Over 150 Members of the Haileybury Society community came together at Westminster Abbey to celebrate the life of iconic OH racing driver Sir Stirling Moss (L 43) – 8th May 2024.
Office Manager – Ashley Locke, Society President – Lizzie Graham (K 76), Trustee – Alison Baker and Stuart Thompson (K 70) were among those attending the service in celebration of Sir Stirling Moss’s life and legacy. In a packed Westminster Abbey, there were no vacant seats to be seen. A remarkable gathering for a clearly well love and respected man. The service included a touching speech by his old friend, three-time F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and a tale of when he was pulled over by the police for speeding and asked ‘who do you think you are, Stirling Moss’?
Cars on display included the iconic Mille Miglia-winning Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘722’, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe, and a Mercedes-Benz W 196
As taken from the Biographical Note – Stirling Elliot Moss
In an age obsessed with records, comparisons are often based purely on number, but these alone can obscure reality. His versatility allowed him to adapt to cars in a way no one else could, and in Formula 1 alone he holds several records that are unique, almost all of which are unlikely ever to be broken.
He was the first driver to win a World Championship Grand Prix in a mid-engine car, he was the first to win for a privateer team, and the only person to take the chequered flag without the use of third gear and without rubber left on his tyres. All of these records he accomplished in a single race! A race which gives him another record that will never be repeated: he won it with the full use of only one eye! He was the driver of the lowest powered car ever to have won an F1 Grand Prix. He won more championship races that any other driver in history without winning the title, even though today it would take less than three seasons for a driver to race in as many Grand Prix as he did in his entire career. He has won more marques that any other driver and he is the only driver ever to have won a Formula 1 race in a four-wheel drive car.
He is the only driver ever to have lost a World Championship by a single point, after having advocated for his main rival having been disqualified.
His skill surpassed the boundaries of what was considered possible in his sport, but his sportsmanship surpassed the sport itself. Stirling Moss became more than a racing driver, he became an icon.
‘Success is not determined by how much talent you have, but how effectively you use that talent’ – Sir Stirling Moss OBE