Hello self isolators,
I would like to share a story with you all about my wonderful experience way back in 2006 when I met British Formula One legend, Sir Stirling Moss.
As you all know I am a car racing 'tragic' starting from way back when I was only knee-high to a grasshopper.
You are also well aware that I was a 'Trolly-Dolly' with Qantas for 34-years, and in that time of flying around the world every week, I was fortunate enough to meet a truck load of celebrities, politicians, movie stars, sport stars, businessmen and an endless list of famous identities whilst working inside a tube of aluminum flying at 37,000ft.
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| Stirling Moss deplaning an aircraft in golden era of international air travel with a '60s-style airline bag slung over his shoulder |
However, now that I am suffering with advanced Cabin Fever, I decided this morning to write a story about my time with another one of my heros that departed overnight, none other than the legendary race car driver Sir Stirling Moss.
As a young man I idolised Australia's Jack Brabham (three times World F1 Driving Champion, 1959, 1960, 1966) and Stirling Moss along with the daredevil drivers of that era, & what an era that was for real car racing. These pioneer era drivers fearlessly competed without even a seat belt to protect themselves as they drove their machines at breakneck speed by the seat of their pants in the late '50s and '60s. Many of them were killed in their endeavour to become World Champion.
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I was lucky enough to witness
Stirling Moss driving at Sydney's Warwick Farm racetrack in the early '60s. *Note program price of two shillings |
This morning, I have done some research on Sir Stirling Moss because I wanted to know more about his racing career Down-Under when I was too young to know about this legend.
Some of Sir Stirling Moss' statistics:
His career spanned the era from 1951-1961, he competed in sixteen F1 Grand Prix races. Some experts say that he is one of the best Grand Prix drivers of all time, however he never won the World Driver's Championship.
I can still remember my Dad telling me that he was too hard on his race cars, many times when he was in a winning position he would push his machinery way too hard only to be disappointed with mechanical failure with the finishing line with in his sight.
This is why our very own Sir Jack Brabham won three World Championships in that same era, he knew how far to push his race cars so that they would reach the finishing line in one piece.
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| Winning the 1957 Grand Prix of Great Britain. Aintree, England. Stirling Moss (Vanwall), 1st position shared with Tony Brooks. It was the first victory in a World Championship Grand Prix for a British car. |
Way back in '56 (when I was only 9-years-old) the year of the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australian race fans were privileged to see for the first time Stirling Moss and his team mate, the French national, Jean Behra visit Australia for the first time in their Maseratis.
History tells us that there were between 100,000 to 200,000 spectators in Albert Park, Melbourne to watch Stirling Moss starting from pole position win the 1956 Australian Grand Prix from his fellow team mate, Jean Behra in their Maserati 250Fs.
In the same race were our own homegrown heroes, Reg Hunt & Stan Jones. It was Stan's son Alan Jones who went onto win the 1980 F1 World Championship for Williams 24-years later.
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| I was lucky enough on that Qantas encounter with Sir Stirling Moss when he signed a Qantas First Class menu to my son Nathaniel and myself. It's something that I treasure dearly. [click to enlarge] |
Why am I telling you all this?
In 2006 when Sir Stirling Moss was 76-years young, I was fortunate enough to be working on the Qantas 747 aircraft in the First Class cabin (where I should be).
This gave me the perfect opportunity to meet Sir Stirling Moss and his wife during the 8-hour flight to Singapore, he was delighted to chat to me about his career and of course I could not get enough of his spectacular stories about his life and times as a race driver, straight from the horse's mouth.
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| Covered in his own blood, Stirling Moss in the cockpit of his Lotus-Climax 18-21 at Goodwood in West Sussex, in 1962, the crash that ended his racing career |
I asked him many questions about his life and that monumental crash at Goodwood in 1962 that more or less finished his racing career. I mentioned that my Dad had taken me to watch him race at Warwick Farm in '61 & '62. Only 45-years had passed since he first arrived in Australia, he laughed when I reminded him that he was only 31-years-old back then.
Then I asked him why he had traveled Down-Under on this trip. It was 50-years since he won the 1956 Australian Grand Prix and he was invited to Australia to celebrate that historical occasion. For those of you that are not suffering with dementia as yet.
Do you remember way back in 1976 when Stirling Moss and Jack Brabham joined together to drive a Holden Torana in the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 only to be rear ended on the starting grid. How unfortunate was that. My old boss Bob Morris and British driver John Fitzpatrick won that year's race in their LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34.
Simply wonderful memories... I hope that you all have enjoyed my recollection of my brief time spent with now the late Sir Stirling Moss, OBE.
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| Farewell Sir Stirling Moss - we honour & salute your brilliant career and I thank you for those precious & treasured personal moments I spent with you sir |
It sure is better than listening to or reading about this wretched Coronavirus.
Please stay safe, and we will see each other on the other side.
Cheers for now
Warbo.
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