Samuel Smith, 21, is a product design student at Glasgow University. He recently won the Engineering Leadership Advanced Award given by the Royal Academy of Engineering and his passion is his work on Formula Student, a competition in which young designers build and race single-seater cars at Silverstone racetrack. His mother Ruth, an architect, 51, thinks he drives too fast.

Samuel

My dad Ken died of skin cancer seven years ago, but he’s responsible for much of what is happening in my life. He was head of design at STV and created the set for Fun House. I hope I’ve inherited some of his talent. Mum says I have. Later he started a business designing play parks, and I helped him. I always wanted to build things.

I went to Glasgow because the course is part-based at the art school, and dad always hankered to go there. I knew there wasn't a Formula Student team there, but I thought, oh well, I’ll just start one.

The only thing I regret is that I never got to the point of knowing dad as a friend. He would have loved what I’m doing now. He tried so hard and did so well, and this stupid mole on his arm was the end of it.

I don’t think I realised how difficult it was for my mum. I was only 13. She had her job to worry about, she had to lead dad’s business forward, which was in turmoil, and had the three of us running about. You think, who could deal with that? She’s the sort of person who thinks, I can’t ignore it, I have to sort things out, and she did.

Now she’s one of my best friends. When I got offered a year-long placement working for Nissan in Milton Keynes at the age of 19, I know she didn’t want me to go but she helped me to get there. She’s a strong, happy, positive person, she cares so much about us all.

I might be driving the team car at Silverstone and I know that makes mum nervous. But safety is the No 1 priority. I’ll be fine. She knows that really.

Ruth

Sam is special, has been from day one. I have a vivid memory of him in hospital. He looked up with these bright blue eyes and I said: “You and I are going to be good friends.” It sounds soppy but I’ll carry that with me for the rest of my life.

When his dad died, a lot of qualities that Sam had latent in him came to the fore. He was the man of the family, at just 13. It is so typical of him that he went to Glasgow University and started the Formula Student team. He has the attitude that if there’s a problem he’ll solve it. His father was the same, a tenacious, talented man.

Sam’s done well in getting to the stage of building his car. I do hear about it a lot and I’m interested because it’s Sam, but I don't concentrate too hard on what might happen at Silverstone. I’m pleased for Sam with the recognition he’s now getting. My only concern is that he has so much passion that he’ll burn himself out. But that’s me being a mother. When his head hits the pillow at night, he’s gone, but he’s back firing on all cylinders next morning.

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