Sir Stirling Moss retires from racing
Sir Stirling Moss has decided to retire from motor racing at the age of 81, after competing in qualifying for a historic support race at the Le Mans 24 Hours
Moss, one of Britain's most famous and successful racing drivers who became a household name after a career in Formula 1 that spanned ten years between 1951-1961 - called time on his career on Thursday after admitting that he had been frightened to drive a Porsche RS61 in the Le Mans Legends event.
"I was frightened before I even got in the car," said Moss. "This afternoon I scared myself and I have always said that if I felt I was not up to it or that I was getting in the way of fellow competitors, then I would retire."
Moss is considered one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, and though he never won a world championship, he finished runner-up four times and won 16 grands prix during his career.
Among his victories he counted three Monaco Grands Prix, as well as classic sportscar events the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, the Sebring 12 Hours and Tourist Trophy. A massive accident at Goodwood in 1962 saw him hospitalised and he decided to retire from the top echelons of the sport not long afterwards.
Moss returned to the sport with Audi in 1980 in the British Touring Car Championship, but it was not a great success and he turned his attention to historic racing which he has done ever since.
Moss never won Le Mans, an event he claimed never enjoyed, but finished second twice in 1953 and '56. It's ironic then that La Sarthe was the venue at which he chose to finally hang up his hat.
The car he intended to drive in Sunday morning's race qualified 33rd after Moss pulled in early in the session. His co-driver Ian Nuthall will now drive both stints of the race.
Alpine announces full driver line-up for two car WEC LMP2 attack
Alpine has named the six drivers that will compete for the team in the FIA World Endurance Championship on its step down to the LMP2 division.
Horner: F1 drivers shouldn’t be “robots” amid ban on political statements
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has cautioned Formula 1 drivers should not be a “load of robots” in the wake of the FIA’s new restrictions on making statements.
NASCAR Cup LA Coliseum: Truex wins chaotic Clash race
Martin Truex Jr held off Richard Childress Racing team-mates Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch to win the NASCAR Cup pre-season Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Castroneves: “Too early” to think about potential replacement by Blomqvist
Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves says it’s too soon to consider Meyer Shank Racing might want to swap him to the IMSA squad and bring Tom Blomqvist over to IndyCar.
The 2022 Autosport Awards winner using Esports as a launchpad
A trail blazed in Esports has inspired a revamp of the annual prize that aims to discover the best young engineering talent. Autosport met Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future winner Michael Preston
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
Porsche’s hopeful Le Mans future meets its illustrious past
Rising sportscar star Adam Smalley had to pinch himself when offered the chance to drive the car that won the world’s most famous enduro in 1987
Why romanticism isn't the key factor in Lola’s racing return
The iconic Lola name is being relaunched after it was taken over by new ownership. Part of that reboot is a planned return to racing, though the exact details of this are still to be finalised - though its new owner does have a desire to bring the brand back to the Le Mans 24 Hours. But romanticism doesn't appear to be the driving force behind this renewed project...
Rating the best drivers of the century so far
Autosport's Top 50 feature has been a staple of the magazine for the past two decades since its first appearance in 2002. Here are the drivers that have featured most prevalently during that time
The best motorsport moments of 2021
Motorsport produced one of its greatest years of all-time in 2021 despite a backdrop of ongoing COVID-19 challenges and an ever-changing racing landscape. Through the non-stop action Autosport has collected the finest moments from the past 12 months to highlight the incredible drama and joy motorsport generates
The racing comeback artists who resurrected long-dormant careers
Making it in motorsport can be tough, and sometimes drivers move elsewhere before their best chance arrives. Here are some of those who made it back
The hidden racing gem attracting ex-F1 heroes
It’s rarely mentioned when it comes to assessing the best national contests, but the Brazilian Stock Car series that reaches its climax this weekend has an ever-growing appeal. Its expanding roster of ex-Formula 1 names has helped to draw in new fans, but it's the closeness of competition that keeps them watching
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.