From scrap metal dealer to racing car manufacturer

Teo Martín, proud of his origins as a scrap metal dealer, invested a fortune in the creation of the Motor & Sport Institute (MSI). The exact amount will never be known, but the gym alone, used for the drivers' physical training, has equipment valued at one million euros. In the commercial register, the MSI company declared a net worth of €41.3 million and an operating profit of just over three million at the end of 2017. It's clear that Martín spared no expense, and this is evident when visiting the center in Alcorcón. "Except for the engine, we can build any car from scratch," says the center's director, Emilio de Villota, son of the former Formula 1 driver of the same name and founder of the Iberia Airlines racing team, which competed in seven Grand Prix races in the 1977 season.

It was de Villota who, together with Martín, designed the MSI, providing it with what he calls "a 360-degree space centered around the world of motorsports." And the truth is, MSI is just that: a place where a driver, an engineer, or an industrial manager can train, even building a racing car. In fact, Martín's dream is to build a car there to compete in the Dakar Rally or the 24 Hours of Le Mans, two of the most demanding competitions for humans and machines in the world of motorsports. "Creating a car for the Dakar [a project that would take three years, starting in 2019] is not in itself the goal of MSI, but rather to train professionals in this sector who are capable of working for the world's best manufacturers and the best racing teams," explains De Villota.

The center has no other partners; it is 100% owned by Teo Martín, an entrepreneur with 16 companies but whose group is supported by three large businesses: Auto Recycling Teo Martín (scrapping), Teo Martín Motorsport (racing), and Auto 1 Gestión Integral (used vehicle sales). The MSI is his personal project, that of a car fanatic who began in the racing world in the early 1980s and whose team won the International GT Open team title between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He grew in the EuroFormula Open and established himself in the Formula V8 3.5 World Series with the purchase of the Dams team's single-seaters, which won the World Series in 2014 with Carlos Sainz. And it is this group of engineers, mechanics, and drivers, along with professors from the Francisco de Vitoria University, who will train the engineers who graduate from the MSI.

Well-equipped

Tuition fees to study at the MSI are €11,500 per year, a figure that, according to De Villota, is in the lower-middle range of current offerings. Some of this money is even reinvested in the scholarships awarded. The school has already started with 70 undergraduate students and 22 vocational training students. Five years of academic effort lie ahead to complete the degree in Industrial Systems Engineering with a focus on automotive, industrial organization, robotics, and industrial technologies.

The school offers everything for academic internships and the development of the racing business. The MSI boasts a wind tunnel for testing the aerodynamics of designs, 3D printers, a new materials laboratory, a cutting-edge system for manufacturing parts, as well as spaces for mechanics, chassis, and paint. It also offers the possibility of collaborating with companies specializing in the automotive sector.

Another MSI business is the physical training of racing drivers. Athletes or teams that can afford it will have access to professionals with experience in Formula 1, physiotherapy and osteopathy services, monitoring and planning by a specialized clinical department, periodic studies of athlete biomechanics, mental evaluation and coaching, as well as hyperbolic and climate-controlled training and nutrition work before and after the competition. One of those who has already tried the center was Carlos Sainz Jr., who prepared for the Singapore F1 Grand Prix by exercising in a sauna that replicates the oppressive humid heat of the Asian country.

The center also has an area dedicated to SimRacing (online racing), a sport that has grown in the last two years and currently generates 300 million viewers worldwide. Teo Martín eSports, the entrepreneur's own team, is based at the MSI and contributes to the training of future virtual drivers.

Finally, scattered throughout the 12,000 square meters of the MSI, the numerous vehicles from Martín's personal collection appear as inspiration. Single-seaters from the Spanish HRT F1 team, the Audi S1 ​​E2 that belonged to the collection of German rally driver Armin Schwarz, Ari Vatanen's Peugeot 205 T16, which dominated the World Championship in 1985 and 1986, and Sandro Munari's Lancia Stratos are part of the display of these motorsport jewels.