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A day in the life of Stirling Moss — at Silverstone, 1958
Close your eyes and think of Stirling Moss racing on a home circuit, and the chances are you will be imagining him at Aintree, where he won the British Grand…
Rediscovered Stirling Moss photos offer unique glimpse of driver at his peak
Racing History
Unseen for more than six decades, a set of photographs from Silverstone in 1958 offer an unprecedented view of Stirling Moss
Moss, flanked by Jack Brabham and other drivers, listens to a briefing
In the scale of Stirling Moss’s sporting achievements, the 1958 International Trophy at Silverstone is barely worth a mention.
During the disappointing May weekend, he retired from two races and saw none of the silverware.
But, thanks to a young photographer who accompanied Moss, the apparently unexceptional meeting provided a unique view of a race weekend in the life of Moss.
From the archive
Never-before-seen photographs recently discovered by Richard Williams, while researching his latest book, The Boy, show Moss socialising, relaxing and racing at Silverstone.
Behind the camera was Michael Ward, an acquaintance of the driver, who would become a distinguished photographer, but was just starting out at the time.
His photojournal starts with images of Stirling and his first wife, Katie, leaving their house, packing the boot of an Aston Martin DB Mark III and heading to Silverstone.
Packing, but with a difference: Nowadays you wouldn’t catch F1 stars rearranging the boot
Moss shared driving duties with Tony Brooks in the Rob Walker Cooper-Climax T43
In photographs published in the latest issue of Motor Sport, there are multiple cups of tea drunk; autograph signings and the driver briefing, where Moss is seen standing next to Jack Brabham.
He’s photographed watching support races with Katie, who’s also seen filling in lap charts.
Moss competed in the non-championship F1 race, where he put up a heroic charge in his 2-litre Cooper-Climax T43 but retired with a split gearbox casing, leaving Peter Collins to win in the Ferrari Dino 246.
His second appearance, driving an Aston Martin DBR3 with Tony Brooks in the sport car race also ended prematurely, as he pulled in to the pits after feeling the engine tightening.
The result is a series of photos that show none of the familiar, end-of-race celebrations, but instead offer a comprehensive view of Stirling Moss in his day job.
You can view a larger set of the pictures in the May edition of Motor Sport Magazine
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