Murray Hambro

Murray Hambro has been through a huge amount; from serious injury to crippling anxiety to tragic bereavement. He's come though it thanks, in part, to Blesma and his love of motorbikes.  

The Royal Tank Regiment, and the wider British Army, was Murray Hambro’s passion for the 12 years he served in it, but his military life – and much else beyond – was shattered in Afghanistan in 2010 when the Warthog armoured vehicle he was travelling in drove over an IED. As a result of the injuries he sustained in the blast, Murray ended up having both his legs amputated below the knee.

Soon after his injury Murray decided to buy a motorbike, and soon after that he decided to take it racing. But racing motorbikes as an amputee brings a whole host of challenges – not least how to control one at 200mph without feet..

How did you get into biking?
I’ve always loved two wheels; I was riding a motorbike around fields at the age of eight and got my bike licence before my car licence. I eventually bought a Ducati, which I loved riding on the autobahns when I was stationed in Germany.

Post accident, did you think you’d ever ride again?
No – my surgeon told me to get a new hobby, but I didn’t fancy that so I bought a Triumph Daytona 675R and found a button shifter called a Kliktronic that other disabled riders use. It’s a push and pull system that you mount on the handlebars to change gear. Normally, you change gear with your left foot and brake with your right. Now I just shift gears with the Kliktronic, and I only use the front brake.

How did you get into racing?
In 2012, a Navy guy approached me at a hospitality day at a British Superbike race. Now, I race in the Ducati TriOptions Cup, which is a support class for British Superbikes. Sometimes 120,000 people come to watch the racing over the course of a weekend. In my series, everyone’s on the same bike so it’s all about rider skill. We usually have eight race weekends a year, running from Easter to October.

What is the racing scene like?
Great. Everyone is friendly and happy to help each other out – there aren’t any big egos. Everyone has been very positive towards me, from the riders to the race directors who have allowed me to race as a disabled person. My results haven’t been too bad considering most of these guys have been racing all their lives and I don’t get much track time. I’m doing it on a shoestring, but I have the mentality to never give up. Because of my injuries I do have to muscle the bike around a little bit more. Most riders push their weight down through the footpegs to help them to steer, but I have to use my arms more.

What do you enjoy about being in a race?
The fact that you’re totally in the moment. You forget about all the other stuff that is going on around you. When you’re riding all you’re thinking is: “Third gear, fourth gear, fifth gear, pull over, ride the line, braking marker, brake, turn, apex, stand the bike up, get on the gas…” There’s only time for race craft and adrenaline!

For the last decade, Blesma has been by my side as I learned to come terms as a double amputee.

Murray Hambro

Does the danger worry you?
I’ve had a few crashes, including one into a tyre wall at 80mph, but you just shake it off.

What are your ambitions in the sport?
Racing is a very expensive pastime, so right now I’m just focused on being able to race again next year. I’d like to have more of a support crew trackside and to get some Blesma Members involved. Oh, and I’d like to get faster, too!

What has been your best biking moment?
I won a Soldiering On award, and four-time World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty delivered a video message. And now I’m racing at the same race weekends as TT legend John McGuinness – little things like that are amazing.

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