STIRLING MOSS STIRLING MOSS WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 17, 1929 IN LONDON, ENGLAND. HIS FATHER WAS A DENTIST AND HAD RACED AS AN AMATEUR AT INDIANAPOLIS IN THE 1920'S. HIS MOTHER AILEEN, HAD BEEN A RALLY COMPETITOR WITH A MARENDAZ CAR IN THE 1930'S. HIS SISTER PAT, WAS A WORLD LEADING FEMALE RALLYIST. STIRLING MOSS WAS ALSO A SHOW JUMPER BEFORE HE ENTERED THE WORLD OF FORMULA ONE. HE BEGAN HIS RACING CAREER IN 1947 IN A BMW 328 GERMAN SPORTSCAR. IN 1948, STIRLING MOSS RACED IN THE 500CC FORMULA 3 AND WAS THE DOMINANT FORCE. IN 1951 HE WAS GIVEN THE CHANCE TO RACE INTERNATIONALLY IN SINGLE SEAT RACERS WITH THE HWM TEAM. HE WAS THEN OFFERED A DRIVE IN A WORKS FERRARI IN THE BARI GRAND PRIX (NON-CHAMPIONSHIP). WHEN HE ARRIVED, HIS CAR HAD BEEN GIVEN TO PIERO TARUFFI WITHOUT HIS PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE. BY THE END OF 1953, MERCEDES-BENZ ANNOUNCED IT WOULD BE RETURNING TO FORMULA ONE RACING AT THE START OF THE 1954 SEASON. HIS FATHER ALFRED AND STIRLING'S MANAGER KEN GREGORY APPROACHED MERCEDES TEAM MANAGER ALFRED NEUBAUER ABOUT HAVING STIRLING RACE FOR THEM. NEUBAUER SAID HE WANTED TO SEE STIRLING AT THE WHEEL OF A REAL F1 CAR AND DECIDE AFTER SEEING HIM RACE THE CAR. WITH THE SUPPORT OF BRITISH PETROLEUM (BP), THEY ACQUIRED A MASERATI 250F. WHEN STIRLING MOSS DOMINATED THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX, HE WAS AHEAD OF JUAN-MAUEL FANGIO UNTIL HE HAD TO PULL OVER FOR AN OIL PRESSURE PROBLEM, NEUBAUER WAS NOW CERTAINLY CONVINCED. STIRLING MOSS JOINED MERCEDES IN 1955 AND WON HIS FIRST GRAND PRIX AT AINTREE. AFTER MERCEDES PULLED OUT OF GRAND PRIX RACING IN 1955, STIRLING RE-JOINED MASERATI IN THE 1956 SEASON. HE WON THE ITALIAN AND MONACO GP'S IN 1956. HE SIGNED WITH TONY VANDERVELL AND DROVE A BRITISH RACING GREEN VANWALL. WE WON THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX AGAIN IN 1957 SHARING WITH TONY BROOKS AND WON AT PESCARA AND AT MONZA, ITALY IN THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX. IN 1958, STIRLING MOSS SHOWED A WELL-HONOURED SENSE OF FAIR-PLAY WHEN HE INTERVENED AND HAD MIKE HAWTHORN'S DISQUALIFIC- ATION REVERSED WHICH RESULTED IN MIKE HAWTHORN WINNING THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR 1958 BUT STIRLING MOSS' MOTO WAS ALWAYS TO BE FAIR. STIRLING CAME SECOND OVERALL IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP JUST 1 POINT BEHIND MIKE HAWTHORN WHO HIMSELF ONLY WON ONE RACE THAT SEASON, WHILE MOSS HAD WON 4 RACES IN 1958. THE POINTS WERE JUST NOT IN HIS FAVOUR. STILING DROVE FROM 1958 - 1961 WITH COOPERS AND LOTUS'. IN THE 1961 MONACO GRAND PRIX, HE DROVE AN UNDERPOWERED LOTUS- CLIMAX. HE WAS IN THE LEAD IN LAP 14 AFTER RICHIE GINTHER IN A FERRARI DROPPED BACK. BY LAP 81, GINTHER CAME BACK UP AND WAS 4 SECONDS BEHIND STIRLING MOSS. MOSS WON THE MONACO GRAND PRIX THIS TIME BY 3.6 SECONDS. HE SAID IT WAS BY FAR HIS GREATEST VICTORY IN FORMULA ONE RACING. STIRLING WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED IN THE GLOVER TROPHY RACE AT GOODWOOD IN 1962. AFTER A LENGTHY STAY IN HOSPITAL HE RECOVERED WITH HIS LEFT SIDE PARTIALLY PARALYZED, AND SURVIVED A COMA. A FEW MONTHS LATER ON MAY 1, 1963 HE STEPPED INTO A RACE CAR FOR A PRIVATE SESSION AT GOODWOOD. HE DROVE THE CIRCUIT FOR 1/2 AN HOUR AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND SAID "I AM RETIRING". HE TRULY BELIEVED THAT NOT WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP EVER WAS OK AS IT DID NOT MEASURE A GREAT DRIVER IN DOING SO. STILING MOSS WON THE ONLY MOROCCAN GRAND PRIX, THE ONLY PESCARI GRAND PRIX, THE ONLY PORTUGESE GRAND PRIX AT MONSANTO AND THE ONLY US GRAND PRIX AT RIVERSIDE. HE WON THE 24 HOURS OF SEBRING IN 1954, THE MILLE MIGLIA AND TARGA FLORIO IN 1955 AND HE WON THE NURBURGRING 1,000 KILOMETER RACE 4 TIMES. HE NEVER WON THE 24 HOURS OF LeMANS. HE WAS KNOWN AS "THE GREATEST DRIVER TO NEVER HAVE WON THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP". HE HAD FINISHED 2ND PLACE OVERALL IN 1955, 1956, 1957 AND 1958. HE CAME 3RD OVERALL IN 1959, 1960 AND 1961. HIS HOME PHONE NUMBER CAN STILL BE FOUND IN THE CENTRAL LONDON TELEPHONE BOOK WHERE HE RESIDES IN MAYFAIR SHOWING THAT HE STILL CONSIDERS HIMSELF JUST ONE OF THE PEOPLE.STIRLING MOSS' 112 RACE F1 CAREER RECORD DATE F1 CIRCUIT TEAM START FINISH DNF 1 9 5 1 27/05 Bremgarten HWM 14 8 - 2 Laps 1 9 5 2 18/05 Bremgarten HWM 9 Withdrawn 22/06 Spa Francorchamps ERA 10 Gudgeon Pin 19/07 Silverstone ERA 16 Cylinder Head 17/08 Zandvoort ERA 18 11 -18 Laps Engine 07/09 Monza Connaught 9 16 -20 Laps Push Rod 1 9 5 3 07/06 Zandvoort Connaught 9 9 - 7 Laps 05/07 Reims Cooper Alta 13 Clutch 02/08 Nurburgring Cooper Alta 12 6 - 1 Lap 13/09 Monza Cooper Alta 10 16 -10 Laps 1 9 5 4 20/06 Spa Francorchamps Maserati 9 3 - 1 Lap 17/07 Silverstone Maserati 4 14 -11 Laps * 01/08 Nurburgring Maserati 3 Big End 22/08 Bremgarten Maserati 3 Oil Pump 05/09 Monza Maserati 3 10 -9 Laps 24/10 Pedrables Maserati 6 Oil Pump 1 9 5 5 16/01 Buenos Aires Mercedes 8 Fuel Vaporization 22/05 Monte Carlo Mercedes 3 10 -19 Laps 05/06 Spa Francorchamps Mercedes 3 2 19/06 Zandvoort Mercedes 2 2 16/07 Aintree Mercedes 1 1 * 01/09 Monza Mercedes 2 Engine * 1 9 5 6 22/01 Buenos Aires Maserati 7 Engine 13/05 Monte Carlo Maserati 2 1 03/06 Spa Francorchamps Maserati 2 3 * 01/07 Reims Maserati 7 5 14/07 Silverstone Maserati 1 10 -8 Laps Rear Axle * 05/08 Nurburgring Maserati 4 2 02/09 Monza Maserati 6 1 * 1 9 5 7 13/01 Buenos Aires Maserati 1 8 -7 Laps * 19/05 Monte Carlo Vanwall 3 Accident 20/07 Aintree Vanwall 1 1 * 04/07 Nurburgring Vanwall 7 5 18/08 Pescara Vanwall 2 1 * 08/09 Monza Vanwall 2 1 1 9 5 8 19/01 Buenos Aires Cooper Climax 7 1 18/05 Monte Carlo Vanwall 8 Engine 16/05 Zandvoort Vanwall 2 1 * 15/06 Spa Francorchamps Vanwall 3 Valves 06/07 Reims Vanwall 6 2 19/07 Silverstone Vanwall 1 Engine 03/08 Nurburgring Vanwall 3 Magneto * 14/08 Oporto Vanwall 1 1 07/09 Monza Vanwall 1 Gearbox 19/10 Casablanca Vanwall 2 1 * 1 9 5 9 10/05 Monte Carlo Cooper Climax 1 Transmission 31/05 Zandvoort Cooper Climax 3 Gearbox * 05/07 Reims Cooper Climax 4 Disqualified * 18/07 Aintree Cooper Climax 7 2 * 02/08 Berlin Cooper Climax 2 Gearbox 23/08 Monsanto Cooper Climax 1 1 * 13/09 Monza Cooper Climax 1 1 12/12 Sebring Cooper Climax 1 Gearbox 1 9 6 0 07/02 Buenos Aires Cooper Climax 1 3 * 29/05 Monte Carlo Cooper Climax 1 1 06/06 Zandvoort Cooper Climax 1 4 * 14/08 Oporto Cooper Climax 4 Disqualified 20/11 Riverside Cooper Climax 1 1 1 9 6 1 14/05 Monte Carlo Lotus Climax 1 1 * 22/05 Zandvoort Lotus Climax 4 4 18/06 Spa Francorchamps Lotus Climax 8 8 02/07 Reims Lotus Climax 4 Suspension 15/07 Aintree Lotus Climax 5 Disqualified 06/08 Nurburgring Lotus Climax 3 1 10/09 Monza Lotus Climax 11 Wheel 08/10 Watkins Glen Lotus Climax 3 EngineCAREER SUMMARY FOR STIRLING MOSS YEAR POSITION TEAM RACES WINS FASTEST LAPS POLES POINTS 1951 - HWM 1 0 0 0 0 1952 - CONNAUGHT 5 0 0 0 0 1953 - COOPER ALTA 4 0 0 0 0 1954 13 MASERATI 6 0 0 1 4.14 1955 2 MERCEDES 6 1 1 2 23 1956 2 MASERATI 7 2 1 3 27 1957 2 VANWALL 6 3 2 3 25 1958 2 VANWALL 10 4 3 3 25 1959 3 COOPER CLIMAX 8 2 4 4 25.5 1960 3 COOPER CLIMAX 5 2 4 2 19 1961 3 LOTUS CLIMAX 8 2 1 1 21TOTAL RACES = 66 TOTAL WINS = 16 FASTEST LAPS = 16 TOTAL POLES = 19 TOTAL POINTS = 186.64 FRONT ROW = 37 PODIUMS = 24