BSB: Ben Tolliday – My story into Supersport

With only a couple of months away until the start of this year’s BSB season, Nicola Drew spoke to Ben Tolliday, of Team Tolly Racing, about his 2021 campaign and his road into the Supersport series.

Ben, for those people not familiar with ‘Team Tolly’, can you tell us a bit about how you got into motorcycle racing?

“I grew up in Scarborough, North Yorkshire and came from a motorcycling family and although my Granddad, my parents and a couple of uncles all rode motorbikes, nobody close to me went racing.  At 8 years old I have a strong memory of seeing people like Leon Haslam on the Airwaves Ducati and was completely taken in by the spectacle of it all. It wasn’t until 2013 after a visit to Cadwell Park that I got bitten by the bug and started to seriously think about taking up the sport. 

At that point I’d already had a moto X bike for a couple of years and riding a bike was a big part of my life.  I got my ACU licence in February 2015 at Donington Park and that year was extremely busy for me as I competed in the North East Club racing series, Auto 66, Derby Phoenix and the Thundersport championship! 

I stayed racing at Thundersport until the end of the 2018 season, competing at first on a mini-twin (four stroke bikes under 650cc) and later in the super twin (650cc twin cylinder) series.  In 2018 I rode as a wildcard entry in a couple of races in the Supersport class at BSB. Following my debut appearance at Cadwell Park I’ve been in the Supersport series ever since.“

Is your progress where you want it to be within the Supersport series?  What are the challenges you have faced since entering the championship?

“There’s the enhanced performance and logistical requirements that the series demands of you, and as I’m still relatively new to the class it’s a massive learning curve for me.

Last year was especially challenging because of the restrictions brought to racing by the pandemic. We started the year off three days before the first national lockdown was implemented in March 2020, and at that time I was getting decent lap times and my race craft was improving. 

We’d planned to do 8 rounds that season, but I ended up only being able to enter the one weekend at Oulton Park in September 2020.  As (bad) luck would have it, I experienced a significant mechanical issue with the engine on my bike before we could get to Cheshire, and my hopes for riding at all in the 2020 season were dashed. Luckily, I’d had a bit of track time at both Cadwell Park and Mallory Park during last year to keep my hand in the game.

When it comes to racing, it pays to be well connected. You’ve got to push yourself a lot at first, both on the bike and outside of the paddock, and these commitments present their own demands on me and my team. 

Part of the challenge with sponsorship is convincing people to invest in you, especially if they’re not familiar with motorsport overall because they have to try to understand how motorcycle racing works and it’s challenges, but also how the exposure could benefit their business (in terms of TV viewing figures, spectator admissions and the like) by bringing increased traffic to their own online and social media platforms.

This will be my third season racing motorcycles from the BSB paddock, and overall, 6 years in the sport.  I can honestly say that I’m happy with my progress so far. I dreamt of being in the paddock all those years ago and now I’m here, but I’m definitely hungry for more, especially when the series is so well organised and loyally supported by the fans.”

What do you think the future has in store for you in the Supersport championship?

“I want to build on the experience I’ve gained so far racing in the Supersport series.  Time on a bike on a racetrack sometimes teaches you things that seem counterintuitive at first. Like for me, set up is way more important than power. And when we can tweak the bike and make it do more of the things I want it to do, then I can aim to be a consistent point scorer. I’m going for middle of the pack presence at the majority of meetings because I know I’ve got the ability to do it.

I’d also like to focus on reinforcing the good relationships I have with my current sponsors and growing the number of individuals and businesses supporting my racing.  I want people to be invested in me on a personal and professional level. I’m committed now and in the future to find new ways to increase exposure and revenue for those companies who currently keep me doing the one thing that I’m truly passionate about.”

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