On Friday, September 21st, the president and founder of the company, Giampaolo Dallara, unveiled the Dallara Accademy, a space created to realize his project of sharing and transmitting a story and a life developed around the passion for racing cars. The students of the BBS Global MBA in Supercars, Superbikes and Motorsports have had the opportunity to participate in this unique event, which marks an important milestone for the car manufacturer of Varano de’ Melegari and confirms the projection towards the future of the excellences of the Motor Valley.
The Dallara Academy is a building that houses several souls, which come to life in the different functions of the building. The structure is spread over two floors connected by a large curved glass ramp. On the ground floor there are the spaces dedicated to the reception of the public and to the laboratories for the schools, while the first floor houses the area dedicated to university education and the auditorium. “A complex that has the will to be a place of research, of design, of meeting, of excellence … a building that is at the same time fast and slow, silent and sound, technological and poetic,” explains the architect Alfonso Femia, who gave shape and matter to the thought of Dallara.
“Entering the futuristic two-floors building made me understand the historic success of Dallara in motorsports,” says Yuvaraj Devadoss, a mechanical engineer coming from India to attend BBS Global MBA. “The ground floor houses the models that retrace its history and the prototypes of the special cars. The biggest successes of the carmaker are on the glass ramp, where you can see the growth and development of the Dallara, from the Lamborghini Miura to the Dallara Stradale, a car that perfectly sums up the 45 years of experience and expertise in the field of aerodynamics, materials engineering and dynamics of Dallara Automobili.”
According to the Managing Director Andrea Pontremoli, who spoke during the inauguration ceremony, the competition of the future between car manufacturers will no longer be played between individual companies, but between regions. James Gentile, a US student from San Francisco, is also convinced of this: “The brand-new Dallara Academy represents an investment in the local community, but also a commitment to the continuous economic well-being of Emilia-Romagna. Dallara is therefore more than just a manufacturer of fast cars, it is the soul of a region.” And this is precisely the strength of the engine land, which, in addition to offering a know-how unique in the world, attracts young talents. “Many decisions in life are made for other people, but deciding to participate in the BBS Global MBA Supercars, Superbikes and Motorsports was a choice I made for myself. I’m very lucky to be here, surrounded by the incredible Italian culture and the buzz of the Motor Valley,” adds James.
The Dallara Academy was created not only by the need to share the company’s spirit and successes with motoring enthusiasts, but also by the precise desire to collaborate with the MUNER University (Motorvehicle University of Emilia-Romagna) for the training of the engineers of tomorrow. The areas dedicated to teaching laboratories are designed both to carry out a first teaching experience, where high school students can be fascinated by the laws of physics applied to the design and development of cars, as well as for training at university level. “I greatly appreciated the audacity of the architecture but also its practical utility. In the study classrooms, students participating in the MUNER project can in fact investigate topics such as design, production with composite materials, aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics, the latter with a special virtual simulator developed by the engineers of Dallara,” explains Ottaviano Salerno, an Italian student who has decided to add the experience of the Global MBA to his solid background in the legal sector.
“I am a great supporter of inner passion as a fundamental motivational push. Seeing Giampaolo Dallara and Jean Todt talking about cars with such enthusiasm was an exciting experience for me,” says Sachar Oz, an Israeli student, expert in emerging technologies. “This small group of industry leaders is continually striving to pursue more efficient engines, a more elegant car design and a more comfortable driving experience. But above all, they are chasing new brilliant minds. Apparently over 70% of successful new business ideas come from outside companies, customers and students. Working in the field of supercars requires a different set of skills, and it is in this gap that the mission of the Dallara Academy is inserted. ”
“Throughout all my life I learned from others, I was inspired by others. It was time to give something back,” explained the engineer Dallara during the inauguration. In fact, within the Dallara Academy, the company offers the wind tunnel, the driving simulator and the carbon research center for the students. “These are state-of-the-art facilities that no university could afford to buy and we will also provide a part of the teaching that will be carried out by our managers,” adds Dallara.
The tangible enthusiasm of the founder of the company, combined with his desire to transfer the know-how of the Motor Valley excellences to the new generations, was the most striking part of the event, according to the BBS Global MBA students. “Looking at the President, I no longer saw a manager with half a century of experience behind him, but rather the young 22-year-old Dallara who has just founded his company, hoping that one day it will become something big,” says Eazz Eldin Mahmoud. “I am an international student from Egypt, brought to Bologna by my extreme passion for the automotive sector. Today I was able to see by myself how the Italian automotive industry will drive the transformation in the coming years and I am convinced that Bologna Business School will play a fundamental role in this,” adds Eazz Eldin.
The Dallara Academy is an idea, before being a building. An idea without gates or fences around it, to firmly emphasize the importance of sharing in imagining and managing a change that is fast and unstoppable, like the cars designed in Dallara.
Dallara Academy
Dallara Academy
Dallara Academy