Tim Cahill on how sport, football in particular, can help unify the world following the virus pandemic MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2020 PAGE 14 ‘A true legend’ — motor racing great Stirling Moss dies aged 90 DPA LONDON BRITISH motor racing great Sir Hamilton salutes ‘racing Stirling Moss, widely regarded as the best driver never to have legend and comrade’ won a Formula One title, has died at the age of 90 following a AFP driver, he talked like a racing long illness. LONDON driver, he behaved like a racing “It was one lap too many, driver should behave.” he just closed his eyes,” his wife WORLD champion Lewis Jenson Button, the 2009 Lady Moss was quoted as saying Hamilton on Sunday described world champion, hailed Moss by British media on Sunday. Stirling Moss, who has died at who always “drove to the max”. Tributes poured in from the the age of 90, as a “racing leg- “I’m going to miss our world of motor racing, with mo- end” and a “comrade from a chats, your knowledge, your torsport federation FIA presi- massively different time”. jokes, your help, your direc- dent Jean Todt calling it a “very Although Moss never won tion, your infectious smile and sad day.” Stirling Moss “was a the Formula One world title, seeing you push whatever you true legend in motor sport and he was regarded as one of mo- drove to the max even in your he will remain so forever,” Todt tor sport’s greatest drivers, 80s,” tweeted Button. said. with his 1950s heyday seeing “Rest well Stirling. The rac- Current world champion racers compete in a variety of ing world will not be the same. Lewis Hamilton tweeted his disciplines. My heart goes out to his won- condolences and said: “Today The 35-year-old Hamilton, derful wife Susie.” we say goodbye to Sir Stirling a six-time world champion, be- Moss won 212 of the 529 Moss, the racing legend. came a friend of Moss despite races he entered across all I certainly will miss our con- the pair’s age difference and motor sport events, with 1996 versations. I am truly grateful contrasting backgrounds. Formula One world champion to have had these special mo- “Today we say goodbye to Damon Hill saying that was a ments with him.” Moss is ac- Sir Stirling Moss, the racing staggering achievement. knowledged as one of the great- Stirling Moss was one of the greatest drivers never to win the F1 title; (Inset) Moss after his 1955 win in the famed Mille Miglia. (AFP) legend,” reigning champion “He never won a world est all-round racing drivers in Hamilton wrote on Instagram. championship but he won a lot the history of motorsport and Was lucky enough to see him race, “I certainly will miss our of races, something like a third the formative decades of For- conversations. To be honest, of all the races he entered. It’s mula One, although he never says Qatar’s Saeed al Hajri it was such a unusual pairing, a ridiculous statistic, he was won a world title. “i watched him race as a our friendship. legendary.” He was runner-up four “Two people from mas- Hill, whose late father and times in a row from 1955 to youngster and he sively different times and two-time F1 world champion 1958 and third three times, win- inspired me. I was lucky backgrounds but we clicked Graham competed against ning 16 of the 66 F1 races he enough to see him race and ultimately found that the Moss, reckoned Moss’s vic- competed in from 1951 to 1961. on his home track in love for racing we both shared tory in the 1955 Mille Miglia, Some of the wins “rank made us comrades. in which he covered 1,000 among the truly iconic drives in Silverstone in the UK “I am truly grateful to have miles of open Italian roads at the sport’s history - his 1961 vic- and twice at Monaco. He had these special moments an average speed of 97.96 mph tories in Monaco and Germany really was a giant in with him.” (57.85 kph) in 10 hours, seven in particular often held up as motor racing”. Meanwhile, three-time minutes and 48 seconds, to be all-time classics,” the F1 website Moss at the wheel of his 1954 Mercedes at Goodwood in 2009. (AFP) world champion Jackie Stew- “one of the all-time great per- said. – Qatar motorsport legend art, who came into Grand Prix formances of our sport”. Moss also enjoyed a success- Saeed al Hajri on the passing Ferrari team tweeted: “RIP Sir drivers who went on to become racing shortly after Moss’s Mercedes, one of Moss’s ful career in sportscar racing at of Sir Stirling Moss. Stirling. A true legend and a world champions of which he injury-enforced retirement in former teams, mourned the the same time as F1, chalking wonderful person. To Scuderia sadly was denied,” he said. the early 1960s, told the BBC: loss of a “true icon, a legend up a total of 212 victories in all Ferrari, he was a formidable op- “But I think no one ever “I think he’s probably the best and a gentleman”, while Fer- competitions. 1,000-mile race around Italy. Goodwood, southern England ponent.” The McLaren F1 team regarded him as anything less example of a racing driver rari called him a “formidable Moss retired from top-level He finished behind Fangio when his Lotus veered into a also tweeted condolences and than one of the greats.” The 1978 there’s ever been. opponent”. competition after a crash in in the championship and was grass bank. said: “All at McLaren mourn the F1 world champion Mario An- “He walked like a racing Jean Todt, president of 1962 left him in a coma for a again twice beaten by Fangio After retiring from competi- passing of a legend of our sport, dretti tweeted: “He was my hero month and partially paralysed to the F1 title, while racing with tive racing, Moss went on to run Sir Stirling Moss. A prodigious and such a kind man beloved by for six months. Maserati (1956) and Vanwall a property business with his competitor, supremely talented everyone. He was a true giant Hamilton Mercedes, who had signed (1957). family and continued to race in racer, and consummate gen- in our sport and will be missed Moss in 1955, tweeted: “Today, Still with Vanwall, he then historic cars and legends events tleman, he leaves an indelible forever.” British former F1 racer the sporting world lost not only lost out in 1958 to compa- until the age of 81. mark of greatness on the histo- and now TV commentator Mar- a true icon and a legend, but a triot Mike Hawthorn after he Moss also worked in broad- ry of international motorsport.” tin Brundle tweeted that Moss gentleman. The Team and the vouched for his rival to prevent casting, was knighted in 2000 Britain’s 1996 world champion was “a mighty racer and gentle- Mercedes Motorsport family him from being disqualified and in 2006 was awarded the Damon Hill, whose father Gra- man” who “survived the most have lost a dear friend. Sir Stir- when he was accused of revers- motorsport federation FIA gold ham was a racing contemporary dangerous era of motorsport.” ling, we’ll miss you.” Mercedes ing on track in the late-season medal for outstanding contri- of Moss, told the BBC Moss “be- Former British F1 racer Da- signed Moss to race alongside Portuguese Grand Prix. bution to motorsport. came the icon, the poster boy if vid Coulthard, who is president the great Juan Manuel Fangio, Moss was third in the stand- He is survived by his third you like” for British Grand Prix of the British Racing Drivers’ and in that F1 year became the ings in 1959, 1960 and 1961. wife Susie and two children. drivers from the beginning of Club (BRDC), said Moss was “a first British driver to win a home The crash in 1962 which “He died as he lived, looking the post-war period of motor truly great character and gentle- grand prix at Aintree and in ral- ended his professional career wonderful,” Lady Moss told racing. man who will be sorely missed lying set a new course record came at an International 100 Mail Online. “I think he launched all the by all who had the fortune of in winning the Mille Miglia, a race for Formula One cars at Among the tributes, the other careers of British racing knowing him.” Ex-Chelsea star Drogba Quick read Hodgson wary of ‘artificial’ end Froome says horror injury recovery ‘almost offers hospital in virus fight complete’ to Premier League season LONDON: Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome said on AFP Sunday his recovery from the horror crash which almost ended his ABIDJAN AFP UEFA, European football’s weeks’ preparation before career is “pretty much complete”. the 34-year-old suffered multiple LONDON governing body, warned a playing a match again. fractures and spent months in rehabilitation after a gust of wind FORMER Chelsea forward failure to complete domestic But the 72-year-old added: hurtled him into a wall at 50 kilometres an hour during a recon at the Didier Drogba has offered his CRYSTAL Palace manager leagues could see clubs ex- “I accept there may have to be Criterium du Dauphine in June last year. He only returned fully to the hospital in his native Ivory Roy Hodgson has warned cluded from continental com- a squeeze on that time-frame.” saddle in February at the UAE Tour which was cut short due to the Coast to the fight against the against “artificial means” of petitions next season.