Eva Askquith
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Eva Askquith | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1905 |
| Died | 1985 (aged 79–80) |
| Other names | The Yorkshire Rose, Miss Eva |
| Occupation | Motorcycle racer |
| Years active | 1928–1932 |
| Known for | Pioneer female speedway motorcycle racer from 1928 to 1930 |
Eva Askquith (1905–1985), at times misspelt as Ashquith or Asquith, was a pioneering British female speedway motorcycle racer in the three seasons from 1928 and 1930 when female riders were allowed race speedway in Britain.[1] She was one of only four British female speedway riders at this time and also raced internationally.[2][3][4][self-published source]
Born in 1905 in Bedale in North Riding of Yorkshire, Askquith was daughter of Charlie Askquith, a butcher.[5] Some sources suggest she was a despatch rider during the First World War but this seems unlikely given she was 13 years of age when the war ended in 1918.[6][self-published source] This confusion may have arisen as she served as a despatch rider for the Auxiliary Fire Service during the Second World War.[5]
In the early 1920s, Askquith was a keen, competitive and talented horse rider from an early age, winning cups for riding in local shows and at point-to-point events including the Bedale Derby in 1923.[5][7] These skills may have eased her transition into motorcycle racing, when she took it up in the mid-1920s. She got a chance to ride a 350cc Matchless, borrowing it from a haulage man.[8] Around 1926, Askquith acquired a small 250cc New Imperial motorcycle for £3 with a friend Elsie Clarkson but never got to ride it as the motorcycle caught fire and was destroyed as her friend rode it around a field.[5][2][8] In 1926, Askquith bought her own motorcycle and in 1927 she entered the notorious and gruelling Scott Trial in nearby Swaledale – famous for being the largest one-day trial in the country – on an AJS TT Special.[5][2] Just completing this gruelling local event was an achievement and Askquith went on to complete the Scottish six-day trial, winning a competitor's medal awarded only to those who finished.[5] She also came second in a motorcycle trial from York to Edinburgh and back, which had to be completed in 24 hours or less.[5]
In February 1928, Askquith was one of only four female riders (up from none the previous year) to ride the £200 100-mile reliability trial organised by Leeds Motor Club but not one of the 100 solo riders got through the muddy trial with a clean sheet, Askquith and the three other female riders included.[9][10]
By June 1928, Askquith had acquired a new motorcycle, a Velocette, which was better suited to the trails she was competing in and used it to compete on grass courts and on the special hill runs at Post Hill and Dalton Bank.[2] Askquith did not make the finals of the Dalton Bank hill climb but did win the Ladies Trophy for the fastest time in the hilltop race at Post Hill.[11][2] In August 1928, Askquith defeated Irish motorcycle champion Fay Taylour at Rochdale grass track.[12]