Ben Auty: NMA's Race Engineer of the Year 2025
Students arrive at the National Motorsport Academy with all kinds of ambitions, and it’s always an absolute joy to see those plans turn into real careers.
Ben Auty is a brilliant example of what can happen when determination meets opportunity. After deciding to change careers and finally chase his dream of working in motorsport, he threw himself into the BSc (Hons) Motorsport Engineering course and never looked back.
Having completed his studies earlier in 2025, Ben has had a standout year, picking up both Race Engineer of the Year and Student of the Year, alongside a run of impressive successes with his team. His story shows exactly what’s possible when you commit to the path you really want.
What first inspired you to study motorsport engineering, and how did you find your way to the NMA?
Before all of this journey started I was a design engineer that designed tooling and automation solutions for the automotive industry. I had worked my way up to that position through goods in, machine shop and quality inspection. But I was bored out of my skull and spent all my spare time looking deeper into the technicalities of motorsport.
I’ve always been obsessed with racing, I used to race motocross when I was younger and that adrenaline rush that racing gives you has never left me, I’m always on the search for that (legal) dopamine hit! Through that obsession my partner, Naomi, said why don’t you study it through university (probably to shut me up banging on to her).
From there, we found the NMA and I never looked back. My personality traits meant that I had to give everything to the course to show the best version of myself, so I left my job, threw myself at my studies and fully immersed myself into the motorsport world from the bottom.
My goal was to achieve a first in every module because I felt it was important to show high levels of work over a long period of time. The industry is so focussed on attaining the best and it’s so densely populated, by attaining high marks would put me towards the top of a hiring list.
How did you find the experience of studying with NMA?
Well first of all, I’ve made friends for life. People who I could call at any time and they would be there to support me and I would support them too. The NMA community is fantastic and offers a great opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in a safe, exciting and fun environment.
All the staff genuinely want to see you achieve, whether that’s as a tyre technician, CFD analyst or Truckie, the support is there for you. I had quit a few favourites; I really enjoyed tasks where a question had different outcomes depending on what approach you took. These tasks got me thinking about all the different scenarios and opened my mind to analyse, acknowledge and be adaptable.
Tell us what you got up to this season?
This year I worked with Innovation Racing in GT Cup, a championship I’ve got lot’s of experience in. They were a new team breaking into the GT world. I felt my experience in GT Cup would be beneficial to them so I contacted the team. With the team being brand new and working with minimal budget, I had a few roles. I was number one mechanic for the #30 Ginetta G56, so that came with your general No1 roles of maintaining the car mechanically, looking after the drivers and managing my No2 mechanic’s. I was also data engineer for both cars in the team which involved monitoring vehicle health and analysing driver/car performance.
I also took on media responsibilities halfway through the season, and helped grow that to over 110k views in a few months with the help of some great people. AND I was agony Aunt many many times haha.
I also worked with the Short’s (Marcus & Morgan) on their Mosler at the Silverstone round of The Dutch Supercar Championship where we picked up a pole position and a second place, in a car that’s 15 years older than the competition.
How did your studies help you prepare for hands-on work throughout your career so far?
It has given me knowledge in different areas which allows me to consider a wider range of options before making a decision and because my studies have given me a broader overview, I feel it allows me to make a more informed decision.
That could be a setup direction or pit-stop improvements or logistical issues. The modules I’ve studied at the NMA have already given me experience in analysing these kinds of scenarios.
What were some of your proudest moments & biggest challenges during the season?
My proudest moment this year was achieving that goal I set myself at the start. I finished my degree with firsts in every module and also won student of the year. That was massive for me and I’m really looking forward to celebrating that at graduation in January!
Another moment I’m proud of was the sweep we achieved at Snetterton. Poles, fastest laps, lap records and the wins. I was proud of what we all achieved, to go into the final round with that as the goal to setup 2026. It feels good to have been a part of running one of the fastest GT4’s this year.
Biggest challenge was working with minimal budget. For most of the season we had one set of tyres less than our competitors so the challenge was making them last and still take wins.
Which technical or teamwork skills do you feel developed the most while working trackside this year?
My people skills got a workout this year! The goal was always to win and when a result was anything but a win, I had to look at myself and ask what I could have done better. I feel reflecting is a massive part of growth and development.
The pressure of being in the front heightened all emotions so I worked hard on keeping them in check so that I could focus on the task in hand. I made mistakes, everybody does, especially when you are pushing yourself. But I never made the same mistake twice.
Winning the Race Engineer of the Year award is an incredible achievement — how did it feel to be recognised for your work?
I’m not going to lie, it did feel good. I want to win everything I put my hand to and I’ve been trying to win REOTY for 3 years. Now I’ve got to retain it!
Looking back, what do you think made this year such a standout one for you, both academically and professionally?
I think it comes down to achieving the goals I set myself. I always back myself but I knew the goals I’d set where ambitious with a high probability of failure so to achieve more than what I set out to do made it a standout for me. It’s a good feeling and I want more of it!
Now that you’ve finished your studies, what kind of role or area in motorsport are you hoping to pursue next?
I’ll remain in endurance racing, that’s a passion for me and it’s only gaining more and more attention. I’ll continue down the engineering route. I enjoy data analysis and building that bond between driver and engineer so that is what I will continue to pursue.
The next big goal is to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans so that is what I’ll be working towards. Mark this article for the future.
Finally, what advice would you give to current or future NMA students who want to follow a similar path into race engineering?
Firstly, be a sponge. Absorb as much information from experienced people as you can. Watch, learn and do the job you have been asked to do faultlessly. You need to build trust with your team members in the very first instance so provide that. Then you can start to push your opinion for improvements or procedures. This is when you can be bold and use your NMA experience to help guide you. Remember, its competition, so get your elbows out.
Lastly, I personally feel that you have to give everything to the cause. I feel it’s true that you get out what you put in. So, if you really badly want it, give everything to go and get it.
A big BIG thank you to Ben for sharing his experience with us. You can stay up-to-date on his journey over on his social media:
