Wally Kilmister was an international 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.

Career summary

Kilmister began riding at the Kilbirnie track in Wellington in 1929 before joining the Wembley Lions

Wembley Lions (speedway)

The Wembley Lions were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1929 until their closure in 1971. Their track was located at Wembley Stadium, London. The original stadium which hosted speedway has been redeveloped.-Pre-war:...

 in 1930. In 1935 he rode in the Star Riders' Championship

1935 Star Riders' Championship

The 1935 Star Riders' Championship was decided over twenty heats, and the rider with the highest total score was crowned as champion. Tom Farndon and Ron Johnson did not take part after crashing the night before, an accident that cost Farndon his life the day after the final. Geoff Pymar and Norman...

 and in 1936 he won the New Zealand Championship

New Zealand Individual Speedway Championship

The New Zealand Individual Speedway Championship is a Motorcycle speedway championship held each year to determine the New Zealand national champion. The championship has been running since 1929 though it has only been running each year since 1958...

. He was also a member of New Zealand and Colonies teams in the 1930s.

After retiring from speedway Kilmister returned to New Zealand and lived in Taupo

Taupo

Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....

 where he had a light engineering business.

External links

• Taranaki Historic Speedway Association - Wally Kilmister