The name behind the race: Stirling Moss

Above all, Moss was a gentleman, an example to everyone who ever put on a helmet and tried to drive as fast as possible around a track in competition with other. In all his racing activities, he was elegance personified, in and out of the car.

Of the cars that form the grid for the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy, mainly from the latter stages of his career, the one the man raced most was the Ferrari 250 SWB. He raced it eight times, winning seven and retiring (through no fault of either car or driver) from the eighth, and he adored it for its speed, reliability, comfort and balance.

Memorably he won his final two Tourist Trophy races aboard two different Rob Walker SWBs in 1960 and ’61, the former equipped with a radio enabling him to listen to the commentary as he won the race.

Yet he was not much less enamoured of the Aston Martin DB4 GT, for its balance, power and ability to duff up Jaguar saloons. He raced the Aston four times, including in the Fordwater Trophy during the Easter meeting at Goodwood in 1960.

He won three, including at Goodwood, mechanical failure ruling out a clean sweep. As he said referring to these wins in My Cars, My Career written with Doug Nye: “None of them was in a very significant race. Even so, they still helped maintain my batting average…”

Moss would race absolutely anything, and so long as it was able to do his bidding it would earn his respect and even affection for life. If it didn’t — if it regularly let him down or refused to handle as he liked — there was never any shortage of Anglo-Saxon argot he’d be ready to level at it. And these front-engined GT cars just begged to be drifted about in the manner that became almost synonymous with Stirling’s driving style.

For some idea of Moss’ versatility, his last full year in competition demonstrates just that. Remember that, by then, he was widely regarded as the finest driver in the world, the period coming after the retirement of Juan Fangio and before Jim Clark was in his prime. Moss raced on no fewer than 55 occasions in 1961, in a season that started in New Zealand on 7^th January and ended in South Africa on 26^th December. No peace for the quickest, I guess…

In that time he raced, among others, his Formula 1 Lotus 18, a Lotus 19 sportscar, a little Austin-Healey Sprite, a Maserati Birdcage, an ‘Intercontinental’ Cooper for races to the old F1 regulations, a Porsche RS60 and RS61, the Ferrari 250 SWB and an Aston DB4GT Zagato, the unique all-wheel drive Ferguson P99 and a Sunbeam Alpine.

The previous year, five days after winning the US Grand Prix and notching the first ever World Championship F1 race by a Lotus, he could be found racing a Bultaco-powered go-kart…

Of all the drivers I have come to know, it was Moss who provided me with the template for all I have ever wanted a driver to be.

First, he was a racer. Whatever he was racing, and regardless of his chances of success, he always drove flat out. It’s why he hated Le Mans, because back then cars had to be managed carefully to survive for 24 hours.

It’s also why Aston Martin team manager John Wyer gave him a specific instruction at Le Mans in 1959 to drive like hell and put as much strain on the Ferrari opposition. He did his job and retired from the race with Aston duly won, Wyer commenting that Moss’ contribution to that win could not be over-stated.

Secondly, he was a scrupulously fair driver. Even then, when the potential consequences of being driven off the track were so much higher, there were drivers whose names might surprise you that others sought to avoid, or handle with extreme care. I am aware of no one ever accusing Moss of dirty or dangerous driving.

Finally, he conducted himself superbly outside the cockpit, too. He almost certainly lost the 1958 World Championship by speaking up for Mike Hawthorn and helping him get reinstated at the Portuguese Grand Prix simply because it was the right thing to do. Mike earned seven Championship points that day, Moss lost the title by one.

A two-driver race for pre-‘63 closed-cockpit GT cars held over 45 minutes, the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy is the showpiece to conclude track activities on Saturday evening. The race is populated by some of the most beautiful cars ever to prowl around the track including Ferrari 250 SWBs, Aston Martin DB4GTs and Jaguar E-types. Moss loved them all. And for those partial to a little blue-collar brawn to spice up the show, you can always count on finding a few AC Cobras at the sharp end of the grid, too.

You can also always count a good number of motor racing superstars lining up on the grid. Last year’s race was won by Dario Franchitti and Jimmy Johnson, with Tom Kristensen, Emanuele Pirro, Gordon Shedden, Rob Huff and Andrew Jordan all featuring.

It may not be the fastest race of the Goodwood Revival weekend, its grid probably not quite the most valuable either, though it’s close. But if there was a prize for the most elegant race on the fixture list, for me at least this is the hands down winner. No wonder the race is named in his honour.  

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