Meet Mike Gascoyne
Mike Gascoyne
Chief Executive Officer, MGI Engineering Ltd.
Since leaving Cambridge University after studying for a PhD in fluid dynamics, Mike has continued to present exceptional industry knowledge in an international business environment. This includes over two decades of extensive experience in motorsport & sports car engineering, international top level business and project management as well as most recently operating in the emerging sector of eVtol development.
- PHD in fluid dynamics and computational fluid dynamics, Churchill College Cambridge 1981-1987
- Leading climbing expeditions in the Himalayas 1985 and 86
- Involved in the emerging sport of paragliding 1988 to 1991
- 25 years in F1 at Senior Technical Management level
- Head of Aerodynamics at F1 McLaren, World Champions 1989,1990
- Technical Director at Tyrell, Sauber, Jordan, Renault & Toyota
- Set up the Lotus/Caterham F1 Team through MGI Motorsport Ltd in 2009
- Developed the Caterham F1 Team into the Caterham Group encompassing motorsport projects (F1, GP2, Le Mans) as well as composites, road car and automotive consultancy businesses
- Set up Caterham Challenge Class 40 sailing team followed by solo transatlantic crossing 2012, two-handed TJV 2013 with Brian Thompson, 3rd fully crewed 2015 Fastnet Race, 2nd in 2015 RORC Transatlantic Race
- 2003 founded MGI Motorsport Ltd. (renamed today MGI Engineering Ltd.)
- Consultant on applying F1 design and project management solutions to mainstream automotive, aviation and marine environments since 2015
- 2019 – 2021 CTO Vertical Aerospace, Bristol and CEO Vertical Advanced Engineering
- Since 2021 CEO MGI Engineering again, Oxford (previously MGI Motorsport)
Mike Gascoyne has carved out an illustrious career at the pinnacle of international Motorsport for over two decades. Having studied for a Ph.D. in fluid dynamics at Cambridge University, it was his passion for motorsport that would see Mike step into the Formula 1 paddock for the first time in 1989 as the Head of Aerodynamics at McLaren. One year later, he moved to Tyrrell where he worked for designer Harvey Postlethwaite. The pair got along so well that when Harvey moved to Sauber in 1991, he asked Mike to join him at the Swiss team. Harvey returned to Tyrrell in the Autum
After a four-year spell at Tyrrell, Mike joined Jordan Grand Prix in 1998 as Technical Director. His leadership in designing the 1999 car – the Jordan 199 – made it the team’s most successful car in its history, taking two wins, a pole position and third place in the constructors’ championship. He would go on to work at Renault, Toyota and Force India in various technical roles.
Mike successfully secured backing from the Malaysian government to set up the Lotus Racing Formula 1 team for the 2010 season.
Using MGI’s capabilities and resources, they successfully designed and produced the car from scratch in five months ready for the start of season.
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MGI Engineering Ltd.
Mike founded MGI in 2003 which he has actively and successfully run in unison with his other high level jobs. In 2016, MGI finds its permanent home in Oxfordshire, a strategic position at the heart of multiple advanced technology sectors, bringing F1 lightweight technology and innovation into the mainstream engineering consultancy sector.
The specialist team of 25+ full-time engineers at MGI Engineering have extensive experience in the demanding world of Formula 1, a high performance and on-time delivery-led industry. In the past five years the design team has broadened their experience to include the challenges of the UAV and eVTOL sectors, bringing lightweight design solutions from F1 into this newly developing aerospace sector.
We leverage our knowledge of these cutting-edge technologies, built on an extensive range of industry applications and disciplines to offer complete engineering and project management solutions that maximise sustainability and future-proof viability with a mission-led engineering approach.
In April 2023 MGI Engineering announced its eVTOL cargo technology demonstrator as a working engineering solution answering the challenges of the eVTOL market space. The range of cargo eVTOL technology demonstrators showcase the capabilities of eVTOL vehicles with superior range and payload capabilities due to advanced structural lightweight design and efficient powertrain engineering. A configurable and scalable range of vehicles with multiple use cases and a truly versatile multi-role eVTOL platform from; mail delivery, medical logistics, disaster relief, ship to ship and ship to shore supply, search and rescue, construction, environmental research applications.
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Mike has competed in solo offshore races including the Transat Jacques Varbe 2013, and skippered Class 40 racing yacht Caterham Challenge to podium finishes in the fully crewed RORC Fastnet and double handed RORC Transatlantic races in 2015. This knowledge and interest in the sector combined with our background allows him to deliver cutting-edge technology to the marine environment.
In 2013, MGI supported the Caterham Group’s first entry of the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class in collaboration with Greaves Motorsport.
Mike is married to Silvi and has three children and three dogs. He is an avid sailor, cricket player and follows space exploration keenly.
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