lit a candle 3h agoNever seen speedway live in my life, just fell into old British league footage on Youtube a few years back and Ashby's name kept coming up. That 1968 World Team Cup win at Wembley, the way he rode, still holds up watching it now from North Carolina. Strange to feel something for a stranger from another country's sport but there it is.
Their story
Henry Martin Ashby was one of the defining riders of British motorcycle speedway in the 1960s and 1970s, a Marlborough-born competitor whose name became inseparable from the Swindon Robins. Born on 5 February 1944, he entered the sport as a teenager and built a career measured not only in titles…
Henry Martin Ashby was one of the defining riders of British motorcycle speedway in the 1960s and 1970s, a Marlborough-born competitor whose name became inseparable from the Swindon Robins. Born on 5 February 1944, he entered the sport as a teenager and built a career measured not only in titles but in loyalty, style and the trust of fans who called him Mr Swindon Speedway.
Ashby began with the Robins in 1961 and quickly became a regular England international. A rider-control move sent him to the Exeter Falcons for 1968 to 1970, a spell that coincided with his individual World Championship final appearance at Gothenburg in 1968, where he finished eleventh. With Nigel Boocock he took third in the Speedway World Pairs Championship in 1969. He helped Great Britain win the World Team Cup in 1968 and later helped England win it again in 1975.
When he returned to Swindon in 1971 he stayed for the rest of the decade, becoming club captain and setting records that stood for years: 641 appearances and 5,476 and a half points, the points mark only overtaken by Leigh Adams in 2008. He was a British Finalist ten times between 1967 and 1977, won the Scottish Open in 1968, and collected domestic invitations such as the Pride of the Midlands, Superama and The Laurels. His last British league season, 1980 with the Reading Racers, ended with another British League title.
Off the track Ashby was remembered as a gentleman. After retiring he ran a motorcycle workshop in Marlborough, repairing and tuning machines for local riders and customers. His brother David rode beside him for several seasons at Swindon. Family statements after his death described a proud husband to Brenda, father to Elaine and Jon, and a grandfather and great-grandfather who still found time for people long after the racing lights went out.
Ashby died peacefully at home on 16 September 2026, aged 82. Tributes from former riders, including Alun Rossiter, and from fans across Britain and abroad stressed both his class on the shale and his kindness away from it. His funeral was arranged for St Marys Church, Marlborough, on 8 October 2026, with burial at Marlborough Cemetery. The record books already secured his place in speedway history; the outpouring of memory confirmed how deeply Swindon and the wider sport held him.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia (Martin Ashby), CC BY-SA 4.0; Swindon Advertiser, tributes after death, Sep 2026; British Speedway Ultimate Rider Index; Speedway Researcher rider averages. Wikipedia ↗
In their own words
“With great sadness we share the news that Martin Ashby has passed away peacefully at home on 16th September 2026. Martin was a much-loved husband to Brenda, dad to Elaine and Jon, and also well-known Swindon Speedway Captain for many years.”
Jon Ashby, family announcement reported by the Swindon Advertiser, September 2026
“He was very much a caring family man who always had time for everyone and would go way beyond the normal to help anyone.”
Ashby family statement to the Swindon Advertiser after tributes poured in
“One of the most stylish riders of his time, and a true gentleman on and off the track.”
Former Swindon rider and manager Alun Rossiter, tribute reported September 2026
Photos
2Martin Ashby in Swindon Robins colours
by People Forever
Martin Ashby remembered in local tributes after his death
by People Forever
