Eric Fernihough was a successful British racer in the first half of the 20th century.
He took part in many international races for Excelsior. In April 1930 he won the North West 200 race in Northern Ireland in the 175cc category. In the Belgian Grand Prix of the same year, Fernihough finished second. In September 1930, he won the UMF Grand Prix in Pau, France
In June 1931, Fernihough won his second UMF Grand Prix in the 175cc category and with it the title of European Champion. That year he also won the Belgian Grand Prix and the 250cc category races at the North West 200 and Swedish TT.
In 1932, Fernihough won the 175 cc races at the Dutch TT, the UMF Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix. 1933 saw him and Excelsior win their fourth consecutive UMF Grand Prix in the 175cc class.
In 1935, Fernihough improved the lap record at the Brooklands circuit, one of the fastest tracks of the time, to 123.58mph (198.88 km/h).
On this day in 1937, Eric Crudgington Fernihough broke the land speed record for a motorcycle, reaching 169.72mph (273.14 km/h) on a 995cc supercharged, JAP-engined Brough Superior.
But these were dangerous times to be racing. One year later, Eric crashed and was killed while attempting to break the record again at Gyón, Hungary.
