By Jethro Bovingdon
Photography by Alun Callender
Ron Haslam’s workshop in Derbyshire is spilling over with motorcycle parts, remote-control helicopters and various other mechanical paraphernalia. Behind the half-built – or half-stripped-down – bikes there’s a stunt plane that he’s restoring to its former glory.
Look up and you’ll see a microlight suspended from the ceiling… Clearly here is a man who likes to get his hands dirty. And as Ron points out another elegant, lightweight sliver of metal, his eyes light up.
Motorcycle dynasty
If you had to guess, you’d say he was an old-fashioned engineer with oil under his fingernails and a mug of hot tea never too far away. However, the trophies dotted around the workshop suggest something different, and pride of place is his son Leon’s first racing motorbike. These are clues that this quiet but extraordinary place is at the very heart of Britain’s greatest motorcycle-racing dynasty.
The latest chapter in this story is about to unfold, as Leon Haslam will contest the prestigious World Superbike Championship with Honda in 2013 and beyond.
Leon, now 29, won his first Motocross championship at 12, and we think he’s a future world champion. Perhaps his career was mapped out for him from an early age… Leon takes up the story.
‘I went to my first motorcycle GP when I was five months old, and it’s all I’ve ever known, really. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.’ His father – ‘Rocket’ Ron Haslam – had a diverse and successful racing career, and passed on the burning passion he has for all things two-wheeled. Even so, he wasn’t keen for Leon to follow in his tyre tracks. ‘It’s a hard life,’ Ron explains. ‘There are so many quick guys out there, fighting for their place.
And, of course, there’s an element of danger. I didn’t want Leon living in that world. Looking back, I made it difficult for him – too difficult. But eventually I saw his determination, and then I threw my energy behind him. He obviously had the talent, and who was I to stop him?’
Haslam senior’s racing career is quite extraordinary. One of 10 children, Ron caught the motorcycle bug from his older brothers. ‘I used to help [brothers] Phil and Terry, cleaning the bikes and stuff,’ he explains. ‘I loved being at the tracks. In 1972, as a reward for helping them out, they let me have a race.
Family tragedy
I was 15 and that was it. Being around bikes was great, riding them was even better… and then you add the thrill of competition. What a feeling!’ Tragically, Phil died in 1974 on the track and, for a while, Ron stopped racing. ‘But we wanted it – me and Terry. For us, not racing wasn’t really living, so we went back.’
It was this passion and gritty resolve that helped Ron to win multiple British Championships, the Formula 1 race at the daunting Isle of Man TT and then compete in the premier Grand Prix series for eight years, many as a Honda factory rider.He also won the revered Macau GP every time he contested it – six times in succession.
Leon, far from feeling in his father’s shadow, revels in having that experience to draw upon. ‘Having my dad around is a huge advantage,’ he says. ‘In the early days he’d help with set-up, riding style, everything. Now I’m more experienced, but he still gives me so much just being at my races.’
Leon’s career started on the dirt of the motocross tracks across Britain, giving him a great grounding in pure bike control and nurturing his competitive edge. Despite a couple of unfortunate injuries when he was comfortably leading championships, his determination never wavered. ‘I was happy doing motocross. Loved it! But I had the chance to try circuit racing, did okay [he actually won his first circuit race pretty easily], and then everything progressed really quickly.’
He’s not joking, Leon raced 125cc, 250cc, 500cc and then Superbikes in quick succession, and has been a World Superbike regular since 2009. Now he’s returning to Honda, bringing the brand and the Haslam story back together once again. ‘I’m so pleased,’ says Ron. ‘Honda is always brilliantly prepared and gave me great race bikes. Now it’s Leon who will benefit from that.’ World Superbikes is an incredibly competitive series, but Leon has one aim: ‘I want to bring Honda back to the front; I’m aiming to win the championship. There’s no other way.’
