Photo: Moss* on the pit counter with Aston-Martin declining; click the picture to see the Sebring page that tells the story.   

The truth is, I hadn't articulated my interest—fascination?—with Stirling Moss until it dawned on me he was one of the most mentioned persons on this site (after Your OBedient Servant and Bob Munns) (And Margarita) (He ranks right up there, anyway). I reckoned it was time to acknowledge that and make a page or two in his honor.

You may have seen these pictures in other places around the site, but bringing them together here seems appropriate. I have several others that I will eventually find and offer up.

* Gil Bouffard wrote: "The guy on the wall (actually a counter) is Tony Brooks. That's what happens when you get old.. BTW Stirling never wore anything but a white helmet- - - - Ever! "

Click the picture to see the Torrey Pines page that tells the story.

There is a good Moss story on the Next RIR Page. But wait! there's more here, too:

This is another, not explicitly 'Moss' story, but close: when the US Grand Prix was held at Riverside International Raceway in 1960, facilities at the track were still a little primitive, in spite of its one- or two-year history of hosting top-category sports car racing among international driving stars and cars. Garages were not up to Grand Prix standards, and the teams found space and other amenities at auto dealerships and repair shops in the City of Riverside, four or five miles down a hill to the west of the race course.

The governor of California granted a special dispensation so the teams could drive their race cars on the highway between the track and the town. I won't pretend to know why they couldn't trailer them up, and suppose it was as much for the publicity and excitement as for the convenience.

Any road, on one of the weekdays prior to the race, when I had been one

"...goosed the TD up to 75 mph..."

of a few who could spend time working as safety, communications, and you-name-it staff, the track had closed for the day and I was headed to Riverside hoping to visit some of the teams during their preparations. Trundling along in my 1953 MG TD, happy as I could be at participating in the world's greatest motor sport event, I came up on a Formula One car, also trundling toward Riverside. Not just any Formula One car—
THE Formula One car.

It was the number seven (or was it five?)(it was five) Lotus, in Rob Walker's own dark blue with encircling white stripe on the nose section. Yes, the eventual race winner! And as pretty as it was to see, as much as I liked to run my eyes over it, I pulled out and goosed the TD up to 75 mph, and PASSED THE RACE-WINNING LOTUS!

OK, it was downhill, the Lotus driver was a tall, thin, goggle- and helmet-free mechanic (cheeks flapping in the direct air blast as he stuck out of the cockpit a good deal farther than did Moss). But he yielded to me, and I flipped him a casual acknowledging wave as I motored by, just as I had seen Moss do to slower cars on the race track.

Now there you have two of the really good Stirling Moss memories from that week.

In the west-of-Start/Finish Riverside paddock, about Times GP, 1960 time. Stirling Moss, a fellow I believe is one of Moss' mechanics, and Ken Miles. Miles met his end in a testing accident a few years later, but only a couple hundred yards from that place.

There was time just three or four months after a serious accident in a Formula One race (Goodwood, 1962) had broken both Moss' legs and back. At this Riverside race I saw him jog through the pits, when most men would still be in bed, or at best a wheel chair. An amazing specimen, all around. I heard it said his were among the fastest reflexes ever measured, and his uncorrected vision was 20-10.

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