Why Motorsport Matters to Edge Networks – Jon Lanceley’s Story
From a life-threatening battle with meningitis to building Edge Networks, this is Jon’s story.
Most people see our connection with motorsport and think it is just sponsorship.
For Edge, it goes much deeper than that.
Why motorsport?
Our connection with motorsport, and the wider support we give to sport and community causes, is linked to Edge and the timing sector more than you may realise.
For our business owner, Jon Lanceley, motorsport has never just been a hobby or a marketing angle. It has been part of his life, his career, his work ethic and, in many ways, the foundations that helped shape Edge.
Jon’s roots in motorsport go back to his early teenage years, when he followed in his dad’s footsteps into the world of karting. Most weekends were spent competing around the country, learning very quickly that racing takes more than speed. It takes discipline, focus, resilience, pressure management and the ability to keep improving.
That early success eventually led to Jon being selected to compete in a one-off car race in 1999. It was a significant event, not least because the race was won by future 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, Jenson Button.
The week that followed, Jon’s motorsport momentum was brought to a sudden halt when he was struck down by a devastating form of meningitis.
It was a life-changing moment. His racing journey was interrupted at the exact point it was starting to build, but as Jon reflects now, sometimes these things happen for a reason.
During his recovery, Jon developed a resilience that would stay with him for the rest of his life. He also began raising money for charity, including the Meningitis Trust, while working hard to secure sponsorship that would help him get back on track.
At the same time, Jon had left school and started an apprenticeship in mechanical and electrical engineering. Another twist of fate followed when he was made redundant within weeks of starting his new career. However, his college lecturer had been approached by a Gloucestershire business looking for a practical, all-round engineer. Jon was put forward for the role and got it.
That company was Chronos Technology, a leading and world-renowned business in the timing sector.
It was the moment where motorsport, engineering and timing all began to connect.
Back on track, Jon proudly carried Chronos sponsorship on his racing car, while also beginning his career in the world of professional timing and synchronisation. On the weekends, he was racing alongside future F1 champions and Le Mans winners. During the week, he was being introduced to the world of business, engineering, timing and precision.
Those lessons took a few years to fully recognise, but they laid the foundations for what came next.
“Working for Charles Curry and his team at Chronos was the best thing that could have happened to me. I was driven by a work ethic from my family and was used to pressure from the race track, so to add the professional, ambitious and relentless exposure of my work life sowed seeds which gave me ideas and ambitions of my own for the future.”
As Jon’s career developed, Chronos on the side of his racing car became Horsebridge, following a business merger with Oscilloquartz and the creation of a new UK start-up led by David O’Connor and Geoff Smith.
New names appeared on the car. New responsibilities arrived at work. Success continued on both sides.
On track, Jon was winning races and championships. Off track, he was still only 18 but was being trusted with responsibilities far beyond his years inside a smaller, fast-moving organisation.
That environment taught him a lot.
“This is where I learned that I work well under pressure. The pressure was relentless, on track at the weekends and worldwide for Horsebridge in the week. We lived and breathed work, competition and success. It was a whirlwind that only now I look back on and realise how it was shaping me.”
But racing is never just about talent. It is also about money, support, sacrifice and timing.
The untimely death of Jon’s dad, his racing hero, biggest supporter and manager, combined with the increasing costs of trying to climb the motorsport ladder, eventually led to one last push in 2003. Jon finished his racing career with another trophy, ending with an epic last-to-first drive on track.
After that, he turned away from the sport.
“It was painful for many reasons and for a while you feel lost. The speed and competition is a drug, and then it is gone.”
A few outings followed in the years after. Supportive work colleagues, friends and family tried to help get him back on track. There were appearances in touring cars with SEAT, time with Renault Clios, a spell as a Coventry University test driver for their motorsport division, some coaching, and eventually a return to karting to scratch the itch.
The talent was still there, but the desire, the need and the relentless pressure to raise money had started to fade.
The focus had changed.
Work, business and investment became the new competition.
Jon often reflects on the people who helped shape him during that period. He describes himself as having been quiet and shy until the visor came down, but certain people saw something in him that perhaps he did not fully see in himself at the time.
“My work ethic and learning style meant that hours in the day were my limiting factor, but I took my drive into property development alongside growing my stature in Horsebridge. Learning from mistakes seemed to form my now accepted approach and helped me understand my educational frustrations through school. The university of life is quite powerful.”
That process of learning continues today.
Jon has often spoken about how greater awareness of how people think, work and learn has helped him understand himself better. What may once have felt like being a misfit in education is now easier to recognise as part of what helped him focus in sport, adapt under pressure at work and take calculated risks in life.
That same self-awareness, resilience and willingness to keep moving forward eventually became part of the Edge Networks story.
In 2018, Jon agreed a deal with friends and colleagues at Horsebridge to take over the core services and timing business. It was a major step, a major risk and another major education.
But it worked.
Edge grew from its original WISP and carrier services background into a business with deep roots in timing, synchronisation, engineering and service delivery.
“I am proud to have not only orchestrated it, but to have done so while remaining close and loyal to those who built this journey with me. Our business DNA has elements of my 28-year career. I think of my Chronos years with pride, and the Horsebridge years where my life really was formed. From Charles, Phil and Tony at Chronos, to David, Geoff and Craig at Horsebridge, and later Callam, I cannot thank them enough.”
Jon has never wanted to be the face of Edge. His aim has always been for Edge to have its own identity, its own ethos and its own way of doing things.
But that identity has clearly been influenced by the people, pressure, lessons and experiences that built the journey.
That is where motorsport still matters.
Motorsport taught Jon about timing, pressure, preparation, risk, teamwork and execution. The timing industry taught him about precision, resilience, reliability and accountability. Together, those worlds helped shape the values that still sit inside Edge today.
It is also why Edge continues to support sport, charity and community activity wherever it can.
From local grassroots teams to professional sport, from charity events to foundation work, our support is not random. It is part of the same “pass it on” mindset that came from Jon’s own journey.
Over the years, Edge has supported organisations and causes including BRDC-linked motorsport activity, Gorsley and Newent Football, Newent Rugby, Highnam Girls Football, Aston Ingham Cricket, Gloucester Rugby, Gloucester-Hartpury Rugby, Gloucester Rugby Foundation, the Meningitis Trust and the British Heart Foundation.
Some of that support is about sponsorship. Some of it is about creating opportunities. Some of it is about helping young people, clubs, teams and charities access experiences or resources that make a real difference.
For Jon, the connection to the Meningitis Trust will always be especially personal.
“I sort of owe my life to the Meningitis Trust, a charity local to my home town of Gloucester. Their relentless work made the right people aware that I was really poorly. We did not have time for an ambulance when my meningitis really took hold. I was unconscious, I was dying and that could have been missed. Another hour to react and it would have been too late.”
Carrying the Meningitis Trust logo during his racing career and raising money for them meant a huge amount at the time, and it continues to influence the way Jon thinks about giving back today.
That is why motorsport matters to Edge.
It is not just about cars, circuits or sponsorship. It is about where the journey started. It is about pressure, precision, resilience and timing. It is about the people who gave Jon opportunities, and the responsibility to create opportunities for others where possible.
And in many ways, that is exactly what Edge stands for today.
A business built on timing, shaped by resilience, and driven by the belief that success means more when you use it to support others.
Continue the motorsport story
Motorsport has played a huge part in Jon’s journey, and it continues to be part of the Edge Networks story today.
To celebrate that connection, we are currently running an F1 competition, giving you the chance to win VIP tickets to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.
For us, this is more than a competition. It is a way to share the sport, the experience and the excitement that has helped shape so much of our story.
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