Stirling Moss: He was one of the best š„
FOUR TIMES WORLD CHAMPION Although Sir Stirling Moss was never world champion, he is one of the greatest automobile racers of all time. The Briton passed away on Easter Sunday in his 91st year. The British newspaper The Guradian looks back at Stirling Moss' racing successes in a few historic pictures. The Briton, who was born on September 17, 1929, died on Easter Sunday in [...]
British newspaper The Guradian looks back at Stirling Moss's racing exploits in a few historic images.
The Briton, born on September 17, 1929, died on Easter Sunday in the presence of his wife Susie Moss. He was considered by experts to be one of the best racing drivers ever, although he never became world champion and narrowly missed out on the title four times between 1955 and 1958.
No luck at the last Swiss Grand Prix
In 66 Grand Prix starts from 1951 to 1961, Stirling Moss scored 16 victories, the last two in Monaco and at the NĆ¼rburgring in 1961. 16 times he was on pole position, 20 times he set the fastest race lap in a GP.
At the last Swiss Grand Prix in Bern-Bremgarten in 1954, Moss was third on the front row of the grid in his Maserati 250F in practice, but retired early in the race with an oil pump defect.
After his serious accident at Goodwood in 1962, Moss had to bury further attacks on the title. The comeback attempt failed. After the death of Jack Brabham in 2014, Moss was the oldest Grand Prix winner still alive.
Unforgotten victory at the Mille Miglia
Moss also took a number of victories in major endurance races - except at Le Mans. His triumph in the 1955 Mille Miglia in a Mercedes 300 SLR with starting number 722, which corresponded to his starting time of 7:22 a.m. in Brescia, is legendary.
The swashbuckler covered the 1600-kilometer distance on Italian country roads in 10 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds, which resulted in a horrendous average of 157.651 kilometers per hour. He distanced second-placed Juan Manuel Fangio - a five-time F1 world champion - by a full 32 minutes.
In this interview from 2013, long-time Mercedes ambassador Sir Stirling Moss talks about the Mille Miglia and his 1955 victory.
Star at historical occasions
In 2000, Moss was knighted in England. Until a few years ago, Sir Stirling Moss was still competing in historic racing cars at events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival - where he even raced the legendary Ferguson P99 F1 with four-wheel drive.
Since 2018, serious illnesses and months of hospitalization plagued him, forcing him to completely withdraw from the public eye.
Detailed obituary and many photos at Zwischengas
Our colleagues at Zwischengas will soon be paying tribute to Sir Stirling Moss with a great review of his career. Under thisĀ LinkĀ can also already view some photos.
