Sir Sterling Moss R.I.P.

[petermik]

Just been announced Sir Sterling Moss has passed away at 90 years of age after a long illness......R.I.P. to a true legend 

[bert bloggs]

A hero when i was a young lad ,always wanted to be just like him .

[transam]

R.I.P Stirling, a Great British legend.....

[colinneil]

R.I.P. Stirling.... A true gentleman.

My boyhood hero.

[Crossy]

He was always The Man when it came to motor racing.

 

I remember when the first F1 GP was held in Malaysia, Stirling drove the original Mercedes Silver Arrow round the Sepang Circuit. No sedate trundle, he drove the car as it was supposed to be driven, sideways! It was loud, proud and it was much appreciated by the crowd.

 

Later that day, sitting in an eatery in PJ, a group of obvious Brits wandered in, ordered some drinks and food and sat minding their own business. It was only when a mate Andy Fletcher (who has sadly also now left us) said "that's Stirling Moss" did anybody even notice them. A nicer man one could not imagine.

 

RIP Sir Stirling.

 

[petermik]

7 hours ago, colinneil said:

R.I.P. Stirling.... A true gentleman.

My boyhood hero.

Col....he could be a "cranky <deleted>" at times though....

[Crossy]

I can't find footage of Malaysia, but this is how you drive a vintage racing car! (shame about the wind noise). I'm not sure he got out of 2nd gear.

 

 

Better sound in this one.

 

 

[billd766]

6 minutes ago, Crossy said:

I can't find footage of Malaysia, but this is how you drive a vintage racing car! (shame about the wind noise). I'm not sure he got out of 2nd gear.

 

 

 

No power steering, driver assistance etc in those days. Just brute force and driver skills. The drivers back then must have had more muscles than superman.

 

A superb driver and a gentleman as well.

[faraday]

When I was about 4/5 years old, my sister & 1 did a competition with Shell.

Every time Dad filled up with petrol we had a Shell Passport, that was stamped each time.

 

That year as a family, we traveled around France, & filled the Passport with stamps.

 

We both won a Brownie camera & it came with a signed congratulations letter from Sterling Moss. 

 

Haven't got the letter anymore, but still have the passport.

 

A truly wonderful memory.

 

RIP Sir Sterling Moss, you really were my hero.

 

 

 

 

 

[Enoon]

 

I wouldn't blame anyone for not believing me, although if I chose to go into detail it would seem not unusual, but I once called Sir Stirling, to his face, a " stupid c***". 

 

In fact I shouted it at him.

 

We only had the one meeting.

 

Happy days they were,

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by Enoon

[Saltire]

RIP

 

Pioneer and fearless protagonist.

 

Used to enjoy seeing him continue to take part in events such as Goodwood.

 

 

[nauseus]

The big name in British motor sport as I was growing up. 90 laps is a good race through, RIP Sir!

[Justgrazing]

Equally adept at rally staging , endurance and G P racing with an effortless style and from an age when racing cars had none of the safety features of modern machinery .. ( not even a roll cage )

Also a great ambassador for Motor Racing and respected by many of the new bloods on the grid .. 

[billd766]

His sister Pat Moss was a great rally car driver and horse show jumper as well. Sadly she died in October 2008.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Moss

 

Pat Moss was born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, to British race car driver Alfred Moss and Aileen (née Craufurd). She grew up in Bray, Berkshire and was taught to drive at the age of 11 by her brother, Stirling. But she started her sporting career on horseback, becoming well known as a successful show-jumper and member of the British showjumping team. In 1953, aged 18, she started driving in club rallies after being introduced to the sport by boyfriend Ken Gregory, Stirling's manager. In 1954, Moss bought a Triumph TR2 and started rallying more seriously. She asked Standard-Triumph to cover her expenses to drive her TR2 on the 1955 RAC Rally, but they declined.

A more astute MG Cars offered Moss expenses and a works MG TF 1500. Thus began a relationship lasting seven years, netting three championships and benefiting the British Motor Corporation with valuable publicity. As a BMC works team driver, Moss had her breakthrough in 1958, when she drove her Morris Minor to 4th place on the RAC Rally. She achieved another 4th place at Belgium's Liège-Rome-Liège Rally in an Austin-Healey 100/6 and won the first of her five European Ladies' Rally Championships.

 

 

[Hank Gunn]

I always liked this quote of his.

"It is better to go into a corner slow and come out fast, than to go in fast and come out dead."

 

But this is another good one.

"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?"

[wotsdermatter]

2 hours ago, petermik said:

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

R.I.P. Stirling.... A true gentleman.

My boyhood hero.

Col....he could be a "cranky <deleted>" at times though

My aunt was his in-hospital nurse when he crashed his car and became hospitalised.  He nearly died from the crash because he swallowed some chewing gum and it stuck in his throat.  That caused him to have problems with breathing for a long time and he suffered mild brain damage.  Petermilk, you are correct in your assessment because my aunt told us that all he ever tried to do, apart from other things, was to "feel" her up.  After a few days of that, she requested a change of duty.  So, colinneil, "A true gentleman" he was not.  Sorry to burst your bubble.

'nuf sed.

[Crossy]

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