I’ve driven a tank and thrashed a Jaguar racing car around but meeting Sir Stirling Moss is definitely one of the most exciting things I’ve done for Auto Trader.
Moss was a British sporting hero in the days when the motor racing was immeasurably more dangerous than it is today.
There were no acres of tarmac run-off, just trees or lamp posts; no six-point harnesses and fireproof Nomex suits, just a plain seat and an open cockpit – the theory being if the car rolled over you’d be safer if it threw you out before catching fire.
Today Moss thinks F1 is more of a business than a sport. He laments the loss of the sense of sportsmanship and camaraderie. He explained to me that although he had a great rivalry with Mike Hawthorn in 1958, with Brtish fans split between the two drivers who were racing to be the country’s first world champion, the two got on very well.
Moss even stood up for Hawthorn when he was disqualified from one race in 1958. If he hadn’t, Hawthorn would have lost the precious extra points he needed to win the championship. It’s hard to imagine that happening today.
Is Formula 1 less of a sport today, or just more professional?
Auto Trader Blog RSS Feed
2 Comments
May 12, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Sir Stirling makes a fair point here. But it also means quite a lot of other sports aren’t “sports” anymore!
Sporting behaviour certainly means something to a subsection of the population. To others it means nothing at all. Unfortunately, I notice with increasing frequency that success in life comes more often to individuals in the latter category.
Pete Robinson (amateur racing driver)
December 18, 2008 at 11:26 pm
He is right Just think about it the man who sacrificed a F1 title in 1952 to a man who shoud’nt
You CAN’T argue with him.. why isn’t it like this anymore????
Hmmm Raikkonen VS Hamilton takes over and lets him past but soon after hamilton gets back past, if rakionen was Sir Stirling Soss, Hamilton would of won it for sure