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Moss still keeps track of the current Grand Prix scene and is not hesitant to voice his opinion on current circuit design and their vast run-off areas and ubiquitous chicanes. "To race a car through a turn at maximum speed, is difficult", he said, "but to race a car at maximum speed through that same turn when there is a brick wall on one side and a precipice on the other - Ah, that's an achievement."
The Official Stirling Moss Website
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In the United States when you hear the name Mario Andretti
the first image that comes to your mind is auto racing. The same can be said for Stirling
Moss on the "other side of the pond." Moss was born to racing with both parents
involved in motorsports. His father Alfred Moss raced at Brooklands and when his
studies took him to America he raced at Indianapolis. His mother competed in various
trials and rallies. At the age of nine his father bought him an old Austin Seven in which
the young Moss would drive around the fields surrounding their home. The family was also
involved in horses and competitive riding which saw Stirling and his sister Pat entering
various horse show competitions. While his sister continued to compete Stirling's heart
lay more in horsepower of the mechanical variety. Despite being a natural athlete he
suffered from various childhood health problems including a kidney affliction which made
him medically unfit for National Service. This would later involve some controversy before
his father had his medical records published. While motorsports ran through the family it
was soon time to consider a proper career. Like his compatriot Tony Brooks it was once
thought that he would follow his dad's footsteps and become a dentist and take over the
family business. His father owned a lucrative business providing dental care to lower
income patients which Stirling would call a "quick yank and out, next please"
operation. But his indifferent school record made that impossible. He next tried a
"crammer" school but this too failed to dislodge any innate brilliance. At
age seventeen it was decided that the young Moss would go into the hotel trade. His
training included serving as a waiter and later night porter - another occupation he was
totally unqualified for.
Still Moss
maintained his interest in cars and was soon driving on the open road, when of legal age,
in a three wheeled Morgan. His next car was a MG and after seeing an advertisement for a
racing car with an Aspen engine he promptly ordered one for 50 British Pounds. When his
father found out, he angrily contacted the car company and had the order rescinded.
Stirling was crestfallen but eventually his father relented and allowed Stirling to borrow
his BMW sports car that he had recently purchased. It was in this BMW that Moss would
start to compete in local speed trials. His first proper race car was a Cooper 500 which he used
to compete in local hillclimbs. This car and its descendants formed the breeding grounds
of future champions. Moss became aware of these cars through fellow competitors and went
looking for the Cooper factory which he found in Surbiton. Factory may be to the wrong
word to use as it was actually just a garage but one with a showroom that had on display
one of the little jewels. Stirling contrived to drive past the showroom one day with his
father as his unsuspecting passenger. Remarking on the car in the showroom he impressed
upon his father how wonderful it would be to race such a car as this. His father agreed
that it would be so if only Stirling would assume most of the cost. Reduced to selling
most of his worldly possessions he was still short of the £600 needed but on his 18th
birthday his parents made up the difference. This would be the beginning of a long
association which saw him driving Coopers on and off for much of his career.
Moss was considered by many as being the first
modern professional driver who raced for the love of the sport but also was intent on
earning a sizable income. Staying in top physical shape he would travel all over the world
to race. He was not above
haggling for more appearance money and between races he would work at his home office
dealing with correspondence, managing endorsements or recording his thoughts for his
latest book. He had begun writing books about the sport and would later comment that when
he would race in a particular country the sales of his book there would increase. This
would help to increase his fame and conversely the amount of money he could require in
exchange for his appearance. He courted endorsements as no other driver of his day and was
sometimes ridiculed for this when in truth he was just ahead of his time. In the end he
was a racer who enjoyed driving all sorts of cars and raced only to win.
