Eric Kemp Langton was born in Leeds in September 1907. He first rode a motorcycle at the age of twelve, and by his late teens, he and his brother Oliver were actively engaged in trials and road racing. In 1927, Langton finished twelfth in the Senior Isle of Man TT on a Sunbeam and in 1928 won the challenging Scott Trial across the Yorkshire Moors. That same year, he witnessed speedway racing for the first time at Manchester's White City Stadium. He and Oliver attended a practice session at the nearby Belle Vue track where riders who completed four laps within a set time were invited to compete the following Saturday. Langton qualified.
His most successful year speedway racing was 1932, when he won the Star Riders Championship, which was the premier event prior to the establishment of the world title. He also secured the British Individual Championship that year. Throughout his career, Langton earned forty-four international caps representing the English speedway team. Langton was also an accomplished engineer. In the early 1930s, when a South American speedway tour exclusively required twin-cylinder motorcycles, he constructed a Douglas twin to his own specifications. He modified the frame, wheelbase, forks, and hubs to suit his preferences, resulting in the machine known as the Langton Douglas. Upon returning to England, he resumed riding Rudges and later JAPs, continually refining the engines. On one occasion, he cast his own cylinder head to alter the valve angle while maintaining a standard external appearance, thereby concealing his technical innovations from other competitors.
Langton came close to making speedway history whilst riding a JAP machine in 1936. The inaugural official Speedway World Championship was held at Wembley Stadium before an audience of 74,000 spectators, and Langton and Australian rider Lionel Van Praag finished tied on points, necessitating a match race to determine the champion. At the start, Langton broke the tapes, which normally would have resulted in a default victory for Van Praag. However, Van Praag requested a restart. During the race, Langton led into the final bend, but Van Praag found a narrow opening and overtook him by less than a wheel length to become the first official world champion. The close finish and Van Praag's display of sportsmanship contributed to the event's lasting significance in speedway history, although scurrilous rumours suggested the two riders may have agreed to share both the moment and the prize money.
Langton continued racing into the 1940s, but suspended his racing career during the Second World War to apply his engineering expertise at the Scott motorcycle factory, where he contributed to the production of petrol pumps for Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engines. He returned to Belle Vue in 1946 and competed for one additional season before retiring in 1947 at the age of forty. Langton remained active, assuming roles in team management and mechanical support. He soon established a business manufacturing speedway frames under his own name. His initial design, the Mark I, was based on a prewar Excelsior and achieved enough success that approximately fifty units were produced. This was followed by the Maxi, a lightweight, all-welded, lugless frame created for fellow rider Max Grosskreutz, and subsequently the Mark IV, with around a dozen produced. These frames continued to be used by speedway riders internationally for many years after Langton's competitive career ended.
Eric Langton relocated to Perth, Western Australia in the late 1950s where he maintained a strong interest in motor-sports, caring for his collection of vintage cars and motorcycles well into his eighties. Langton died in Perth in 1999 and is remembered both as a champion rider of the 1930s and as one of speedway's most innovative craftsmen. His expertise in engineering matched his skill as a competitor. Langton became the inaugural President of the Vintage Motorcycle Club of Western Australia (VMCCWA) upon its founding in 1975. He was subsequently recognised as the club's first Life Member in acknowledgement of his significant contributions and leadership in establishing the organisation.
Source: VMCCWA
