SIR STIRLING MOSS RETIRES
Britain’s greatest racer quits motoring events after seven decades due to battles with illness – we pay homage to his career
Historic racing hero, Sir Stirling Moss, is calling time on decades of attending the nation’s classic events due to battles with his health.
The 88-year-old retired from competitive motor sport in 2011 but has continued to take part in events including the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show and Goodwood Revival. It ends a 70-year motoring career, including 16 Grand Prix wins.
Sir Stirling’s son Elliot says: ‘Following his severe infections at the end of 2016 and his subsequent slow and arduous recovery, the decision has been made that the indefatigable man will finally retire, so that he and my mother can have some much deserved rest and spend more time with each other and the family.’
Motor racing’s most famous driver, Sir Stirling Moss, has retired from public life, aged 88. A message from his son, Elliot, was posted on Stirling Moss’ website on 19 January: ‘To all of his many friends and fans around the world, who use this website for regular updates, my father would like to announce that he will be closing it down.
‘Following his severe infections at the end of 2016 and subsequent slow and arduous recovery, the decision has been made that, at the age of 88, the indefatigable man will finally retire, so that he and my mother can have some much deserved rest and spend more time with each other and the rest of the family.
Moss raced professionally between 1948 and 1962, winning 16 F1 Grand Prix and 212 of the total of 529 races he competed in, though he never won the World Championship, despite being runner-up between 1955 and 1958.
Born in London in 1929, Moss bought a Cooper 500 racing car in 1948 and achieved his first international race victory at the 1950 RAC Tourist Trophy at the Dunrod circuit, Northern Ireland, driving a borrowed Jaguar XK120.
In a stellar racing career, 1955 stood out as special with his first Grand Prix win at Aintree, and also the Mille Miglia road race – on both occasions driving a works Mercedes. Moss also took part in successful speed record attempts in 1950, 1952 and 1957. Moss was badly injured after crashing his Lotus during the Glover Trophy at Goodwood in April 1962, and decided not to return to professional race driving the following year after he felt that a test drive had showed that he had lost some of his edge.
He was, however, to return to competitive motorsport, taking part in rallies and the British Saloon Car Championship, but called it a day as a driver in 2011 after reportedly scaring himself while qualifying for the Le Mans Legends race.
Knighted for his services to motorsport in 2000, Moss has continued to be a familiar figure at historic racing events, such as the Goodwood Revival and Silverstone Classic, and as an ambassador at shows such as the NEC Classic Motor Show and Race Retro at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire.
Moss was taken ill in Singapore in late 2016 and spent 134 days in hospital fighting a chest infection. He also suffered a fall down a liftshaft at his London home in 2010, in which he broke both ankles and four bones in his feet.
All at CCW wish him well.