ZUG, Switzerland, April 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The SMC Motorsport Management Certificate is an 8-week online course targeting those interested in getting their foot into the global racing industry. Introducing the business side of Motorsport, learners receive cutting-edge know-how supported by SMC´s Formula 1 Team partner, Marussia Virgin Racing.

The course, which can be taken from anywhere in the world provides an in depth perspective on the exciting Motorsport industry. Participants discover and learn to apply the strategies needed to meet the challenges of this fast-moving and demanding arena.

The Motorsport Management Certificate is delivered in a fully flexible online course format and supports custom calendars; a true benefit for working professionals. Topics covered include aspects of team operations, marketing, sponsorship acquisition & management, logistics, and hospitality. Students also get to witness live races with a free weekend grandstand pass to a Formula 1 Grand Prix of choice, provided by SMC.

Top performing students get the ultimate experience through an internship at Marussia Virgin Racing, and access into the inner-sanctum of a Grand Prix - the F1 Paddock. They will meet with the Team, its management, and drivers. Sir Richard Branson also regularly attends Grand Prix to follow the progress of the team that bares the name of the group he founded. Team garage and factory tours, as well as a gift package from the Team's merchandising collection round up the offer. www.smcuniversity.com/motorsport-management.html

Andy Webb (CEO Marussia Virgin Racing) comments:

"Just like the sporting side, the business side of motorsport is an exciting, challenging, yet rewarding environment. A good education and training forms the cornerstone of great performance and success within the motorsport industry. At the start of the SMC - Marussia Virgin Racing partnership I said "I am looking forward to learning from each other." I extend this to the students, who will learn from us as well. The Motorsport Management course gives the foundation needed to succeed in this amazing environment. Be part of it..."

About SMC University

SMC University is one of the world's most international business schools educating students from more than 120 different countries. Synonymous for excellence, SMC ranks amongst the leading institutions in its field - online education. SMC targets and educates those high achieving individuals who have a sense of individualism, and drive to stand out from the masses. SMC's students are professionals aiming at further education, networking, and career enhancement while remaining flexible in place and time. Amongst SMC's Higher Education Programs the online MBA and online Doctorate (DBA) hold a pole-position in the education arena. SMC also offers a large portfolio of cutting-edge Certificate Courses, including the very popular and unrivaled "Motor Sports Management"  and "Luxury & Lifestyle Management" courses. SMC was created in 2002, specializing in high-quality online learning master and doctorate Programs targeted at professionals in executive positions. All courses are held entirely online offering an unsurpassed level of flexibility and discretion, an aspect especially important to those high-flyers publicly exposed. SMC brings top quality education to the living rooms, workplace, smart phone, and tablets of its students. Studying without frontiers and boundaries - the Transfer of Knowledge via Technology - TRANSKNOWLOGY  www.smcuniversity.com

About Marussia Virgin Racing

Virgin Racing entered the FIA Formula One World Championship in 2010, beating off stiff competition from a number of contenders for one of the new team entries. The team was originally conceived by John Booth and Graeme Lowdon, whose Manor Motorsport operation in the North of England achieved unrivalled Formula 3 success and played a major role in the development of several of today's greatest motor racing talents. They joined forces with designer Nick Wirth, who returned to F1 after a decade enjoying remarkable results in Indy Racing and Le Mans sports car development in the USA with his innovative and low-cost design approach. Together with the commercial firepower of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin, one of the most recognised, respected and exciting brands in the world, they created a new racing team concept, capitalising upon F1's new economic dawn and the Resource Restriction Agreement that has begun to redefine the sport. Virgin Racing's debut season was always going to be a tough test. The team had designed a brand new car entirely in the digital domain using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and without the very expensive wind tunnel testing capabilities deployed by the current Formula One teams - all in the space of just six months. In November 2010, Russian sports car manufacturer Marussia, who had sponsored Virgin Racing throughout its debut season and witnessed at close quarters its true grit and enormous potential, acquired a significant shareholding in the team, securing its long-term future and ensuring that it can continue to go from strength to strength in pursuit of its racing ambitions. With effect from the 2011 season the team is now known as Marussia Virgin Racing.

SMC University Press Contact:
Martina Ulrich
Tel: +41 (0)41 500 16 22
Mail:press@swissmc.ch

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SOURCE SMC University