CLUB DEBUT: 24 July 1961 versus Exeter (Away) Challenge; 0 points (4 rides).
MARTIN ASHBY started riding motorcycles at the age of seven, when his father built him a miniature bike. Having progressed to speedway, he made his public debut at the age of 16, and crashed in his first race at Bristol's Knowle Stadium. He was dubbed with the nickname ‘Crash' thereafter, but nothing could have been more inappropriate, as the elder of the Ashby racing brothers went on to be one of the safest around for two decades. He first broke into the Swindon side in a challenge match at Exeter on 24 July 1961, understandably failing to score from four starts.
The following year, Martin became a regular teamster, partaking in all twenty-four National League fixtures although, with only seven clubs competing, the going was mighty tough. It was in the final home match of that 1962 season when he really revealed the ability needed to climb the ladder of speedway fame. He was programmed at reserve for the second leg of the National Trophy final against Wimbledon and - in the days of handicap racing - he rode from scratch as he swept to victory from partner Arne Carlsson in heat four.
Then, in heat eight, he recorded a second emphatic success, with team manager Roger Wise subsequently using him as a replacement for Brian Brett in heat eleven, and again for Ian Williams two races later. In the first instance, he was up against the mighty Ronnie Moore, who was off a 20-yard handicap but, amidst tremendous cheering from the terraces, Ashby rode a brilliant line to take another win. He followed that up by winning heat thirteen and, with a full 12 points in the bag, was selected along with Carlsson for the nominated heat to face the potent Dons' pairing of Moore and Ron How. The atmosphere was electric as Ashby moved ahead from the start and, despite the undoubted ability of his opponents, he held on to win and complete a wonderful five-ride maximum.
The handicap system remained in place in 1963, when Martin had to give 10-yards at the start. This made racing considerably harder, but he showed great determination and eventually raised his league average from the previous year's 4.28 to 5.80. With handicapping still in play until late August in 1964, and an early season attack of mumps to cope with, he didn't make the expected progress that term, although his league figure still headed in the right direction to exactly 6.00.
The formation of the British League in 1965 was to see Ashby emerge as a real star yet, as his career took off, the only flaw in his game was the fact that he wasn't particularly quick from the gate. This was a blessing for the fans, though. Indeed, if he had he been a ‘trapper', supporters would have been denied many wonderful battles over the years, as his clever cut-back manoeuvre on the pits bend became almost a regular feature of meetings at the Abbey Stadium.
Naturally, the 1967 campaign was one that all Swindon fans recalled fondly as Martin scored 308 points to yield an average of 8.79, and was very much a leading player as the Robins lifted the British League Championship. Regrettably, following that success, Rider Control then deemed that Swindon must lose one of their top four, and Ashby moved to Exeter. In 1968, as a Falcons rider, he averaged 10.79 in league matches, set several track records around the country and qualified for his one and only World Final in Gothenburg, where he netted a 5-point tally.
After three successful seasons in Devon, Swindon recalled Martin and, throughout the 1970s, he was the mainstay of a team that unfortunately slipped away from the glory of the previous decade. He remained a top-notch star until he was involved in a bad accident with future team-mate Phil Crump at a rain-soaked Sheffield in the semi-final of the Gauloises British League Pairs Championship on 15 September 1977. Regrettably, he suffered serious collarbone injuries and - after five successive seasons at the head of the Robins' averages - he was overhauled by Bob Kilby and Jan Andersson in 1978.
The following year, his Testimonial term, was to be his last with Swindon, when his league average slumped to 5.90. He left the club with an £11,000 cheque from his special meeting, but had spent much of the season at reserve, as he bravely battled with illness and the effects of the crash at Sheffield. Ashby was to end his career on a high, though, as he lifted the British League Championship with Reading in 1980, riding alongside the likes of Jan Andersson, Bobby Schwartz and John Davis.
Having donned a Swindon race-jacket on no less than 641 occasions in all competitions, whilst also plundering a massive total of 5,795.5 points (including bonus), he was to retain the club's point-scoring records until being surpassed by Leigh Adams on 8 August 2008. He does, however, still having the satisfaction of having made more appearances than any other for the club - his massive figure of 641 being highly unlikely to be bettered.
In the league alone, Ashby represented the Robins in 452 matches, scoring 3,980.5 points plus 236 bonus for an average of 8.78, while also netting 58 full and 12 paid maximums. A quiet, retiring man, Martin can still be found enjoying his speedway on the terraces at Blunsdon and, on 6 July 2006, he became the fourth former rider to be inducted into the Legends' Lounge.
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DATE OF BIRTH: 5 February 1944, Marlborough, Wiltshire.
The formation of the British League in 1965 was to see Ashby emerge as a real star yet, as his career took off, the only flaw in his game was the fact that he wasn't particularly quick from the gate. This was a blessing for the fans, though. Indeed, if he had he been a ‘trapper', supporters would have been denied many wonderful battles over the years, as his clever cut-back manoeuvre on the pits bend became almost a regular feature of meetings at the Abbey Stadium.
