Wal Phillips
Encyclopedia
Walter Hartley 'Wal' Phillips (born 17 October 1908 in Tottenham
, England
- died 1998) was an international motorcycle speedway
rider who rode in the first ever World Championship
final in 1936
.
at Stamford Bridge Pensioners
in 1929, winning the Southern League Championship, and stayed there until they closed at the end of the 1932 season, where he also appeared in the final of the Star Riders' Championship
. Philips then joined the Wimbledon Dons
, staying there until the end of the 1936 season.
Phillips represented England
from 1930 until 1936. His career was ended on the 1936/37 tour of Australia when he suffered a broken leg at the Sydney Showground
.
(JAP), andwas instrumental in the development of the JAP engines used in speedway. Stan Greening was developing an engine specifically for speedway but the results were not impressive after testing by Australian riders Billy Lamont and Vic Huxley
. Greening and Phillips stripped down Phillips' Rudge bike and used some of the ideas in that engine with the new one of their own. When Phillips rode the bike at a meeting at Stamford Bridge stadium
he beat the track record time. The JAP engines remained in use until the mid 1960s.
Phillips was also renowned for his carburettors and fuel injection
systems.
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- died 1998) was an international motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
rider who rode in the first ever World Championship
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
final in 1936
1936 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1936 Individual Speedway World Championship was the first ever Speedway World Championship and was won by Lionel Van Praag of Australia. It was the first of a record 26 times that London's Wembley Stadium would host the World Final with the last being in 1981.*1936 Podium# Lionel Van Praag # ...
.
Career summary
Phillips began his speedway career alongside Gus KuhnGus Kuhn
Gus Kuhn was a successful British TT and Motorcycle speedway rider during the 1920s.He was born in Birmingham, England.-Speedway:...
at Stamford Bridge Pensioners
Stamford Bridge Pensioners
The Stamford Bridge Pensioners were a speedway team which operated from 1929 until their closure in 1932. The team were one of the pioneers of British speedway, entering and winning the first Southern League championship in 1929...
in 1929, winning the Southern League Championship, and stayed there until they closed at the end of the 1932 season, where he also appeared in the final of the Star Riders' Championship
Star Riders' Championship
The Star Riders' Championship was the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship and was inaugurated in 1929. The competition was sponsored by The Star, which was a London evening newspaper at that time....
. Philips then joined the Wimbledon Dons
Wimbledon Dons
The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They were closed during the Second World War but upon their re-opening in 1946 there were 42,000...
, staying there until the end of the 1936 season.
Phillips represented England
Great Britain national speedway team
The Great Britain national speedway team are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by Poole Pirates manager Neil Middleditch and the captain is Chris Harris of the Belle Vue Aces....
from 1930 until 1936. His career was ended on the 1936/37 tour of Australia when he suffered a broken leg at the Sydney Showground
Sydney Showground (Moore Park)
The former Sydney Showground at Moore Park was the site of the Sydney Royal Easter Show in New South Wales, Australia from 1882 until 1997, when the Show was moved to the new Sydney Showground at Homebush Bay, which was built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics...
.
World Final appearances
- 19361936 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1936 Individual Speedway World Championship was the first ever Speedway World Championship and was won by Lionel Van Praag of Australia. It was the first of a record 26 times that London's Wembley Stadium would host the World Final with the last being in 1981.*1936 Podium# Lionel Van Praag # ...
-
United Kingdom LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 13th - 5pts + 7 semi-final points
Engineering
Phillips was a renowned engineer, his uncle was a development engineer and works rider at JA Prestwich Industries LtdJA Prestwich Industries Ltd
JA Prestwich Industries, was an English engineering company named after founder John Alfred Prestwich, which produced cinematographic equipment, internal combustion engines , and other examples of precision engineering.-History:J. A...
(JAP), andwas instrumental in the development of the JAP engines used in speedway. Stan Greening was developing an engine specifically for speedway but the results were not impressive after testing by Australian riders Billy Lamont and Vic Huxley
Vic Huxley
Victor Nelson "Vic" Huxley was a Speedway who won the Star Riders' Championship, the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship, in 1930 and finished runner-up in 1931 and 1932. He also won the London Riders' Championship in 1936 whilst with the Wimbledon Dons...
. Greening and Phillips stripped down Phillips' Rudge bike and used some of the ideas in that engine with the new one of their own. When Phillips rode the bike at a meeting at Stamford Bridge stadium
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
he beat the track record time. The JAP engines remained in use until the mid 1960s.
Phillips was also renowned for his carburettors and fuel injection
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
systems.
