Ron Champion

Ron came from a family of engineers and grew up with a spanner in his hand. Working with cars and motor cycles came naturally to him and he very quickly developed a consuming passion for all types of vehicles and aircraft. As a teenager Ron began to design cars for friends to race in the 750 Motor Club Formula. His parents garden was turned into an Austin 7 graveyard as they were stripped of every usable part to source components for his racers. It is from these beginnings that the Locost philosophy was born.

Over the years Ron's career has taken him to the top in a number of engineering and education roles. He spent many years with Land Rover R&D before being given the task of setting up the very first Youth Training Workshops for the Government's Manpower Services Commission. Ron's model and methods were so successful that they became the benchmark against which the country's YTS centers were judged. His techniques are still used at home and abroad both in industry and in education.

Today Ron is a consultant to the UK and Spanish Motor Industry. He also advises the Social Services on their projects to introduce engineering to the handicapped and people with learning difficulties. He sits on the committee for the Government's Youth and the Motor Car project and he lectures to Motor Engineering students. Ron's was also Head of Automotive Engineering at Oundle School, one of the country's top public schools. It was here that he set up and run an incredibly successful department where children as young as 11 are involved in building sports cars to Ron’s designs from stock materials and second hand car parts. 

Ron is now actively pursuing a number of opportunities - not least of all promoting his new book