Walter Hartley Phillips (17 October 1908 – 5 January 1998)[1] was an international motorcycle speedway rider who rode in the first ever World Championship final in 1936.
[3] Phillips began his speedway career alongside Gus Kuhn at Stamford Bridge Pensioners in 1929, winning the Southern League Championship, and stayed there until they closed at the end of the 1932 season,[4] where he also appeared in the final of the Star Riders' Championship .
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.
When Phillips rode the bike at a meeting at Stamford Bridge stadium he beat the track record time.
[8] Phillips was also known for what he termed as his fuel injector, a carburettor replacement mainly intended for motorcycles and scooters.