Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub

What Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub does

Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub (SSEH) is a UK-based specialised sports engineering research and development facility located at Silverstone Park, Northamptonshire, operating from a 26,000 sq ft purpose-built building. Founded in 2019 as part of the TotalSim group (alongside Catesby Tunnel), SSEH provides aerodynamic and mechanical testing services primarily for the cycling industry, serving elite athletes, professional cycling teams, equipment manufacturers, and amateur cyclists.

The facility's core technology comprises a Sports Performance Wind Tunnel capable of simulating speeds up to 80kph with yaw angles from 0 to ±30 degrees, a smaller Fabric Wind Tunnel for compact testing, and a suite of mechanical test rigs including the Pedalling Efficiency Rig (PER), Rolling Resistance Rig, Stiffness Rig, and Chain Efficiency Rig. A Performance Lab provides bike fitting and biomechanical analysis using Wattbike, Tacx turbo trainer, Bioracer Motion Capture, and Sidas footbed equipment. SSEH also offers 3D-printed mannequins (Road, TT, Sprint) for hire at £114 per session, enabling repeatable testing without rider presence, alongside a Remote Testing service and an Equipment Room holding inventory from cycling brands including Kask, MET, Scott, Bioracer, and Endura.

Revenue is generated predominantly through usage-based hourly rentals: Sports Performance Wind Tunnel sessions range £160-£270 per hour depending on customer tier and timing; Cycling Test Lab sessions range £114-£342; Performance Lab sessions £40-£336; and PER £220-£880. The company serves two primary customer segments — B2B (manufacturers and professional teams booking directly via enterprise sales) and B2C (amateur cyclists via £195 Amateur Night sessions or through a network of 11+ trained performance consultants including AeroCoach, ATP Performance, Drag2Zero, and Vorteq). SSEH launched with £2 million from the UK Government's Local Growth Fund and received an additional £800,000 from Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership in 2022 for the Cycling Test Lab expansion. Pricing has been raised twice (4% in August 2021 and a further increase in August 2022), signalling demand strength.

Name

Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub

Legal name

Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub Ltd

Website

https://silverstonesportshub.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub is a UK cycling R&D facility at Silverstone Park providing aerodynamic and mechanical testing via wind tunnels, test rigs, and bike fitting for elite athletes, professional teams, equipment manufacturers, and amateur cyclists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cycling Sports Engineering and Performance Testing Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Bike Fit, Performance & Training Retail/Studios (CRAMAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strength, Conditioning & Speed/Agility Training Facilities (MPAKAJAD)

Keywords

• Aerodynamic testing services
• Wind tunnel testing
• Sports engineering R&D
• Cycling performance testing
• Bike fitting studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Towcester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Wind Tunnel Testing Sessions: Hourly rental of Sports Performance Wind Tunnel and Fabric Wind Tunnel for aerodynamic testing, with pricing tiers for standard customers, volume customers (>30hrs), and tenants
2. Cycling Test Lab Services: Hourly booking of mechanical testing rigs including Rolling Resistance Rig, Stiffness Rig, and Chain Efficiency Rig with optional technician support
3. Performance Lab / Bike Fitting Studio: Hourly, half-day, or full-day booking of bike fitting facilities with optional technician hire
4. Remote Testing Service: Customers specify tests, send products; SSEH experts run tests and deliver actionable data without customer travel
5. Mannequin Hire: Full Body Road, TT, and Sprint mannequins available for hire at £114 per session for remote aerodynamic testing
6. Office/Workshop Rental: Renting office or workshop space at Silverstone Park location, with Hub Community benefits including facility discounts and networking
7. Amateur Night Sessions: Evening sessions for individuals to access wind tunnel at £195 per person (4:30pm-10pm), bringing own bike and equipment

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub is a UK-based cycling and sports engineering R&D facility that operates wind tunnel aerodynamic testing and mechanical test rigs (rolling resistance, stiffness, chain efficiency, pedalling efficiency) for cyclists and equipment manufacturers. It serves elite athletes, professional cycling teams, sports equipment brands, performance consultants, and amateur cyclists through direct facility booking, performance consultant-led services, and public Amateur Night sessions.

Product overview

Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub is a specialized R&D facility providing a portfolio of cycling performance testing services centered around wind tunnel and mechanical testing capabilities. The core offerings include the Sports Performance Wind Tunnel (SPWT) for aerodynamic analysis, the Small Wind Tunnel (Fabric Wind Tunnel), the Performance Lab for biomechanical bike fitting, the Pedalling Efficiency Rig (PER) for measuring mechanical losses, and the Cycling Test Lab housing Rolling Resistance, Stiffness, and Chain Efficiency rigs. Supporting services include athlete mannequins for repeatable testing, Remote Testing for off-site product evaluation, an Equipment Room with performance gear, and office rental at Silverstone Park. Individual services are offered through Amateur Nights and consultant-led sessions. The facility serves elite athletes, cycling teams, manufacturers, and recreational cyclists seeking data-driven performance optimization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sports Performance Wind Tunnel (SPWT)

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% of total resistive force on flat surface is aerodynamic drag
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Silverstone University Technical College (UTC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2022Collaboration to create Cycling Test Lab at Silverstone UTC, providing students access to three specialist test rigs for hands-on engineering experience. Testing services also available to SSEH customers via cloud software platform.
• TotalSim GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company umbrella including SSEH and Catesby Tunnel. SSEH provides controlled wind tunnel environment while Catesby Tunnel offers real-world 2.7km straight-track testing. Facilities complement each other for comprehensive aerodynamic validation.
• Richard Harrington (Buckinghamshire LEP)minorOthersChief Executive of Buckinghamshire LEP conducted ribbon cutting ceremony for Cycling Test Lab opening.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• TotalSim: TotalSim is the parent group providing CFD and aerodynamic engineering services to motorsport, automotive, and cycling. Comparable as the corporate parent operating SSEH and Catesby Tunnel, with overlapping technical IP in aerodynamic simulation and testing.
• Deutsche WindGuard Wind Tunnel Services: Deutsche WindGuard operates automotive and sports wind tunnels in Germany, serving cycling and motorsport manufacturers. Comparable as a commercial wind tunnel operator with broader industrial scope but overlapping aerodynamic validation customer base.
• British Cycling (National Cycling Centre): British Cycling operates the Manchester Velodrome and Elite Performance Centre with wind tunnel capability for elite team development. Comparable as a UK-based cycling performance optimization facility serving elite athletes, but as a national federation rather than a commercial B2B provider.

Emerging players

• BG Sports (Beat Graber): BG Sports is a Swiss cycling performance engineering consultancy offering wind tunnel and field testing for elite road, track, and time-trial cyclists. Comparable as a niche specialist serving elite national-team-level clients.
• Simon Smart (Smart Aero Technology): Smart Aero Technology, led by Simon Smart (former GB Cycling time-trial coach), provides aerodynamic consultancy and testing services. Comparable as a specialist performance optimization firm serving elite cyclists, overlapping with SSEH's consultant network.
• Drag2Zero: Drag2Zero is a UK cycling aerodynamic consultancy and SSEH-approved performance consultant. Comparable as a specialist aero-testing provider targeting competitive cyclists and time-trialists, with overlapping customer base and methodology.
• Norba Sports: Norba Sports provides cycling performance and bike-fitting services using wind tunnel and motion-capture technologies. Comparable as a specialist bike-fitting and performance consultancy in the European cycling performance space.
• AeroCoach: AeroCoach is a UK cycling performance consultancy operating SSEH's wind tunnel for elite athletes (World Champions, Grand Tour winners). Comparable as a service-layer provider of aerodynamic testing, but consultancy-led rather than facility-led, making it both a channel partner and adjacent competitor.

Direct peers

• Catesby Tunnel: Catesby Tunnel operates a 2.7km straight-track real-world aerodynamic testing facility under the same TotalSim parent as SSEH. Directly comparable as a controlled aerodynamic validation asset; together with SSEH it forms a complementary indoor/outdoor testing stack.
• Specialized (Win Tunnel): Specialized's Win Tunnel in Morgan Hill, California is the most prominent commercial cycling-specific wind tunnel globally, offering aerodynamic testing to teams and consumers. Directly comparable to SSEH's Sports Performance Wind Tunnel on product offering and customer type (manufacturers, pro riders, enthusiasts).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/silverstonesportshub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silverstone-sports-engineering-hub
• Instagraminstagram.com/ssehub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub