Andy Smith

Andy “Foxy” Smith is no stranger to Kirkmanshulme Lane as he prepares to put the Aces race jacket on for the eleventh time in his speedway career. 

 Born and bread in Yorkshire, Andy followed the footsteps of his father Frank by starting on the grass in 1979, before embarking on a long speedway career which started at Belle Vue in 1982, when he was just sixteen.  Andy impressed enough to be included in the starting line-up for 1983 and actually remained in the Belle Vue side throughout 1984 and 1985.
 Nicknamed ‘Smudger’, he returned to the Aces in 1986, but his season was cut short when he broke his right leg.  His luck didn’t change when he returned to the Aces outfit the following year, after he suffered a cracked ankle while riding in Alan Graham’s Testimonial meeting at Cradley Heath.

 Smith spent a seventh year with the Aces in 1988 which saw his average cross the seven point mark.
 It was 1989 when Andy changed allegiances and moved to Bradford, where he spent two seasons. While at the Dukes, he made his World Final debut and crossed the line in seventh position overall.  He also made his debut in the indoor ice speedway at Telford, where he remains a regular competitor.

 It wasn’t until mid season in 1991 that the Swindon Robins secured his services, but it was a year that his career could have come crashing down, when he broke his neck during a Test match meeting between England and the USA at Odsal Stadium. 
 But he made a quick return to the shale when he signed for the Coventry Bees in 1992, where he remained for the next four seasons.  During his time at Brandon, he was crowned British Champion no less than three times in 1993, 94 and 95. It was another year for the Dukes for Andy in 1996, before returning to Coventry the following season.

 It was ten years later before he returned to Belle Vue in 1998.  But he nearly turned his back on speedway for good after just three months, when he announced he was quitting as he couldn’t make the sport pay.
 It was an offer from the Robins that enticed him back to the saddle in the same year, before Smudger came back to Belle Vue in 1999, where he was to remain until being released at the end of July 2001.

 Pursuing his career on the Continent and competing in the GP’s, Andy had a break from British speedway for two years.  His return was a debut in the Oxford pits at the end of 2003, before returning to Swindon for the third time in 2004.

 Fighting off competition from Peterborough and Premier league side Edinburgh, Aces manager Ian Thomas took full advantage of his resistance to drop down a league, by securing his signature for the Aces for the forthcoming season.
 Now, after a 22 year career, the 38 year old is out to silence the critics who have slammed his return to Belle Vue as a backward step.  Coming in on an average of 4.22, the veteran will fit comfortably in a reserve berth.

 Andy, who also rides on a Polish licence, has signed for Apator Torun in Poland and will have limited meetings in the Swedish League for Masarna and open bookings in Germany.