Ron Langston’s Ariel Meet

Many competition riders specialise in one particular area of two-wheeled sport, whether on tarmac, grass, shale or mud... but then there are the rare individuals who can excel on whatever machine they throw their leg over. Ron Langston is one of those all-rounders. And once a year he proves that he can throw a fine party, too…

Many of you will be familiar with Ron from his career which saw him embrace most type of motorcycle sport, from finishing in the runners-up position in the 1959 Manx GP in only his third ever road race, to being part of the illustrious Ariel factory works trials team from 1958 to 1963, along with Gordon Blakeway and Sammy Miller.

But Ron is also well-known to many from the open days at the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum where he turns up to support his old teammate and friend, but also I suspect to have a go on as many motorcycles as possible.

Whereas many of the special guests on such occasions will do a few parade laps of the car park, there’s Ron Langston riding everything! He may look like a ruddy-faced Gloucestershire farmer (and that is what he is) but there is no motorcycle in the world that Ron won’t happily tackle.

This time he was on his home turf of Chipping Campden, inviting people to his home to celebrate the Selly Oak manufacturer with which he is indelibly associated. On a very hot day – and we don’t get to say that too often even at the height of summer – there was a huge turnout of visitors, along with a fine number of Ariels belonging to either Ron or his many guests. The latter included Don Rickman who needs no introduction although, on this occasion, he was present not simply as one of the driving forces of 20th century motocross or, with his late brother Derek, as cocreator of the game changing Metisse, but because Don owns the oldest known Ariel in the world, a 1903 Model 3 which he had brought along for the day and which can usually be seen in the Sammy Miller Museum. It was one of the many machines that was fired-up for the delight of the crowds, although Ron didn’t get to ride around quite as much on this occasion.

An impressive array of Nortons.

Well, if you can get a steam engine in your garden why wouldn’t you? The Dalesman, as this Burrell road locomotive is known, was built in 1912 and was used by John Hancock and Sons which owned the brickworks in Exeter, Devon.

The mighty Ariel ISDT team reunited. From left: Gordon Blakeway, Ron Langston, Sammy Miller.

‘What real power looks like’ – Ron is very keen on an Ariel Square Four.

The fantastic world speed record replica AJS V-twin that Richard Johns built in his shed. (Have a search at www.vintageajs.uk for a very comprehensive and interesting history of the build.)

In the foreground is GOV130, the Ariel HT5 which Gordon Blakeway rode in the ISDT Gold Medal-winning factory team in the late 1950s while, two bikes back, is Ron Langston’s GOV131.

From left: Sammy Miller, Gordon Blakeway, Ron Langston and Don Rickman with Don’s 1903 Ariel. These four remarkable legends of British motorcycle competition have between them clocked up some 350 years.