Stirling Moss facts for kids
Moss in 1958
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| Born | Stirling Craufurd Moss 17 September 1929 West Kensington, London, England |
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| Died | 12 April 2020 (aged 90) Mayfair, London, England |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 1951–1961 |
| Teams |
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| Entries | 67 (66 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 16 |
| Podiums | 24 |
| Career points | 185 9⁄14 (186 9⁄14) |
| Pole positions | 16 |
| Fastest laps | 19 |
| First entry | 1951 Swiss Grand Prix |
| First win | 1955 British Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1961 German Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1961 United States Grand Prix |
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss was a famous British Formula One racing driver. He was born on September 17, 1929, and passed away on April 12, 2020. Stirling Moss is remembered as one of the greatest drivers who never won the Formula One World Championship. He won 212 of the 529 races he entered in different types of motorsport. Between 1955 and 1961, he finished second four times and third three times in the championship.
Contents
Early Life and First Cars
Stirling Moss was born in London. His parents, Alfred and Aileen Moss, were also amateur racing drivers. His father even finished 16th in the 1924 Indianapolis 500 race. Stirling grew up in a house called Long White Cloud near the River Thames.
Stirling went to several private schools. He didn't enjoy school very much and found it hard to get good grades. When he was nine, his father gave him his first car, an Austin 7. He drove it in the fields around his home. By age 15, he bought his own car after getting his driving license.
Stirling Moss's Racing Career
Stirling Moss raced from 1948 to 1962. He won 212 of the 529 races he entered. This included 16 Formula One Grands Prix. He sometimes raced in as many as 62 events in one year! Over his career, he drove 84 different types of cars. He loved racing British cars, saying it was "better to lose honourably in a British car than to win in a foreign one." He helped British cars become strong competitors in F1.
Starting Out: 1948–1954
Moss began his career in 1948 with his father's BMW car. He was one of the first customers for Cooper Car Company. He used money he won from horse-riding to buy a Cooper 500 racing car. He quickly showed his amazing talent, winning many races.
His first big international win was in 1950. He won the RAC Tourist Trophy in Northern Ireland, driving a Jaguar XK120. He would go on to win this race six more times. In 1954, he became the first non-American to win the 12 Hours of Sebring race.
In 1953, Mercedes-Benz racing boss Alfred Neubauer noticed Moss. He suggested Moss buy a Maserati for the 1954 season to see how well he'd do. Moss bought a Maserati 250F. Even though the car often broke down, he still performed very well. He won his first Formula One race at the Oulton Park International Gold Cup.
At the 1954 Italian Grand Prix, Moss even took the lead from top drivers like Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari. His engine failed near the end, but Neubauer was so impressed that he signed Moss for the 1955 season.
Winning with Mercedes: 1955
Moss's first Formula One World Championship victory happened at the 1955 British Grand Prix. He was the first British driver to win this race. He led a 1-2-3-4 finish for Mercedes. This was also the first time he beat his teammate, rival, and friend, Juan Manuel Fangio. Some people thought Fangio let Moss win in front of his home crowd. But Moss always said Fangio told him, "No. You were just better than me that day."
In 1955, Moss also won the famous Mille Miglia road race in Italy. This thousand-mile race was a huge achievement. His co-driver, Denis Jenkinson, helped him with notes for the course. They finished the race in just over ten hours!
Later Years: 1956–1962
Moss continued to win many races. In 1957, he won on the longest circuit ever to hold a Formula One Grand Prix, the 25 km Pescara Circuit. He beat Fangio by about 3 minutes in that long race.
In 1958, Moss made history by winning the first race of the season in a rear-engined F1 car. This design soon became the standard for all F1 cars. He also raced a car sponsored by an ice cream company, which was a new idea for racing in Europe.
Moss's fair play cost him the 1958 Formula One World Championship. During the 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix, his rival Mike Hawthorn had trouble. Moss defended Hawthorn to the race officials, which helped Hawthorn keep his points. Hawthorn then won the championship by just one point, even though Moss had won four races that year to Hawthorn's one.
Moss was also excellent in sports car races. He won the 1000 km Nürburgring three times in a row from 1958 to 1960.
In 1960, Moss won the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix in a Lotus car. He was seriously hurt in an accident during practice for the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix. He missed three races but came back to win the last race of the season, the United States Grand Prix.
For the 1961 F1 season, Moss's Lotus car was not as powerful as the Ferrari cars. But he still won the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix by a small margin. He also won the 1961 German Grand Prix.
In 1962, Moss had a bad crash in a race. He was in a coma for a month and the left side of his body was paralyzed for six months. He recovered, but he decided to stop professional racing. He felt he had lost his natural feel for the car after the accident. He had finished second in the Drivers' Championship four years in a row (1955-1958) and third three times (1959-1961).
Speed Records
Stirling Moss also set some impressive speed records:
- 1950: Moss and Leslie Johnson drove a Jaguar XK120 for 24 hours, averaging over 107 miles per hour. This was the first time a production car had averaged over 100 mph for 24 hours.
- 1952: Moss was part of a team that drove a Jaguar XK120 for 7 days and nights. They averaged over 100 mph and set several world records.
- 1957: Moss broke five international speed records in a special MG EX181 car. He reached a speed of 245.64 mph over a flying kilometer.
Broadcasting and Later Life
After retiring from racing, Moss became a sports commentator for TV. He narrated the official 1988 Formula One season review. He also narrated the popular children's TV show Roary the Racing Car.
Moss continued to race in events for historic cars. In 2004, Mercedes-Benz brought him back together with the famous 300 SLR "No. 722" car he used to win the Mille Miglia. People said that even at 75, he was still an amazing driver. In 2011, at age 81, he announced he was finally retiring from all racing.
Honours and Recognition
- In 1990, Moss was added to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
- In 2000, he was made a Knight Bachelor by Prince Charles for his contributions to motor racing. This means he became "Sir Stirling Moss."
- In 2006, he received the FIA gold medal for his outstanding work in motorsport.
- In 2008, McLaren-Mercedes named their final SLR model after him: the Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss.
Personal Life
Stirling Moss was married three times and had two children. He was also a skilled woodworker and helped design his own homes.
In 2009, for his 80th birthday, a parade of 80 cars celebrated him at the Goodwood Revival event. Moss drove a different famous car each day.
In 2010, he had a serious accident at home, falling down a lift shaft. He broke both ankles and other bones. In 2016, he was hospitalized with a chest infection. Because of these health issues, he announced his retirement from public life in 2018.
Stirling Moss passed away at his home in London on April 12, 2020, at the age of 90.
Images for kids
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Moss shared this Vanwall VW5 with Tony Brooks to win the 1957 British Grand Prix.
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"Stirling Moss" script and a British flag on a 1958 Maserati 420M/58 he raced in the Race of Two Worlds on Monza. The very same script was printed on the Maserati MC20 prototype in honour of the driver.
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Record-breaking 1952 Jaguar XK120, seen in 2008
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Moss racing an OSCA MT4 Spider Morelli at Speed, 2006 Silverstone Classic
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Moss demonstrating his OSCA FS 372 Spider Morelli at the 2011 Bahamas Speed Week
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Moss with Lister Cars CEO Lawrence Whittaker
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Moss in 2011
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See also
In Spanish: Stirling Moss para niños
