Eva Askquith

Eva Askquith (19051985), 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. She was one of only four British female speedway riders at this time and also raced internationally.

Early life and early motorcycle trail racing

Born in 1905 in Bedale in North Riding of Yorkshire, Askquith was daughter of Charlie Askquith, a butcher. 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. This confusion may have arisen as she served as a despatch rider for the Auxiliary Fire Service during the Second World War. 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. 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.

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.

Speedway racing

On 5 September 1928, shortly before the British speedway calendar was coming to a close, Askquith made the switch to speedway motorcycle racing, competing on outdoor circuits with dirt and grass tracks. Her main competition was Irish motorcycle champion Fay Taylour, with whom she had raced previously in hill climbs and grass tracks. Askquith first competed at Middlesbrough speedway track in a handicap scratch race against Taylour and, shortly afterwards, at Leeds where she won two heats in a junior handicap race with the prize money enabling to buy a Douglas DT 500.

In April 1930 season, it was announced that women would not be allowed to compete in speedway racing in Britain due to concerns about women's safety and the "unladylike" nature of speedway racing.