The Bearded IFA Diaries | Ben Currie: From a Broken Spine to British Champion

What does it take to rebuild your life when you've been told your racing career might be over? 

In the very first episode of The Bearded IFA Diaries, I sit down with professional motorcycle racer and former British Supersport Champion, Ben Currie, to discuss an incredible journey of determination, resilience and success. 

Ben opens up about how he got started in professional motorcycle racing, the sacrifices required to compete at the highest level, and the reality of living with the risks that come with racing at speeds most of us can barely imagine. 

We also explore one of the defining moments of his career – a devastating accident that left him with a severed spine. Against the odds, Ben fought his way back, returning to racing and ultimately achieving championship success. 

Beyond the racetrack, we discuss the importance of planning for life after sport, building a personal brand, developing multiple income streams and creating opportunities beyond racing. Ben also shares insights into growing his successful YouTube channel and the lessons he's learned from running his own business ventures. 

This is a conversation about much more than motorcycles. It's about overcoming adversity, embracing risk, planning for the future and finding ways to keep moving forward when life throws its toughest challenges your way. 

Whether you're a motorsport fan, business owner, entrepreneur or simply someone looking for inspiration, this episode is packed with valuable lessons and incredible stories. 

In this episode: 

🏍️ Getting started in professional motorcycle racing
 🏆 Becoming a British Supersport Champion
 💥 Recovering from a life-changing spinal injury
 🧠 Managing risk and mental resilience
 📈 Building a career beyond sport
 🎥 Growing a successful YouTube channel
 💼 Business, entrepreneurship and personal branding
 🚀 Planning for life after racing 

Follow Ben's journey:
 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bencurrie61 

The Bearded IFA Diaries — real conversations, remarkable stories, and lessons from people who have dared to do extraordinary things. 🎙️🧔🏻‍♂️🏍️ 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Ben Curry. I've set the timer. We have 20 minutes and you are my first official guest on the Bearded IFA podcast. So welcome. And for our viewers tuning in for the first time, give me a quick bio. Who are you?

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Well, I'm Ben Curry. I'm originally from Australia. I've been living in North Wales for the best part of 12 years now. This is my home. I race motorcycles professionally in the UK. I'm currently riding for McCam's Yamaha in the British Supersport Championship. And yeah, I'm born in Germany. Moved to Australia when I was two years old. And yeah, now I'm back over in the UK trying to chase a dream.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Amazing. That is a way better CV than mine. Well go on then. Let's rewind then. How how do you get into bikes? How do you ride bikes for a living? Where does that begin?

SPEAKER_01 0:55

I guess like anything you do in the world, it starts off with a passion and and um just a bit of fun, really. And yeah, my my dad, my mum and my dad, we lived in a like a cul de sac, we call it a court in Australia, uh, in in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne. And I got a motorbike for Christmas once, a joint with a couple of neighbours with uh kids my age and you know some of my best friends still to this day, and we'd go to the local quarry and and ride motorbikes and basically just ended up joining the local local club and one thing led to another, and a little bit of talent, a little bit of ambition later, and um yeah, we've we climbed through the ranks in Australia and ended up over here, and more or less spent the majority of my career over here since I'm 17 years old.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

How did you end up in North Wales then from Australia? Apart from it being the centre of the universe, but I am biased. How do you end up here?

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Originally I was uh destined for Chesterfield, England, and that's where I was actually based for like the first two weeks. Unfortunately, without well, I mean, a long, long story. We could do a three-hour podcast on it. I I have done it before and talked about my past when I first got here in the UK. It was a wild ride, and um, some plans didn't go to go to plan, let's say, and uh I ended up coming over here for some temporary living arrangements and never left.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Amazing. That's the power of North Wales. Yeah, so you get into bikes, you start getting good, go professional. When when did that happen?

SPEAKER_01 2:29

I mean, I've been uh I've been fake in a profession since I got here, really at 17. I didn't want to say nothing. You know, I um when I moved over here, I had only one intention, and that was to race my motorbike, and yeah, nothing else really mattered at the time, especially at 17 years old. I just uh I just wanted to, I had this opportunity to come over here luckily enough, and I thought I'm just gonna put everything into it. And yeah, I dabbled in and out of different part-time roles, jobs, if you like, as a as a young fella, and just had zero interest for it all, basically, exactly like I was a when I was a kid for school and doing all those normal things. I just had zero um zero sort of desire to do any of that boring, slow stuff. Uh, I just wanted to race my motorbike and do fun stuff. So yeah, um, it's really started to ramp up my career, I would say, since probably 2018 when I come close to winning my first British um title. And yeah, I would say from that point I started to earn a living from racing, very much a small living, um, but I could survive. So I would say that would would class as probably really turning it into a profession.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Yeah. Ace. What's uh I think I know the high point. What's been the high point so far as a as a rider?

SPEAKER_01 3:49

There's been so many high points, but I think you know um as well when I clinched the British Championship in 2023, you know, sort of like uh came over here in 2013. Exactly ten years later, I um became British champion. It took 10 years to, you know, I was close a lot of times, and then obviously that would have been that was a massive high point and and came at a time in my career where I was on the brink of uh finishing because of what had happened the year before, you know, to go from the world championship scene to finally making it onto the into the world championship level for my sort of you know, having a nearly a career-ending injury and and sort of all my dreams shattering into pieces the very following year was like a huge redemption story and a real big comeback, you know, give it being given a lifeline by Decati and and Moto Repito to sort of show my potential, you know, to clinch that title meant so much more than just the British Championship.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Yeah, yeah. It was sort of uh I suppose um that validation in in yourself and your abilities, isn't it? That you go through all that and you get a title.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Yeah, I guess I've I've heard this saying a couple of times where it was like, I'm a 10-year overnight success. It's like, you know, it took my 10 years to be an overnight success, and and that just sort of that is just basically my my feel that the journey never stops. You know, I worked my butt off and I couldn't see anything past at that moment in my career because I was so fixated on just winning that title, becoming British champion. And I remember the very next day waking up after you know the title celebrations down at Brands Hatch and thinking shit, I've got to back it up. Time to get back to work, and the grind starts again. Literally, it it's you don't have a minute to sit there and think, Oh, we did it, because yeah, that's one thing, that's one massive lesson that I got from it. That it's like it's not always the destination. I know it's cliche, it's not always destination, it's the journey, but it genuinely is.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

You're only as good as your last ride, 100%. You touched on a point, and it was one of the main questions I wanted to ask, actually. Your injury coming off the bike, getting really hurt. Hey, you know, how how do you overcome that? How do you get back on a bike when that's happened to you? And you know, for for the viewers listening, just quickly recap what happened.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Yeah, so um I got my my dream opportunity to race in the world championship. I was riding for an Italian team and moved out of the British Championship into World Championship racing and went over to Spain. I was pre-season in in Barcelona. I was doing some pre-season training and like every rider is putting the hours in on the bike and and training over there in some somewhat of a warm climate for for sort of January, February time. And unfortunately, I just had a judgment error and and made a mistake and yeah, found myself laying on the ground with a separated spine. Um, at the time, I didn't know that. Um, but I was in trouble. I was in a lot of trouble and and very, very lucky to say the least. And yeah, I was uh given a given a second chance, let's just say that, a couple of weeks in traction in in Barcelona hospital, got got an amaz amazing care out there and got uh rebuilt, rotted back up and stabilized and sent bank set back on the uh on the Ryanair flight back to the UK to start rehabilitation. And yeah, that was a that was a world win. But I mean, you know, three months literally 12 weeks later, I was lining up for my my first ever world championship race, um, which is quite hard to believe actually that I achieved that. And I remember going um to Portugal for my first race in Esteril with the best riders in the world, and um I was crapping myself and I rolled out into rolled out onto the first free practice session, and I remember Domi Agata, the world champion, coming past me on his on what was his probably second or third lap of of practice session there, and at that moment I thought I'm I am not in the right place. This is not the thing to be doing, and yeah, I was so far away from my ability and their ability, and I was like a fish out of water, and yeah, it was uh it was a a massive, massive roller coaster and and journey from sort of the time I got injured to you know getting back to full fitness.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Shows a lot of um resilience though, Ben, to go through that and to get back on it and then end up you know winning. And last season was good, wasn't it? As the season goes this this year, this season looking good.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

Yeah, I mean on a new bike, yeah. I'm on the I'm on the new I'm running for Yamaha now, so that's really exciting. And um, you know, the last few years we've just missed out on three British titles basically. I mean, we won in 23, we come very close to the case.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

I was gonna say it's come to the line, hasn't it? You're not been you've not been far from it at all.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

No, a few points. Last year I lost by four points, came down to the last race. I won the last race, but unfortunately my competitor did just enough to stay in front of me. Um colossal battle, but in you're saying about the resilience. I think you know, I've I've learned so much in my small career um about resilience and and drive to you know not dwell on the negatives, not get yourself down. And I think it's come from actually, I'm I'm so blessed that my mum and my dad allowed me to come over here as a 17-year-old on my own and um sort of find my way. And I think that's what it is. It's it's survival skills, it's like coming over here with no backup, um, sort of no real education, no nothing. Um, and that's a choice that I made as a kid. Um, mate, you know, in hindsight, probably not the right choice, um, but it's paying off in the sense that I get to live my dream every day, work towards the goals that I want to work towards. And yeah, I guess not having a backup plan builds resilience because it's like you just got to keep going no matter what. And you know, laying in hospital, there was doubts for sure about coming back racing because it hurt, and you will have an element of doubt because it it bloody hurts when it goes wrong. And but now I'm here and and I'm doing this, and I can't even that's a long-distant memory. You quickly forget about that, and yeah, I sort of just carry that motto right through my life with whatever I'm doing on and off the track.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Yeah, I think really key attributes for anyone in business as well, actually, being resilient and taking those hits and keep going, having that drive, having that belief, I think is so so important in business because stuff will be sent to challenge you in one way or another. I suppose it leads on to my next point, really, and I know this is something that we've discussed over the years in terms of financial planning, which is you've come close to it there, you know, having a severed spine is not something that you know is uh a bump, as it were, it could be serious, it could be life ending, couldn't it? Uh or career ending, and that's my point. If you are a professional sports person, there's always that risk, isn't there, that you could get that injury that calls time on that profession, on that career. So we've spent some time thinking about what does the career look like outside of sports. Can you just sort of talk to me about that a little bit, what's gone through your mind and why you think I I know why I think it's important, but why you think it's important to start building that plan because I'm sure there'll be other sports people and professionals out there that are just focusing on what they do at the moment and maybe not thinking about, well, what if this ends, what if this changes?

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Yeah, I think there's different stages in in business, isn't there, in general and and and life. And you know, there's obviously got to become a I think there's distinct different stages in business and life, and I think it's absolutely paramount that you do something for the love of doing something and not doing it for financial gain or um to get something quick out of it, because ultimately there will be rough roads in in business, in sport, whatever it is, in this case business. Um there'll be there'll be tough times and you'll soon be found out if if you don't do it for the the passion and love and drive. Success is almost like a a um a byproduct of of passion and hard work and resilience and turning up every single day, time and time again, no matter what happens. And I think you know, I got to a point in my career where the you know we steadied the ship and and things were all right, things are going good, you know, off the back of the success in 2023. You know, before that, you know, like I said, I was here at 20 2013, that's 10 years into it, and I didn't have anything to my name. I had some good race results and I had some credibility in the sport, but that didn't pay the mortgage. So once I won that British championship, things sort of got alright. And um, it was at that moment when I bought my first house because I was like, right, I've got to buy a house because now I can actually buy a house because I have this nice little bonus that came into my bank account. I I I've got to buy one now, otherwise I might not ever be able to afford one. And then it was that step. So you've got to do things that um are potentially going to, you know, in the future, future-proof your career. And that was when I thought, you know what, I need to sit down with you and and talk about pensions, I need to talk about all the things that come, you know, after racing, all the grown-up stuff, all the grown-up stuff that people um don't realize how you know when they're in employment, how fortunate they are to have all them things taken care of, you know. But when you're self-employed, or you know, in my case, you know, just sort of going day by day, you you're never ever thinking about that time, that rainy day when when things change. So you think you you think your career's long until until it's not, and and like you say, it could be over in a heartbeat. So um we've been doing some things, you've educated me a great deal about you know all sorts of you know different things like stocks and shares ISIS, like I said, um pensions and and what have you. Um we just set up a little bit of a sort of a plan of attack over the next few years because you can really chip away at it quickly and get yourself ahead. And and I feel like what that has done for me massively has taken the pressure off just a little bit and ease the pressure, which has actually created a little bit more of um the option to take risk in business because I know I've got that there. If everything goes P Tong, I know I've got that little pot there that's building up and being looked after by the correct people to bail me out if ever if I ever I need it. And obviously, we never do anything with the intention to blow up our life savings, but it does help you make good decisions, I believe, and maybe edge on the side of risk, you know, uh rather than safety. And and we all know, like my game business, business owners know, you know, um sometimes, you know, no risk, no reward. Um, but obviously calculated risk is is the number one, and and I feel like that has helped me in my life so much.

SPEAKER_00 15:41

Yeah, no, it's good it's good to hear about because yeah, take taking risks doesn't have to be a gamble, as long as it's calculated. Massive difference is a massive difference. Massive difference, isn't it? Massive difference. And yeah, I I think it's um it's important to start early, have a plan, revisit that planet, and keep reviewing it. Obviously, I'm biased, I run a financial planning firm. Of course I'm gonna say that, but I think it makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? And I think what you've been really good at though, um is diversification because you you're looking at different avenues and different things all the time. Uh, one case being example with the social media, because what people might not realise as a rider, even you know, doing it at the high level that you do, there's not loads of checks being thrown about and loads of funding, is there? As a rider, you're responsible for getting a lot of that funding yourself and to work with sponsors. And I think that's what you've done really well with the social media side, with the YouTube channel that you've got, and also with the um the networking that you're trying to create within with within business, which I'm really passionate about. So touch on that, Ben, really. You know, the sort of the networking, and maybe there's a greater synergy to be had between you know sports and networking and businesses.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Yeah, to be honest with you, uh, you know, one thing I I actually quite like a lot in in the world is is helping people. Um, whatever that is, I could, you know, offer somebody. I I'd love to help if if I can. And I think if I could give any advice to to specifically motorcycle riders in this in this case, um, but I guess it works in sport in general. Um, you know, there's a lot of sports out there that that aren't mainstream in the sense of, you know, we we would have 50, 60,000 people turn up on a race weekend, which is kind of massive when you think about it. But you know, in terms of football, and you know, that seismic scale difference of football sort of wages, you know, compared to someone like me, that what what we're earning, you know, there would be a ton of um you know general normal jobs that get paid more than what what I get paid, you know, to race a motorbike, and I'm essentially risking my life. So um diversification is absolutely paramount. And I think building skills outside of your racing. A lot of motorcycle riders, and like I said, when I early days when I first came over here, um I was very much like no plan B, we're racing motorbikes. You need a plan B. Um, but you don't need to take away from the actual sport itself and racing. And actually, it helps if you put yourself into something outside and you develop some skills, and like you say, for the passion and love of it. So, for instance, I've I've just started a YouTube channel, which I've wanted to do for so many years, and I've invested in a videographer, um, and he's you know managing things. We're building a little bit of a platform and we're we're building a brand, you know, that hopefully one day I can um you know do some real you know dream stuff that I've wanted to do and build that, but then that also adds value to my current sponsorship portfolio. So people used to give me money for um logos on helmets and and and riding clothing, whatever it is, um, you know, many different forms of sponsorship, but just for example, that like that. Um now I can offer them this other angle. So it strengthens what I'm actually doing. So I think if I could give any advice to anybody in business slash um sports, um, sports people, sports athletes, is diversify your the way that you can potentially earn income by strengthening your number one asset because you know that adds value in different ways, but also doesn't put all your eggs in one basket. So, you know, one day when I'm finished racing my motorcycle or I can no longer compete at a high level, shall we say, when the young guys start coming through and whipping our butts, um, I'll move over to the online for you know form of entertainment, not so much racing, but you know, maybe I can entertain people on YouTube and also teach people a thing or two on how to go quite fast. So that's my that's my motto. I I want to I want it to last forever, you know. And how can I do that? Well, that's that's one way. So yeah, that's kind of my philosophy.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

That's perfect, Ben. And we've hit the 20 minutes, so thank you so much for your time. We'll make sure we put your YouTube channel in the links because it is great. The behind the scenes stuff I find really interesting. Uh, for example, you know, taking the bike from being a bike to race ready. Love all of that. So we'll put the links out there. So yeah, thanks again, Ben.

SPEAKER_01 20:23

Thanks, Rob