CAREER RECORD WITH SWINDON: Meetings: 560 (374 League; 30 National Trophy; 16 Knock-Out Cup; 41 Britannia Shield; 23 Midland Cup; 5 Central Challenge Shield; 2 Easter Cup; 63 Challenge; 5 Four-Team Tournament; 1 Three-Team Tournament) Rides: 2,340 Points: 4,239 Bonus: 350 Total: 4,589 Average: 7.84 Maximums: 69 (42 full and 27 paid)
CLUB DEBUT: 25 April 1957 versus Oxford (Away) Challenge; 2 points (5 rides).
MIKE'S surname is Broadbank but, in the early part of his career, an ‘s' was inadvertently added to the end of his name and it stuck throughout his entire riding career! ‘Broady', as he was affectionately known, went on to become Swindon's longest-serving rider, as well as one of the very best.
He is also the only rider to feature in both of the Robins' senior League Championship triumphs in 1957 and 1967. Yet, unfortunately, he was never granted a Testimonial, even though he represented the club for a remarkable sixteen seasons!
Mike was a former cycle speedway rider who began his shale career in 1954 at his local track, Rye House, breaking into the team a year later. In 1956, he joined the world famous Wembley, but when stadium chairman Sir Arthur Elvin died in February the following year, the Lions regrettably pulled out of the sport.
During his season with the Lions, Broadbank made his debut at Blunsdon in a World Championship qualifying round on 25 July, when he recorded a 6-point tally from five outings. Later that season, Broady appeared at the Abbey for Wembley in a challenge match on 1 September, but he could only muster 2 points in a thrilling encounter that saw the Robins narrowly defeat their illustrious visitors by 49 points to 47.
For a fee of just £50, he was subsequently dealt to Swindon, where the Robins had been Division Two Champions in 1956. Speedway was on the verge of collapse, though, and only eleven senior tracks remained after the post-war boom.
Mike's debut for the Robins occurred in a challenge match at Oxford on 25 April, when he recorded a 2-point tally. Following that, he linked in quickly with the team of 1957 and the side went on to win the National League title at the first attempt.
A year later, he made the first of seven World Final appearances (although two were as a reserve), when netting 5 points at Wembley Stadium on 20 September. Until the late 1960s, almost all riders sported plain black leathers, but Mike Broadbank wore red. Little wonder that he was nicknamed the ‘Red Devil' and his long-legged style was both unique and very successful.
After their 1957 title win, the Robins faded as a force, but Broady was the mainstay of the side. During the winter of 1962/63, he rode Down Under and appeared in the Australian Championship. This took place at Rockhampton, Queensland on 15 December and - in a meeting that was run on a knock-out basis - Mike took victory in the final from Keith Gurtner, Ivan Mauger and another former Robin, Arne Carlsson.
As the Aussies use seasons rather than years, that made Mike the Australian Champion for 1963! He defended his title at the Sydney Showground, New South Wales on 25 January 1964, but was unfortunately eliminated at the quarter-final stage.
At Swindon, Broady remained the top rider in the lean years before the arrival of Barry Briggs, and during their time together the duo formed one of the sport's most potent spearheads, culminating in Swindon winning the British League Championship in 1967.
Mike was also very successful in conducting training schools. Indeed, he helped bring on many youngsters and Swindon team members like Brian Brett, Martin Ashby, Bob Kilby and Barry Duke all spoke highly of the assistance they had received. On track too, he was a talented team rider, so often shepherding his partner home, while having the time and skill to look back during a race.
Broadbank made a third and final appearance in the Australian Championship at the Sydney Showground on 21 December 1968 when, in a meeting run over twenty heats in a more traditional points-scoring system, he rode as reserve and scored 2 points from his only two starts.
His long reign at the top unfortunately ended on 26 July 1969, when he fractured his right leg in three places during heat five of a British League Division One fixture against Hackney at Blunsdon. This occurred when visiting rider Les McGillivray lost control of his machine, with Mike taking evasive action to avoid a pile-up. In so doing, he collided with a lamp standard and also suffered concussion.
He was to miss almost the entire 1970 season save for a couple of league matches, but came back to complete two full terms in 1971 and 1972, before linking with Stoke (who were initially known as Chesterton when they opened at their Loomer Road venue) for a couple of highly successful years in Division Two.
Broady spent the 1975 season back in the senior flight with Hackney, before seeing out his long and distinguished career at Crayford and Newport, finally retiring at the end of the 1977 campaign, when aged forty-three.
Mike was not only a top class rider, but a fine captain too, and he admitted that he sometimes upset officials when conveying what his team-mates thought. He could score well on a wet or dry track, a smooth or bumpy one, but if things were bad, he wasn't afraid to say so!
He made a welcome return to the Blunsdon circuit on 8 October 1988, when the Championship-winning side of 1967 was re-assembled in a special challenge match versus the Swindon Soft Water Centre All-Stars, who included other former club greats like Edgar Stangeland, David Ashby and Norman Hunter.
On a night of sheer nostalgia, the 1967 team was defeated 34-32, but the result didn't really matter as the Blunsdon faithful were just glad to see all their old heroes out on the track once again. Broadbank rode at No. 1 for the 1967 team on the night, and the old familiar style was there for all to see as he collected 4+1 points from his three rides.
In all competitions, the amazing Michael John Broadbank made a mighty total of 560 appearances for Swindon, scoring 4,239 points, putting him in fourth place overall in terms of the club records, behind Leigh Adams, Martin Ashby and Phil Crump.
He has maintained a keen interest in the sport and still pops up to Blunsdon to watch the modern day stars from time to time. However, it came as a real shock on 11 July 2006, when club owner Terry Russell announced he had granted Broady a benefit meeting, some twenty-nine years after he had retired. Mr. Russell explained: "I felt it was a terrible injustice that Mike had spent sixteen seasons at Swindon without some recognition and I wanted to put it right."
Subsequently, on 17 August, Broady was inducted into the Legends' Lounge - and his special meeting duly took place on 28 September, when he donned his old red leathers and completed a lap of the Abbey circuit prior to the commencement of the meeting, which saw the Robins tackle Australia.
Poor weather caused the action to be halted after heat eleven, with the scores level at 33 points apiece, but that didn't really matter as the man himself enjoyed a terrific night, especially as so many former team-mates were present to chat about the old times.
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DATE OF BIRTH: 25 September 1934, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.
After their 1957 title win, the Robins faded as a force, but Broady was the mainstay of the side. During the winter of 1962/63, he rode Down Under and appeared in the Australian Championship. This took place at Rockhampton, Queensland on 15 December and - in a meeting that was run on a knock-out basis - Mike took victory in the final from Keith Gurtner, Ivan Mauger and another former Robin, Arne Carlsson.
