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RACING HITLER: The plucky Brit who fought the Nazi speed machine and won
The glory years of the battle to be the fastest motorcyclist on earth was the 1930s. During that decade motorcycling’s land-speed record changed hands on at least ten occasions, as British, German and Italian racers pushed deep into the unknown, risking life and limb for gold and glory.
Back then the land-speed record was everything, like going to the moon in the 1960s or trying to get to Mars now. And it wasn’t only important to the riders and manufacturers, it was a big deal to men, women and children who were awestruck by human beings travelling at speeds that would’ve been unimaginable only 50 years earlier, when the motorcycle hadn’t even been invented.
The record was also a matter of huge national pride, especially to the fascists states of Nazi Germany and Benito Mussolini’s Italy. The supercharged BMW record-breaker of former German roadracing champion Ernst Henne was adorned with swastikas; the supercharged Gilera of Roman Piero Taruffi wore the fascio littorio, the symbol of the Italian fascists.
Both BMW and Gilera threw huge resources into their record-breaking efforts, with the engineering knowhow they gained used for the most dubious purposes by their warmongering masters. Both factories were cheered all the way by Adolf Hitler and Mussolini, who liked to bathe in the reflected glory of Henne’s and Taruffic’s achievements.
And then there was the magnificently monikered plucky Brit Eric Crudgington Fernihough. Ferni followed in the wheel tracks of his record-breaking countrymen Bert Le Vack and Joe Wright, toiling in his workshop outside the hallowed Brooklands racetrack, there he built his own bikes with which he fought Hitler’s and Mussolini’s racers and won. For a while, at least.
Fernihough took on the might of BMW, Gilera and their political leaders all alone; apart from a friendly mechanic or two. He engineered his own supercharged Brough-Superior record-breaker and crisscrossed Europe chasing ever-faster speeds; tuning his engines, fabricating his own bodywork, with barely two shillings to rub together.
The story of the terrifying battles between Fernihough, Henne and Taruffi was one of motorcycling’s greatest untold tales. Until now…
NB: This e-book consists of the last five chapters of my hardback book SPEED: THE ONE GENUINELY MODERN PLEASURE which can be bought complete and in hardback from www.amazon.co.uk
Back then the land-speed record was everything, like going to the moon in the 1960s or trying to get to Mars now. And it wasn’t only important to the riders and manufacturers, it was a big deal to men, women and children who were awestruck by human beings travelling at speeds that would’ve been unimaginable only 50 years earlier, when the motorcycle hadn’t even been invented.
The record was also a matter of huge national pride, especially to the fascists states of Nazi Germany and Benito Mussolini’s Italy. The supercharged BMW record-breaker of former German roadracing champion Ernst Henne was adorned with swastikas; the supercharged Gilera of Roman Piero Taruffi wore the fascio littorio, the symbol of the Italian fascists.
Both BMW and Gilera threw huge resources into their record-breaking efforts, with the engineering knowhow they gained used for the most dubious purposes by their warmongering masters. Both factories were cheered all the way by Adolf Hitler and Mussolini, who liked to bathe in the reflected glory of Henne’s and Taruffic’s achievements.
And then there was the magnificently monikered plucky Brit Eric Crudgington Fernihough. Ferni followed in the wheel tracks of his record-breaking countrymen Bert Le Vack and Joe Wright, toiling in his workshop outside the hallowed Brooklands racetrack, there he built his own bikes with which he fought Hitler’s and Mussolini’s racers and won. For a while, at least.
Fernihough took on the might of BMW, Gilera and their political leaders all alone; apart from a friendly mechanic or two. He engineered his own supercharged Brough-Superior record-breaker and crisscrossed Europe chasing ever-faster speeds; tuning his engines, fabricating his own bodywork, with barely two shillings to rub together.
The story of the terrifying battles between Fernihough, Henne and Taruffi was one of motorcycling’s greatest untold tales. Until now…
NB: This e-book consists of the last five chapters of my hardback book SPEED: THE ONE GENUINELY MODERN PLEASURE which can be bought complete and in hardback from www.amazon.co.uk
102 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 11, 2023
Superb book
A well written story about the quest to be the fastest motorcycle on earth.
Plenty of interesting technical information that is presented in a way that it is easy to understand.
Matt also brings the characters to life and the personal challenges they face.
A well written story about the quest to be the fastest motorcycle on earth.
Plenty of interesting technical information that is presented in a way that it is easy to understand.
Matt also brings the characters to life and the personal challenges they face.
May 12, 2023
My two favorite subjects motorcycles and history together! Great read!
November 6, 2025
An interesting read but I got a bit lost in all the detail and tangents at times. Fascinating history though and well illuminated by Mat
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews