(Not strictly an interview undertaken by Mike Naish, but certainly in that vein and from the same part of the world!)

Words: Trials Guru & Hedley Ashford

Photos: Ashford Family; Hugh Hunter Collection, Fort William; Linda Ashford; Mike Rapley and Iain Lawrie.

We chat with a resident of Street in Somerset, a large village which had two famous all-round off-road competitors to its credit. The first being the late P.H. ‘Jim’ Alves who owned the local garage in the 1950s and 60s. He was of course a Triumph factory rider who was ACU Trials Star holder in 1950, the equivalent of British Trials Champion at that time. Alves was the first to compete on a works Triumph ‘Terrier’ 150cc, the forerunner of the Tiger Cub. He was very successful on the factory’s twin cylinder machines, both in national trials and the ISDT.

Jim Alves was at his height of his trials career when our subject was just an infant, he was actually born in Ashcott, Somerset, an eleven-minute bus journey from Street, in 1948 the youngest of four boys. His name of course is Hedley Ashford.

Trials Guru: How did you get into motorcycle sport Hedley?

Hedley Ashford: “When I was thirteen, a neighbour and I would ‘borrow a BSA B34 from a man who lived in the village, who only found out about a year after we’d been riding it. Luckily, he was fine about it.”

“I was still at school, weekends would find me riding around in a field, which was good fun, that’s where I got the bug for bikes.”

TG: What was your main source of income?

HA: “I became an apprentice joiner with a builder in Street called Ernie Blake, then I moved to another builder, Bert Steven and finally to my last employment with Chris Edgar, before I retired in 2013.”

TG: What was your first event and what did you ride?

HA: “My first motorcycle event was a Time Trial at High Ham in 1966, not far from where I lived, on a borrowed Triumph Tiger Cub, I was going to buy this bike. Unfortunately, the man who was selling it changed his mind but still let me ride it in the event, I won the Novice award.”

TG: And after that Novice win, what made you carry on?

HA: “In 1967 I went to see Bryan ‘Badger’ Goss and was looking at a 250 Greeves Anglian with the prospect of buying it, having only just started working I didn’t really have the funds, so I asked my older brother, John if he would lend me the money, which he was happy to do but said why not go to Wyverns in Bridgwater and buy a brand new Bultaco Sherpa? I only kept this bike for a few months before trading it in for a motocross Husqvarna 250. I rode against Badger many times when I scrambled and got on well with him.”

TG: What was your first scrambles event?

HA: “My first event was at Witham Friary, Near Frome, in the first race I finished in third place. I then rode for three months in Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall where I had accumulated enough points to move up to Expert Status.”

TG: You are a married man, was there any motorcycling involved?

HA: “Yes there was actually, soon after, I met my wife, Linda at a scrambles meeting at Witham Friary in 1968, she was spectating with a motorcyclist family friend. We got married in November 1972 and have three children, two girls and a boy, Trevor who followed in my footsteps as a trials rider. Both our daughters have dabbled in trials as well, the eldest having a nasty accident at a trial resulting in a damaged knee, one still rides bikes, following me around at events. Linda lived at nearby Compton Dundon and had a Vespa scooter at the time; I bought a Triumph Tiger 110 to do my courting.”

TG: Which was your favourite event when you rode in scrambles?

HA: “I was riding a Bass Charrington sponsored scramble at Sigwells, run by Somerton MCC, I came second to Ross Frazer, I would have loved to have got my name on the Trophy. I competed in scrambles at Wick, Glastonbury, I think there was a British GP of Great Britain at that venue, possibly around 1965.”

TG: Was there any special friends when you were racing?

HA: “I lived across the road from Stan, Barb and their son Roy Frampton who also rode in scrambles, and they would take me to events with them. I rode under number 86 and Roy was 85.”

TG: Which clubs were you a member of?

HA: “I was a member of the Tor Motorcycle Club, it’s now disbanded, Somerton MCC, Mendip Vale, Yeo Vale, plus many more which quite a few are still around today.”

TG: You moved away from scrambles, when was that?

HA: “I ended my scrambles career in 1970, due to financial reasons, selling my Husqvarna and buying a Montesa Cota, I was riding a local trial and got chatting to another rider on a Bultaco 250 with a Miller Frame, we changed bikes to have a play on, he preferred my Montesa, I liked his Bultaco, so we did a straight swap. Later, in 1973, I bought a BSA B50 from Terry Cox at Keinton Mandeville to give motocross another go, but trials was by now my thing. Terry was one of Somerset’s best motocross riders at the time.”

TG: Did you ever compete in the SSDT?

HA: “I have never ridden the Scottish Six Days in my trials riding career, I was sponsored by Fantic who wanted me to ride in the Fantic Team, but my place was then given to Jaume Subira the Spanish factory rider. In a way I was quite relieved as there would have been a lot of pressure on me to do well.”

TG: Which was your favourite bike?

HA: “Out of all the bikes that I’ve ridden over the years, I think at the time the Husqvarna was my favourite machine.”

TG: Was there anyone you particularly respected when competing?

HA: “Nobody in particular, that I can think of, I suppose I just wanted to do the best I could against whoever I was riding against. I was particularly friendly with Geoff Parken, Martin Strang, Nibs Kellett Graham Baker and latterly his son, Joe Baker.”

TG: Any particular incident that you recall?

HA: “I used to ride at a place called ‘Combe Hollow’ with Martin, Geoff, Gary Marshman and a few others. One day in late 1984 this guy turned up in a pickup with a mono-shock framed Bultaco called the ‘MonoTaco’ in the back. I think his name was Pete Neale.”

“I think we all rode it, but I was the only one that jumped over the others for a photo that appeared in TMX News.”

TG: Was there anything that helped you be successful as a trials rider?

HA: “As I said earlier, I was sponsored by Fantic, being ACU Wessex Centre Champion three years in succession, 1980 through to 1982. I was given a new bike every six months plus riding kit.”

“Dick Comer who was a motorcycle dealer at Lydford on the Fosse, he put my name forward to Roy Cary at South Essex Leisure who imported the Fantic, he then sponsored me, then Mike Hann took over from Dick Comer.”

TG: Any plans for the future?

HA: “At the moment, I don’t ride so much as I’m waiting for a hip replacement, I’m hoping once it’s done then I’ll get back to riding at a slightly higher level than I am at the moment.”

A Quick Chat with Hedley Ashford is the copyright of Trials Guru.

Credits:

Trials & Motocross News – Press Cutting: 14 December 1984 [1]

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