1959 NURBURGRING 1000KMS

NURBURGRING 1000KMS

F OR MANY, HIS 1961 GERMAN Prix win was his most important ‘Ring drive, yet the surrounding Stirling Moss’s

triumph in the 1000Kms sports car classic two years earlier is hard to ignore. At his best which was most of the time Moss seemed to operate on fastforward, but his performance in the 1959 1000Kms classic was a giddying spectacle. Having already won the race twice before (in 1956 and ’58), Moss arrived in Germany knowing the factory Ferraris were going to provide stiff opposition for his works Aston Martin DBR1. Yet his opening 17-lap stint saw him break the lap record his lap record 16 times. Then he handed the car over to team-mate Jack Fairman. As he did so the sky became a thick slate grey, the Aston’s lead being swiftly eaten away by the pursuing Ferraris once the rain fell. Six laps into his stint, ‘Jolly Jack’ slid into a ditch near Brunchen. The 46-year-old then summoned superhuman strength and somehow manhandled the ash green sports-racer back onto all four wheels before making his way to the pits. Cue a comeback charge of nonpareil genius. On a drying track, Moss chased down Umberto Maglioli’s Porsche 718R5K before jumping the Testa Rossas that were then running 1-2. After 33 laps, Stirling handed the DBR1 over to Fairman once again, now m with a lead of almost three minutes. Phil Hill, a an capable of brilliance at the ‘Ring, demolished the deficit in his factory Ferrari and assumed the lead as Fairman stopped to let Moss take over for the final 10 laps. The Boy’ wasn’t to be denied and he passed Hill at Flugplatz to win by 41 seconds. Just to rub it in, Moss claimed a hat-trick and win number four with 1960 honours alongside Dan Gurney in ‘Lucky’ Casner’s Maserati Tipo 61. Ell■