Biography
Ben has been a racing fan for as long as has been able to walk and talk. By the age of three Ben answered to any name as long as it was Nigel and began making pilgrimages to Mallory Park and Brands Hatch.
1990 was when Ben saw his first Formula One action, attending the British Grand Prix practice day where he was able to meet his heroes from Formula Three and Formula Vauxhall Junior (yes - he was an anorak in primary school) such as Mika Hakkinen and Rubens Barrichello.
Getting behind the wheel
By the mid-1990s Ben was driving indoor karts when his pocket money allowed, although his debut attempt ended at the first corner when he crashed into the pits and ran over a mechanic.
As a teenager Ben failed to grow out of either cars or heavy metal music, so it was only inevitable that he would eventually drive a racing car. A lifetime of pester power paid off and Ben went to Silverstone Racing School on a week long intensive course. His parents payed in the vain hope it would get the racing out of his system.
Unfortunately the plan backfired when Ben showed he had some talent by winning the end of course race ahead of Le Mans driver and 2005 British GP Championship runner-up Chris Niarchos.
University
The autumn of 2002 saw Ben start at Cambridge University where a chance Societies’ Fair meeting with the Automobile Club saw Ben representing the University at karting within weeks. The 2003 British Universities Karting Championship (BUKC) was Ben’s first attempt at outdoor karting and some top 10 finishes against drivers who have gone on to GP2, F3 and British GT confirmed Ben’s talent.
Unfortunately his decision to spend Valentine’s Day karting in Sunderland showed his social skills were not as advanced as his driving.
BRDC Single Seaters
Ben took a summer job to scrape together the budget to compete in the final round of the 2003 BRDC Single Seater Championship on the Brands Grand Prix circuit. He quickly adapted to the faster cars and daunting track and was running in third place when his gave failed. This showing was enough to convince him to compete in the series full-time in 2004.
The new year started well with Ben claiming his first podium finish in the BUKC, his rigorous two-sociology-lectures-a-week schedule making it tough to fit the racing in between socialising.
The 2004 season was up and down. Strong drives and some great dices were tempered by mechanical failures and the odd accidents. Titanic scraps at Oulton Park and Silverstone wowed the crowds but podium finishes were not forthcoming.
The season ended on a disappointing note with a huge accident at the Formula Ford Festival meeting at Brands Hatch – for which Ben was blameless - although it was captured by TV cameras, allowing Ben to delight in showing the footage of him collapse as he climbed out of the car to friends.
Formula Vee
2005 meant university finals, graduation and a move to Formula Vee. Unfortunately the first two meant the latter was strictly on a part-time basis. When he did get on the track Ben’s results were impressive.
At Pembrey, a circuit he’d never seen before, Ben qualified a remarkable seventh out of 55. Running with Andy Storer’s Racing and Specialised Services (RSS) team in a Scarab Ben enjoyed his racing more than ever, forming a relationship that promises to deliver some excellent results in 2006.
2006 was Ben’s best season in racing to date - 8th in the UK Formula Vee Championship winning Rookie of the Year and Highest Grid Mover, Top British Driver at the German 40th Anniversary Race at the Nurburgring and regularly mentioned in Autosport and Motorsport News. In short as good a year as anyone could have hoped for.
2007 turned out to be a hugely disappointing year. It started strongly with a hard fought 4th place at Mallory Park. Next time out at Lydden Hill, Ben was leading when the race was stopped. The race should not have been restarted having gone over 50% distance, and to add insult to injury the restart procedure was incorrectly followed, meaning that Ben’s engine was not on when the race began, and Ben retired from the race making up ground. The 3rd round also at Lydden Hill however saw an upturn in fortunes with Ben picking up his debut podium with 3rd place. Castle Combe was a disaster when Ben was punted out of 4th place on the first lap. Pembrey was a mixed weekend with Ben performing well on the track to claim a 5th and 7th place, but the meeting was overshadowed by the news that the Scarab workshop in Newark had been flooded wiping out the team’s stock of spares. From then on it was an uphill struggle, not aided by a freak accident at Snetterton caused by a rival missing a gear. Following a ‘mighty’ (Autosport) performance at the 40th anniversary meeting at Brands Hatch, Ben decided to end the season early saving his money for a challenge in 2008.
For 2008 Ben will be campaigning the Championship winning Euro-Scarab in the European Formula Vee Championship where he is gunning for title success
