SIR STIRLING MOSS was more than just a successful racing driver.
He was charismatic, dashing, a true sportsman. A British icon who encapsulated the spirit of the nation.
Sir Stirling Moss passed away at the age of 90 on Easter Sunday following a long battle with illnessCredit: Getty – Contributor
Moss enjoyed a 14-year racing career but became a household name in F1, despite never becoming world championCredit: Getty – Contributor
He was a playboy, he was daring. He was also a hero.
the sun stirling moss- was an incredible driver whose talent far out-stripped the machinery he was often driving.
He was Britain’s first professional racing driver. The first Brit to win his home GP and he did so driving for a British team at Aintree in 1958.
That same year, he missed out on winning the title, despite winning the most races that season.
The crucial race was in Portugal where his nearest rival, fellow Brit Mike Hawthorn was disqualified for being pushed up the pitlane.
Such was the measure of Moss, he complained to race officials that he felt the punishment was too harsh and Hawthorn was subsequently awarded a point.
That point would prove decisive and win him the title at Moss’s expense.
Moss finished runner-up in the F1 world championship four times and was third on three further occasions.
He won a total of 16 Grand Prix races from 66 starts, which remained a record for an Englishman until 1991.
One of those victories came the 1961 Monaco GP and , using an old model, a Lotus type 18 driving for a private entry, Moss held off the Ferraris.
The performance was so special given his inferior car, he was summoned to the Ferrari HQ in Maranello by the great Enzo Ferrari, who pleaded with Moss to join his team.
He declined.
The London-born driver was small, eccentric and rather charming throughout his career and beyondCredit: Getty – Contributor
He drove 84 different manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Maserati, Ferrari and Aston Martin
Aside from F1, Moss could turn his hand to racing sportscars for he was incredibly versatile.
He won the 1955 Mille Miglia in a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR. His victory in the Italian 1,000 mile race is considered by many to be his most spectacular achievement.
He twice finished runner-up in the Le Mans 24 Hours race and won his class in 1956 with Aston Martin.
He won the Sebring 12 Hours on two occasions and was even second in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1952.
Moss won a total of 212 of the 529 races he entered from 1948 to 1962, competing in over 60 races in a single year and driving for 84 different manufacturers.
He was born in London and was the son of a dentist, who was also an amateur racing driver.
Moss started racing in 1948 having put down a deposit on his first racing car with winnings achieved from between 50 and 60 victories in horse riding events.
His father, who had hoped his son would follow him into dentistry, had one request; for his son to wear a helmet, which Moss complained at the time of being “rather sissy”.
It was a typical response from Moss, who raced in not only the most dangerous era in the sport’s history, but raced because of the danger.
He once said: “Death is something which does frighten me, but by thinking about it doesn’t make it less likely to happen. That’s why I don’t think about it.”
The cars he drove would reach similar speeds to today’s F1 cars, nudging 200mph but with terrible brakes and little in the way of protection, plus there were trees and other such obstacles.
He lost teeth, broke both his legs, his back, his shoulder and skull. Motorsport also resulted in him being put in a coma for over a month in a career ending smash in April 1962.
CRASH THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Moss was travelling at 140mph when he crashed at Goodwood in a season warm-up event; he always maintained that the Lotus 18 was to blame and not himself.
While he did try and mount a comeback six years later, he realised his concentration had gone.
His focus might have dwindled but his passion for racing never diminished.
When I first met him, it was impossible not to be taken in by his charm.
He told me a story of how he had spotted a fanciful “piece of crumpet” during a race around Monaco, and waved to the beautiful lady in the crowd lap after lap.
He made no bones about his life, once claiming, “I had such a fantastic life. A Fabulous life. I was heterosexual. And it was a good a life you could ask for.”
He spoke about his relationship with the great Juan Manuel Fangio and how he’d taken to driving around London in small electric car.
In fact, I did not think about it at the time, but that small car summed up Moss rather nicely. Small, eccentric and rather charming.
He died in his Mayfair home that he’d originally bought as a bombsite and had made to his own requirements.
Avantgarde, it had roller shutters for the wardrobes, electric curtains, a lift inside, plus a bath that could run itself.
He’d been there since retiring from the public eye after picking up an illness while in Singapore in December 2016.
I met him a few years before that and he spoke about Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel with such enthusiasm and fondness, and he still watched every race on TV.
Moss famously lost the F1 title in 1958 to fellow Brit Mike Hawthorn when he ensured his rival was not disqualified from the Portuguese GPCredit: Getty – Contributor
Moss saved up his winnings from competing in horse-riding events to launch his driving career in 1948Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd
At the time he told me: “When I raced at Silverstone, because I was young, one of the things that I liked about it was it was dangerous.
“Now it’s very safe and that’s not a bad thing, obviously it has to be a good thing.
“If you have got a really good modern Formula One car, I think there is a lot of excitement and interest. It’s just a different one to the one when I drove.”
And that’s the point. The cars are different. The sport is different. The drivers are different. And there will certainly never be another one quite like Sir Stirling.
He might not have been an F1 world champion. He might not even be Britain’s best F1 driver. But he certainly is Britain’s most-loved racing driver.
His career was cut short after a crash at Goodwood in 1962 but he was knighted 38 years laterCredit: PA:Press Association
Moss may have lost his concentration but never his passion for the sport and spoke enthusiastically about Lewis HamiltonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Stirling Moss wins Grand Prix d’Europe in 1957
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
