Meet the Newest Member of the NMA Team: Benedick Swann
The National Motorsport Academy’s tutoring team is made up of experts from all corners of the motorsport industry, bringing real-world experience and fresh perspectives to our students. Our newest tutor, Ben Swann, has a unique background in the sports, heritage, and cultural sectors, with a deep-rooted passion for motorsport history.
As Head of Learning at the National Motor Museum, Ben has spent years researching and sharing the stories of motorsport’s past while shaping the future of motoring education.
Now, he’s bringing his expertise to the NMA – helping students understand the business and historical context of the industry.
We caught up with Ben to learn more about his journey, his passion for motorsport, and what excites him most about joining the NMA.
Tell Us About Your Background – How Did Motorsport Spark Your Career?
My career background is in the sports, heritage, and cultural sector, where I’ve been lucky enough to work at some of the most iconic venues in the UK – including The All England Lawn Tennis Club and my current employer, the National Motor Museum.
Motorsport might not jump off the page when you read that, but it’s always been there in the background. I’m old enough to remember watching Senna, Prost, and Mansell battling it out in wide, tubby, yet oddly frail-looking vehicles on grainy television broadcasts. And thanks to the limited number of channels in the UK during the 1980s, I also developed a soft spot for motocross, trials, and rally racing. Wimbledon always clashed with the British Grand Prix, but it wasn’t unusual to find an office monitor showing F1 during The Championships. Even if, just outside the window, some of the most photographed people in the world were creating magic on court – there’s just something about the orchestrated chaos of motorsport.
Since moving to the National Motor Museum, I’ve found it much easier to immerse myself in motorsport. With iconic vehicles on permanent display and others regularly coming in on loan, I now spend most of my time researching motorsport history and finding new ways to engage the public with the stories I uncover. It wasn’t exactly a planned career path into motorsport – but if it ever can be, it’s always been quietly in the background.
What Does Being Head of Learning at the National Motor Museum Entail?
The role of Head of Learning at the National Motor Museum is a broad one. I’ve spent the past three years helping to transform the museum’s ambitions – working alongside the team to develop and deliver a new strategy, open up the collections to more people in the community, and tell the story of motoring in a more dynamic, honest, and inclusive way. I oversee the delivery of formal learning programmes for schools, colleges, and universities; I manage the community learning side of the operation, which takes the collections offsite; and I sit on the leadership team, helping to steer the museum forward. There’s never a dull day.
What’s the Most Memorable Experience in Your Role?
“Best experiences” are subjective, but I’ve had a few days at the museum that some might consider dream days. I’ve sat in a methane-fuelled dragster and fired it into life. I’ve driven an electric Beetle that can do 0–60 in under three seconds. I’ve helped change the oil on a 1923 land speed record-winning car. I’ve even taken Chitty Chitty Bang Bang out for a drive. All of those might be considered highlights. What I will say is that each day brings a new surprise. Not long ago, I walked into the workshop to find a land speed record vehicle on the ramps, a 1960s TT-winning motorcycle beside it, a Porsche 917 getting a check-up, and Mike Hailwood’s legendary Honda 162 nearby. The National Motor Museum workshop is far from ordinary.
What Inspired You to Join the NMA?
What interests me most about joining the NMA is that it attracts some of the most brilliant people in the wider world of motorsport – both on the staff and on the course – and it feels like a natural extension of my role in sporting heritage education. I wanted to be part of that conversation.
How Does Joining the NMA Fit with Your Museum Work?
A lot of my work is research. Interpreting objects for a public who may have no knowledge of motorsport or engineering is one of the more challenging parts of my job. Learning why a vehicle is important and what stories it can tell often reveals forgotten details that help explain why the current motorsport landscape is the way it is. The complicated web of ideas, reasons, and decisions that have shaped the motor vehicle and motorsport into what they are today becomes more intriguing the deeper I delve into the archives at the National Motor Museum.
What excites me about the National Motorsport Academy is the opportunity for conversation – and the chance to grow my own knowledge of the industry through it.
How Has Motorsport Education Evolved, and What’s Different Now?
If you asked the engineers in the museum workshop, they might say motoring-related education has become less hands-on – even dumbed down. But I’d disagree. Motorsport has evolved alongside society, and the focus today is on preparing students for a career in an industry that spans hundreds of distinct roles, many driven by technology. The days of a racing team being just a few like-minded individuals in a shed are long gone – but that doesn’t mean invention and innovation have gone with them.
We’re at an incredibly exciting point in the evolution of motor vehicles, with new ideas and technologies being developed by companies no less pioneering than those of the early motoring days. In under 100 years, we’ve gone from needing two giant 22,444cc engines to hit 200mph to achieving it with a lightly tuned, street-legal motorcycle. So, what will the next 100 years bring?
The trends that stand out to me are around diversity, more grassroots investment, better access across the board, and the off-track race to make motorsport more sustainable.
What Are You Most Excited to Work on with NMA’s Business Students
I think the wider conversation around the changes being made – and still needed – to improve participation in motorsport is something I look forward to every time a new student signs up.
What's a Memorable Project or Challenge You've Worked On?
When I first began at the National Motor Museum, I was given the brief to find a way to engage young people with the story of Golden Arrow, the iconic land speed vehicle from 1927. Not knowing much about the car or its history, I dove into the archives and uncovered a wealth of fascinating facts and statistics about the vehicle. But nothing seemed likely to make a teenager stop scrolling.
One thing I did notice, though, was that the car was reported to sound like a lion – which felt like something worth exploring. There was a problem, though: while some archive film footage of the vehicle survives, it’s all silent, as it was recorded before sound was introduced to film. So, I tracked down a Foley artist (someone who creates sound effects for movies), sourced a sound recordist, invited a class of 8-9-year-olds to attend the museum, and set about recording a soundtrack for the long-silent film.
The result? A group of young people fully engaged with the heritage of a long-forgotten motorsport event, and a film with a new “lion roar” soundtrack, curated by the students themselves.
While this may sound whimsical, it’s a real example of how to engage a younger audience with a sporting story in which they might not see themselves. This is an area of my work that I find deeply rewarding, though, sadly, such moments are far too rare.
What’s Your Top Advice for Aspiring Motorsport Professionals?
Persevere and be prepared to think laterally. It may often seem like a closed shop, but the breadth of opportunity within motorsport, along with the ways in which it is rapidly changing and expanding, make it one of the most exciting areas of employment. A business like that will always need fresh-thinking people.
How Do You Stay Connected to Motorsport Outside of Work?
I ride a motorcycle (or “super scooter,” as the engineers at the National Motor Museum mockingly call it) and am in the process of slowly reanimating a vintage BMW R80, though I’m by no means an expert mechanic.
Naturally, my favourite motorsport events are vintage-inspired. I’m a sucker for a good display of classic vehicles, with the Classic Car Boot Sale in Kings Cross being a particular favourite.
Where’s Motorsport Heading from a Business Point of View?
It may not feel like it, but motorsport and the motor industry in general are going through one of the most exciting periods in their history. The only comparable era of innovation is the late Victorian period, when electric, petrol, and steam power were all competing for attention. The difference today is that there’s greater awareness of how decisions impact the environment, and the need to be more responsible with resources.
I’d like to see more focus on sustainability, better investment in grassroots motorsport, and greater equality across all disciplines. This would transform the sport immeasurably.
Whichever technology wins the current race to solve the emissions problem will also have a significant impact on motorsport. I have no idea what that will be, but whatever it is, it will be revolutionary and by no means cheap.
Is There a Motorsport Moment Everyone Should Learn About?
There are so many wonderful stories from the early days of motorsport, when pioneers were pushing the boundaries of the technology available at the time, it’s hard to pick just one.
The divorce between Mr. Bentley and his heroic driver Birkin over a supercharger, which led to the on-track battle for supremacy with Mercedes between the wars, is a glorious tale. Then there’s the insanity of racing motorcycles with brakes no better than those on a Dutch bicycle.
I suppose the overriding message from motorsport history is to remember that just because something is considered heritage, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t once innovative or beautifully engineered.
If you could work with any motorsport legend, past or present, who would it be and why?
This is a very tricky question, but I’ll go with Pat Moss. Pat was Sir Stirling’s sister and arguably a better driver than her all-conquering brother, though she was never given quite the same opportunities because she was a woman. She was pragmatic, adventurous, and fun-loving, with an insatiable appetite for victory. I think I could learn a lot from her.
Pick One Car from Motorsport History to Drive – What’s Your Choice?
This is a tricky one. As someone over six foot tall, most race vehicles are just too small, but if I could fit in one, I’d love to have a go in the 1967 Lotus 49 at Zandvoort (with no other cars on track).
