Former champion motorcycle ace Colin Appleyard is celebrating the latest success in his business story.

The Keighley businessman left school at the age of 15 with only one thing on his mind - a burning ambition to race bikes.

He was able to match his victories on the circuit with progress at work where he rose from apprentice mechanic with a local dealer to sales director.

In 1971, he set up his own business and now Colin Appleyard Ltd has just been honoured for the quality of its training and development of its 86 staff by being given the prestigious Investors in People award. The firm was helped to win the award by Bradford & District Training & Enterprise Council.

Mr Appleyard said: "I worked at a small family business which wasn't ready for expansion which is something I wanted to do.

"I was aiming for success and expansion and if you have a good company you can't stand still. I was a director of the other company and when I was 34 I decided to go it alone," he added.

In its first year Colin Appleyard Ltd turned over around £150,000 and now the company will be turning over approaching £18 million this year.

Colin Appleyard has been assisted over many years by the firm's sales director Stuart Feeny.

Colin Appleyard said: "The success of our business, in my eyes, has always been due to our workforce. In addition to my own son working for the company, there are many other

He said his own thinking on looking after the customer had been passed on to his workforce.

"This is why people often come back to us. We are now dealing with the sons of people who came to us for bikes many years ago," he added.

From the company's first modest premises in Bradford Street, Keighley, 29 years ago, where they sold just motorcycles, the business has grown and now has four major outlets - two in Keighley and others in Leeds and Huddersfield.

The firm moved to much larger premises in Keighley in 1974 when they were the biggest motorcycle showroom in the North of England. "We are still one of the biggest even after all this time," Mr Appleyard added.

The firm started selling cars at the Cornmill Garage in Keighley in March, 1979 and was the UK's first dealer for Suzuki cars.

It now sells cars on that site and motorcycles at Colin Appleyard Motorcycles in Wellington Road in the town.

Other major milestones include exporting Japanese bikes to Japan in the 1980s and being named Motorcycle Dealer of the Year in 1998.

Colin Appleyard, 64, said: "The Motorcycle Dealership of the Year award came after interviews with satisfied customers. We have a family style of business. We are a bit old fashioned which means that we have always tried to give very good service.

"I would think our customer retention and repeat rate would bare comparison with anybody.

"Our loyal staff have learnt about how we work which has been centred on looking after people. We do that with the vast majority of people who come to us." he added.

Colin's son Robin, who became a British champion motorcycle racer, now runs the company's motorcycle centre in Leeds.

The car division general manager, Robin Luscombe, is the UK sidecar racing champion and is currently aiming for an all-time record 12th championship.

Colin Appleyard added: "We are now firmly focused on the future. The company is extending and refurbishing our three older sites, including the re-location of our head office to Cornmill Garage in Keighley."

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