Competitor Profile: Fergus Anderson

TT Career Summary

Position	1	3	5	28	DNF
No of times	2	1	1	1	4

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Biography

Fergus Anderson, a rider of undoubtable talent, who rode Rudge. Velocette, Norton, NSU, DKW and Guzzi machines in a racing career which started in 1937 and continued with the exception of the war years until his retirement at the end of the 1954 season. Making his TT debut in 1939 on a ‘brace’ of German DKW machines, he didn’t exactly set the ‘Island alight’ retiring in the Junior and finishing the Senior in 28th place. It was to be a long twelve years before his presence was seen on the Isle of Man again in the Lightweight TT, this time on an Italian Guzzi machine. Again he was unlucky retiring during the race. What a difference twelve months makes – setting new race [83.82 mph] and lap [84.82 mph] records he headed home his team-mates, Enrico Lorenzetti and Syd Lawton. Repeating the feat in 1953 with another race [84.73 mph] and lap [85.52 mph] in the Lightweight Race he held off German riders, Werner Haas on the NSU and Siegfried Wunsche on a DKW. Anderson was also third in the Junior TT behind Norton teamsters Ray Amm and Ken Kavanagh. Having won the 350cc World Championship in 1953, Fergus had three races at the 1954 TT, Lightweight, Junior and Senior, all on the Italian Guzzis. Finishing 5th in the Lightweight, the remainder of the week was one to forget as he retired in both of his other rides. Despite this setback, he went on to win his second 350cc World title and retired from racing, becoming director of Moto Guzzi’s competition department. Taking to the circuits again in 1956, he was killed at an International meeting at Floreffe in France, riding a 500cc BMW. He was 47.

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