Classic Marathon memories of Moss

For the 1989 running of classic car rally the Pirelli Classic Marathon, the Italian tyre company sought to enhance the event with some big names. And the biggest name of all appeared in an MG.

“We managed to get Stirling Moss into an MGB,” Ron Gammons recalls. “We were in an MGB apiece; his MGB was run by my company so I had a very personal interest!” And little wonder Gammons describes what happened next as “one of my most treasured memories”.

“There we were down there in the Dolomites,” he continues, “literally nose to tail, either him in front or me in front, for three or four days. We were like fish in a stream, I’d overtake and leave room for him to get in, and he’d overtake and leave room for me to get in.

“Travelling with Stirling in Italy was just a revelation, everywhere [people shouted] ‘Signore Moss, Signore Moss!’ We got stopped once or twice for going perhaps slightly too quick, literally an autograph and a photograph and that was all it took and we were waved on our way!”

At the finish there were three MGBS in the top five, made up of Moss, Tony Dron and Gammons in that order seconds apart. Gammons though managed to turn the tables the following year, finishing second to Paddy Hopkirk with Moss third.

“Stirling stayed loyal with us through to basically when Mitsubishi took over [the Classic Marathon in 1992],” Gammons explains. “And then we provided Stirling and Susie Moss with an

MGB for Tour Auto.

“He said the reason he liked driving an MGB was that if he went there in a Ferrari or an Aston or whatever, everybody would expect him to win, whereas if he went there in an MGB and he did well it was obviously down to Stirling!”