"It was one lap too many, he just closed his eyes". So said Lady Moss, Sir Stirling's wife, on the death of her husband after a long illness. An especially poignant way to mark the passing of such a famed racing driver, who was competing into his ninth decade. Moss, as many will be aware, had been ill for a long time, having picked up a chest infection in December 2016 and retired from public life in January 2018.
One story seems woefully insufficient to reasonably sum up the achievements of such a glittering career, though it can at least draw attention to the triumphs of a remarkable life. Already winning races before he was 21, Moss came to the attention of many as the first non-American to win the Sebring 12-Hour, followed a few months later by becoming the first British winner of his home grand prix.
Then there was the Mille Miglia, perhaps Moss's most memorable feat. You'll most likely know the story: with Denis Jenkinson shouting pace notes from the passenger seat of the Mercedes 300 SLR. They left Brescia at 7:22 on the morning of April 30th, 1955; 10 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds later, they'd been to Rome and back, setting a 98.53mph record that would never be beaten. It was, and remains, a phenomenal drive.
And yet there was so much more besides. Moss should have been F1 champion, he won the Nurburgring 1,000km three times and set a host of speed records during the 1950s before an accident at Goodwood in 1962 - and a recovery that he felt made him lose an edge - put a halt to his professional career.
Of course, there were guest appearances after that, Sir Stirling turning his hand to everything from long-distance rallies to the British Saloon Car Championship. He was knighted in 2000, awarded the FIA gold medal in 2006 and had that incredible SLR Stirling Moss named after him a couple of years later. If you know motorsport, you know Stirling Moss.
It'll be those exploits during the 1950s that Moss will be most fondly remembered for, though, sportscar racing competed in with honour, good grace and fearless commitment. Nobody better embodied the spirit of hard-fought, well-mannered sportsmanship than Stirling Moss, and it's with a very heavy heart that we must bid him farewell. Everyone at PistonHeads sends our condolences to the Moss family.
PHers are already paying tribute to Sir Stirling in the forum - join them here.
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