STIRLING MOSS
By Gregg Leary
{{Category: Auto Racing]]
The best driver NEVER to win a world championship
He was 2nd in the World Driving Championship 4 years in a row
In 1958 he was 1 point from winning World Driving Championship
His father raced in the Indy 500 in 1924
1955 was an amazing year
He won the Mille Miglia—the 1st and only British winner of the event…533 cars
He won it at an average of 98mph…9mph over the previous record
Won Targa Florio
Won Tourist Trophy
Was leading Le Mans in 1955…teamed with Fangio…team was withdrawn when Mercedes teammate Pierre Levegh CRASHES INTO CROWD…KILLING OVER 80 SPECTATORS
2nd at Le Mans 1953
Won Sebring 1954
Won Goodwood 1959 with Carroll Shelby
Won Riverside 1960
In 1960 at Spa…lost a wheel at speed…broke both legs…returned to win at Watkins Glen
An unexplained crash at Goodwood in 1962 ended his career

Why did you nearly always wave when you passed a competitor?
You let media talk to you right up until you fired the engine. Wasn’t that a distraction?
As a kid you were an excellent horseman…did any of the steeplechase skills transfer to motor racing?
Tell us about “the exhilaration of acceleration.”
In your autobiography you say you gave auto racing, “All but my life.” What did you mean?
You won 194 of 466 races you entered.  Were you the greatest of all time?
Of the 66Grand Prix entered…16 Wins, 16 Poles, 37 front row starts
You drove 125,000 miles flat out…that’s 5 times around the earth at the equator.
You drove for 15 years…then chose to retire after running a car at Goodwood …the scene of your accident…only about a year after your crash.  May you have retired too soon.?  You were only about 3 seconds off the pace and may not have been fully healed.
Some called you “England’s knight in armor doing battle with the world.” You WERE knighted for your exploits.
Did your patriotism cost you the World Championship?  Often you drove uncompetitive British cars when you probably would have won the championship with Ferrari.
Why did you drive #7?