View source for Frederick James Walker

{{short description|Irish motorcycle racer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=January 2017}}
'''Frederick James 'Frank' Walker''' (1876 – 19 May 1914) was an Irish [[motorcycle]] racer who competed at the [[Isle of Man TT]] races.

A hat manufacturer by trade and native of [[Dún Laoghaire|Kingstown]], [[County Dublin]], [[Ireland]], Frank Walker competed at the [[1914 Isle of Man TT|1914 TT]] races riding a [[Royal Enfield]] motorcycle in the [[Junior TT]] race. After leading on the first lap, Walker suffered tyre problems and eventually dropped to sixth place. After regaining third place by lap 5, Walker ran wide into a ditch at [[Hillberry Corner|Hillberry]] and was thrown over the handle-bars. After recovering his motorcycle, Walker continued on the last lap but fell at Willaston Corner on Ballanard Road after locking both wheels under braking. Again managing to continue, on the short distance to the finish his view of the finish-line was obscured by spectators who had spilled onto the road to watch the competitors cross the finish-line.<ref>''TT Guide'' 2003 – Motor-Cycle News EMAP Publication pp19</ref> Passing the judges-box at the finish-line, Walker continued at full racing speed through St. Ninians Crossroads and collided with a wooden barrier across Ballaquayle Road, was thrown from his motorcycle and taken to hospital where he died of his injuries.<ref>pp208 ''The Magic of The TT. A Century of Racing over The Mountain'' by Mac McDiarmid.(2004)(1st Ed). Haynes Publishing. {{ISBN|1-84425-002-4}}</ref> Later, Walker was posthumously declared third-place finisher by the ACU race committee in the Junior TT race won by Eric Williams.

==Sources==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070322154226/http://www.iomtt.com/TTDatabase/Races.aspx?meet_code=ALL&ride_id=261 TT database TT results] iomtt.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Frederick James}}
[[Category:1876 births]]
[[Category:1914 deaths]]
[[Category:Irish motorcycle racers]]
[[Category:Isle of Man TT riders]]
[[Category:Motorcycle racers who died while racing]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Dún Laoghaire]]
[[Category:Motorsport people from County Dublin]]
[[Category:Sport deaths in the Isle of Man]]


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