Endurance and engineering combine on the race track.
Campbell Hammond has been a competitive motor cross rider all his life, with a passion for endurance racing. Whilst most people compete in a team, Campbell prefers the challenge of solo racing, putting him in the saddle for a grueling four hours. But he’s got great pit crew support from his wife Melissa and his two young daughters to cheer him on. “I really like the challenge of long distance racing. Being able to finish an endurance race on my own is a big ask.. My wife literally has to help me off the bike after some events!”
You could say Campbell has petrol running in his veins. When he’s not endurance racing he’s using his engineering skills to build and develop race cars for competing at speedway, circuit racing and club car events. “I get to use my engineering skills in a competitive situation. I’m constantly developing the suspension and engine set ups to improve performance and win. About the only thing I don’t work on is the electrics of the cars.” There’s an interesting irony in that. When Campbell’s not racing, tinkering or spending time with his family he’s a Senior Project Engineer at Edison, working on high voltage industry projects.
“I started at Edison in September 2019, and it’s fair to say no two days have been the same. Today I was onsite installing High Voltage cables, yesterday I was in meeting with a distribution company to complete a public safety review and last week I was in the South Island advising a Generation Company on a 10year major investment program.” Work variety is important to Campbell and he gets this by working across design, specification, tendering, QA supervision of site works and commissioning. “I really like the unique spot that Edison has in the market place as a practical project consultancy. Employees are out there in the field, not sitting behind desks. You get to be part of the solution and see a project from end to end.”
As a recent recruit, Campbell was made to feel part of the team and was onsite on his first day. “It felt great to contribute straight away, and there’s a really experienced team to support you. That’s the benefit of working for a smaller company – you get to know people quickly and have access to the help you need.”
Campbell enjoys the team culture at Edison, crediting the company’s focus on recruiting like-minded practical people who want to deliver the best result. He benefits from a fair amount of work flexibility too. “They’re quite flexible with working patterns so I have time to go to races. I’m not stuck taking holidays at pre-defined times so I can plan it around my racing events which is a big help.”