designed and built Formula SAE car. A new car is built from scratch every year and competes in Melbourne in the Australasian Formula Student competition. The car’s livery pays homage to the late John Britten and his remarkable bike, the Britten V1000. John, the bike and his team were an inspiration to the student team that built this car. This year’s car sports a 4WD electric drivetrain consisting of four outboard electric motors mounted and geared with custom-made planetary gearboxes and 10” carbon fibre rims. This is a major change from last year’s single cylinder 450cc Husqvarna engine and turbocharger. The car has a carbon fibre monocoque chassis and large aerodynamic wings, all in accordance with FSAE rules. The use of carbon fibre links back to the V1000, which could be considered a pioneer for the material’s use in motorsport.