On the 17 September 1929, former Formula One racing driver, Sir Stirling Moss, OBE, was born in London. The son of  a dentist and amateur racing driver, he was brought up at Long White Cloud house on the banks of the River Thames.

Stirling was also a gifted horse rider, as was his younger sister, Pat Moss, who later became a successful rally driver and married Erik Carlsson.

Moss was educated at several independent schools, Shrewsbury House School in Surbiton, Clewer Manor Junior School, and the linked senior school, Haileybury and Imperial Service College, located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford.

Moss began his career at the wheel of his father Alfred’s 328 Frazer Nash, DPX 653. His first major international race victory came on the eve of his 21st birthday at the wheel of a borrowed Jaguar XK120 in the 1950 RAC Tourist Trophy on the Dundrod circuit in Northern Ireland. His first World Championship victory was in the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree, a race he was also the first British driver to

An inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Moss won 212 of the 529 races he entered, including 16 Formula One Grands Prix, and was described as ‘the greatest driver never to win the World Championship’. In a seven-year span (1955-1961) Moss finished runner-up four times and third three times.

He would compete in as many as 62 races in a single year, and drove 84 different makes of car over the course of his racing career. He remained the English driver with the most Formula One victories until 1991 when Nigel Mansell overtook him after competing in more races.

In 1960, Moss was found guilty of dangerous driving and fined £50 and banned from driving for twelve months.

During his driving career, Moss was one of the most recognised celebrities in Britain.

Away from driving, in 1962 he acted as a commentator for Formula One and NASCAR races.Moss also narrated the official 1988 Formula One season review along with Tony Jardine.

In the New Year Honours 2000 List, Moss was made a Knight Bachelor for services to motor racing.

17 September, 2019