Ben Collins

One of Britain's most renowned and unusual sportsmen, Ben Collins is best known for being the secretive character The Stig, on BBC 2’sTop Gear for almost a decade.

He has also forged a career as a successful stunt driver and a highly competitive driver in many disciplines of motor racing.

Ben’s rise through the ranks of international Motor Racing has been a unique journey and he made history by becoming the first Englishman to drive in the US National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) series for over thirty years.

Ben graduated in Law at Exeter University; he then went to serve in the army for four years, where they utilised his exceptional driving ability as a Special Forces driving instructor.

After leaving the armed forces, he continued to pursue his dream of racing cars for a living. Ben made his debut race in 1994, and since then he has raced almost every aspect of the sport – from Formula Three to the Le Mans Seriesacross Europe and NASCAR in America.

Ben Collins joined the BBC’s flagship show Top Gear in 2003, and after eight years of pushing test cars to the limit, he left the show and released his autobiography, The Man in The White Suit, which became an immediate best seller.

Throughout his racing career and during his work with Top Gear, Ben continued a career of hidden notoriety as a stunt driver for Hollywood blockbuster movies. From The Dark Knight Rises, Star Wars and Han Solo, to working on the latest James Bond movie code-named “B25”, marking his fourth consecutive role as 007’s stunt driver following his award-winning work on Quantum Of Solace, Skyfall and SPECTRE.

As a consultant, Ben is a key member of the stunt team that produces some of the most daring car stunts ever seen. The ability to drive on the limit —on demand — makes him invaluable on set.

In 2019, Ben appeared alongside Christian Bale and Matt Damon in the blockbuster “Le Mans ‘66” movie, a film about the true story of the epic battle between Ford and Ferrari in the 1966 Le Mans 24 hours.

Ben Collins is an expert on driving and the mental aptitude required to be a professional. He is able to communicate what it feels like to race, where split-second timing, high pressure and total focus are key, and then to adapt these skills to the challenges of everyday life.

His strength of character was revealed very early on, when as a child his family moved to America and he was enrolled into a local swimming team. His competitive nature drove him to nationwide competition and a gruelling training regime of 30 hours a week by the age of 7. Winning was etched into his ethos and the determination to succeed has remained a constant throughout his life.

Ben Collins understands the corporate world well, and as Brand Manager for Hornby Scalextric for several years, he was responsible for a significant upturn in sales. Ben spends a great deal of time hosting corporate events and track days and is sensitive to the complexities of the business world.

Ben’s boundless enthusiasm, interest in all things and never-say-die attitude makes him a captivating keynote speaker, motivational speaker or after dinner speaker. His unique and ongoing career exemplifies making the most of every opportunity and his story relates how personal development and great commitment will overcome all the odds.

Future Technology
Ben understands the complexities of the business world just as much as racing. Motor racing is a sport that thrives on new technology and is pioneering the energy systems of the future that will augment and replace the use of carbon-based fuels. Ben is working with a number of companies to develop the sustainable energy systems of the future to power our mobility.

Ben Collins is continually in demand as an after dinner speaker and motivational speaker due to his unique career and continuing success.

His entertaining anecdotes and tales of incredible stunts make for a truly unique experience, with a story of strong commitment and an iron will that has helped establish Ben as a world class performer.

After Dinner Speaking
Ben Collins has a wealth of stories from his eight years as Top Gear’s The Stig, from coaching the likes of Tom Cruise, Ellen MacArthur, Gordon Ramsay and Cameron Diaz to organised high voltage car chases and testing hundreds of priceless cars.

Plus there’s Hollywood – teaching Daniel Craig how to perform doughnuts amongst driving stunts during his multiple stints as 007, filming with Nicholas Cage on the set of National Treasure 2, during which no less than thirty cars were destroyed.

Ben has stories from his early days enrolling at a local swimming team, where by the age of 7, he was swimming nationally at junior Olympic standard to passing selection for an Elite Airborne regiment of highly trained Army reservists, where he also served as an evasive driving instructor.

And of course his hugely successful career in motor sports, covering his experiences with Formula Three, NASCAR and Le Mans where he and his Team recently captured the Le Mans Series Championship Title.

Motivational Speaking
As a racing driver, Ben Collins’ life hangs in the balance of split second decisions being made at speeds exceeding 220 mph. He is an expert on the mental aptitude required to be a professional in this highly competitive environment.

Ben provides insights on what it feels like to race. A high-pressure environment where the combined value of teamwork determines success or failure, and total focus is the key to unlocking potential.

“As is so often the case in every day life, it’s the little things that count in motor racing; to go that fraction faster through a corner than the next man means stretching yourself and believing it’s possible when everything is telling you it’s physically impossible”.

Teamwork
The driver in a racing team sits at the hub of a group of experts channelling their unique skills towards the goal of winning. Every individual is linked by that shared vision and invariably it is the weakest link in the chain that determines whether the Team will win or lose.

Words like camaraderie, commitment, motivation, team work and trust find their true value when a racing car slides into the hands of the pit crew, at 3 o’clock in the morning of a 24-hour race, for a tyre change and a refuel during a monsoon.

Inspirational Speaking
Ben’s career was forged by competition and the search for inner strength. The Stig epitomised a superhuman quality that was effortless and matter of fact, but the man behind the mask had to dig very deep for every victory, every lap time and every inch of tarmac.

His story is not one of indomitable victory, but of learning to overcome setbacks, of personal risk-taking and survival, and a little luck too.

Exclusive interview with Ben Collins

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Clients often ask about purchasing books for giveaways and delegate packs. Below you’ll find a selection of products by Ben Collins. Click the images to view on Amazon's website. For bulk orders, please speak with your Booking Agent.