Harry Riley Lees (born 1905, date of death unknown) was a former 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 Speedway World Championship 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 # ...

. He was born in Bury

Bury

Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...

, 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...

.

Career summary

Lees also raced in the first recognised speedway meeting held in Manchester on 3 March 1928. When the league competitions started he joined Burnley. He then moved onto Liverpool Chads

Liverpool Chads

Liverpool Chads are a defunct motorcycle speedway team who were based at the Stanley Stadium in Prescot Road, Fairfield, Liverpool, England.-History:...

 in 1930. In 1931 Lees moved onto Preston and wes selected to ride for 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....

 against Australia

Australia national speedway team

Australia are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by former rider, three time Australian Champion and 1994 World #3 Craig Boyce and captained by three time Speedway World Champion Jason Crump...

 in the third test match at Wembley. He impressed so much that he was signed up to ride for 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 1932 when he won the inaugural National League

Speedway National League

The National League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1932 until 1965 when it became known as the British League. Prior to 1932 there were only small regional leagues competing within the sport in the UK. The National League was re-incarnated in 1975 as the second division...

.

Lees was a regular England rider until 1934, the year he finished third in 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....

, the forerunner of the Speedway 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...

. He also qualified for the finals of the World Championship in 1936 and 1937, before he retired at the end of 1937.

Lees also appeared in the 1933 British film Money for Speed

Money for Speed

Money for Speed is a 1933 British film starring John Loder, Ida Lupino, Cyril McLaglen and Moore Marriott. It is centered around the sport of speedway racing, which was at its peak of popularity at the time....

 which starred John Loder

John Loder (actor)

John Loder was a British-American actor. He was born William John Muir Lowe in London.-Early life:Loder's father was General W. H. M. Lowe, the British officer to whom Patrick Pearse, the leader of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, Ireland, surrendered...

, Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino was an English-born film actress and director, and a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her 48-year career, she appeared in 59 films and directed seven others, mostly in the United States. She appeared in serial television programmes 58 times and directed 50 other episodes...

, Cyril McLaglen

Cyril McLaglen

Cyril McLaglen was a British actor who appeared in a variety of films between 1920 and 1951. He was born in London in 1899 and made his film debut in the 1920 film The Call of the Road. He was the younger brother of the actor Victor McLaglen...

 and Moore Marriott

Moore Marriott

Moore Marriott was a British character actor most notable for a series of films he made with Will Hay in the 1930s.-Career:...

. Lionel van Praag

Lionel Van Praag

Lionel Maurice Van Praag, GM was an Australian motorcycle speedway champion, who won the inaugural Speedway World Championship in London on 10 September 1936.-1932 UK National League Champion:...

, Frank Varey

Frank Varey

Frank Varey was a former international speedway rider who featured in the Speedway World Championship finals in 1937 and 1938...

 and speedway promoter Johnnie Hoskins

Johnnie Hoskins

Johnnie S. Hoskins MBE is the man who is considered to have 'invented' motorcycle speedway. If it cannot be established he invented the sport, he certainly played the largest role in promoting the sport in the United Kingdom.-Early life:He left school at thirteen and worked on a farm and then as...

 also featured.

World Final appearances

• 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 # ...
  
   -  United Kingdom London
  London
  London 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 - 15th - 11pts
• 1937
  1937 Individual Speedway World Championship
  The 1937 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 2, 1937 London, Wembley Stadium...
  
   -  United Kingdom London
  London
  London 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 - 5th - 19pts