From the archives: Racing the Reich
As the world drifted to war in the 1930s, British motorcycle rider ‘Ferni’ was hellbent on beating the Nazis to the two- wheel land speed record
Racing the reich February 2024
As far as tales of British derring-do go, there’s few to beat that of plucky Eric Crudgington Fernihough. In the mid-1930s, he took on the might of Nazi Germany from his garage – the arena for battle being the motorcycle land speed record attempts.
Mat Oxley tells the story in his 2024 archive piece. Fernihough was an orphan who, after being adopted by a wealthy widower, went to Cambridge University. First riding in varsity motorcycle events at Brooklands in 1923, four years later he was at the Isle of Man TT. In 1931 he secured the 175cc European Championship, but in the years to come he had a new goal: “In 1934 ‘Ferni’ set his sights on breaking the two-wheel land speed record,” says Oxley.
Equipped with a pair of Brough Superiors, Fernihough eventually found himself gunning for the motorcycle LSR at Reich Records Week in 1936. His Brough popped and spluttered to no avail while BMW’s Ernst Henne manhandled his streamliner bike (which had a tendency to wobble at terrifying speeds) to a new absoluten motorrad weltrekord of 169.05mph.
Undeterred, Fernihough kicked on to Gyon in Hungary, where a stretch of the London-to-Istanbul Transcontinental Highway was being used for speed trials. There, the Brit beat his German rival’s record heading in one direction, but his Brough broke down during the crucial second run to make it official. Knowing victory was within his grasp, Fernihough went back and forth between the UK and Gyon.
“Fernihough spent the winter learning panel beating and aluminium welding to make his own streamliner,” writes Oxley. The design had enough pace about it – fortunate as Fernihough was running out of money, paying the Hungarian authorities to close the road for his next round of attempts in April 1937.
On day five, he did it, clocking 169.8mph, 0.73mph faster than Henne. For a brief period Fernihough was the fastest man on earth, before being superseded by Piero Taruffi (backed by the Italian government) months later, then again by Henne who hit 173.67mph.
In early 1938, it all came to an end for our hero. He was killed at Gyon when losing control at an unconfirmed 180mph while going for the record again in April 1938. For a fleeting moment though, Eric was on top of the world.
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On this month…
Nashing, office Rover 3500 and cars of ’89
A fair cop?
March 1954
“It is unfortunate that people can’t mind their own business,” we cry, after a taxpayer kicked up a stink upon hearing that the British police entered the Monte Carlo Rally. We’re in calmer mood after visiting new circuit Oulton Park while “Nashing”, that is, testing a Frazer Nash.
Cry me a rover
March 1978
Editor Bill Boddy admits to journalistic licence in his 10,000-mile review of the editorial Rover 3500: “It hadn’t quite reached that mileage when it went in for repairs.” In F1 Villeneuve and Peterson collide in Brazil. “He doesn’t have good judgement,” the Swede said of his rival.
Gordon’s gen
March 1989
Gordon Cruickshank, seven years into his Motor Sport career, is busy in this issue, testing an Audi Coupé (“five-cylinder snarl”), Fiat X1/9 (“feels very old-fashioned”) and exotic Turbo Technics Granada 2.9 (“the first time I have enjoyed driving a Granada”).