Gene Walker
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Gene Walker (June 7, 1893 – June 21, 1924) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
motorcycle
flat track Dirt track racing is a form of motorsport held on clay or dirt surfaced oval race tracks often used for thoroughbred horse racing. Dirt track racing started in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 1930s ...
racer who was one of the first riders from the
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to become nationally known, winning 19 championships in a 10-year career that ended with his death at the peak of his success. In 1910, Walker obtained his first motorcycle, an
Excelsior Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry * "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow * ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...
. At 17 he worked as a postal delivery person in Birmingham using an
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
motorcycle for delivering mail. Walker entered his first motorcycle race at the 1912 Alabama State Fair and won the five-mile final. In the same year he left his job at the post office to go to work for a Birmingham Indian dealer named Bob Stubbs. In 1914 Walker turned professional and worked in the testing room at the Indian headquarters in Springfield, Massachusetts. Walker won 19 national championships in his 10 years of professional racing before he died in 1924. On June 7, while practicing alone on a track in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Walker crashed. He died in Rosenkrans Hospital in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on June 21. Walker was inducted to the
Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...
in 1998.


Major milestones

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Gene American motorcycle racers 1893 births 1924 deaths Motorcycle land speed record people