Sir Stirling Moss to be honoured at Westminster Abbey | GRR
Sir Stirling Moss OBE will be remembered in a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 8th May.
More than 2,000 people are expected to gather at the Abbey to celebrate the racing career of Sir Stirling Moss that included landmark wins at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Mille Miglia, and the Targa Florio, each solidifying the Englishman’s status as a legend of motorsport. Often regarded as the greatest driver to never win the F1 world championship, he finished as runner-up for four consecutive seasons from 1955 to 1958.
A crash at Goodwood in 1962 ended his full-time professional racing career, but he remained active in motorsport for many decades as a popular and hugely respected figure. A regular attendee of the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard and the Goodwood Revival, he announced his official retirement from racing in 2011 at the age of 81.
Moss’ son, Stirling Elliot Moss, and daughter-in-law, Helen Jane Moss, have planned a send-off that wasn’t possible at the time of the racing hero’s death during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Stirling Elliot Moss, said: “To be able to do this for my father – a man I admired in just about every way and one whom I still miss very much – is an unimaginable honour.
“I know that I am not alone in either of those sentiments, so it is fitting that this service will celebrate his life and allow so many of those who feel as I do, to be able to pay their respects and come together to remember the astonishing and inspirational man that he was.”
Sir Stirling wasn’t just known for being a red-hot racer, he was a famed gentleman with a sharp wit that was friend to many, a father, a joker and an international icon.
Speakers at the memorial will include three-time F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, journalist and commentator Simon Taylor and The Duke of Richmond and Gordon.
Some of the most famous cars driven by Sir Stirling Moss will be on public display on the day including his stunning Mille Miglia-winning Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘722’, from Mercedes-Benz Heritage, which blasted through London in 2021 in tribute to the great man.
A Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe and a Mercedes-Benz W196 will also be on show inside the Rotunda at the Royal Automobile Club.
“Sir Stirling Moss was one of the greatest racing drivers of all time. He has achieved incredible successes for and with our brand. As an icon of sportsmanship and dedication, he captivated audiences with thrilling performances on the track and his charismatic personality off it. Mercedes-Benz will always keep the memory of this exceptional racing driver alive.
“This includes the 300 SLR racing sportscar with starting number 722 from the 1955 Mille Miglia. In this car, Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson won the iconic street race in the best time ever achieved. The legendary vehicle has a permanent place of honour among the ‘Silver Arrows’ in the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart,” said Marcus Breitschwerdt, Executive Vice President Mercedes-Benz AG, Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage (MH).
The Moss family has made 722 tickets available for the wider motorsport community to attend the celebration of the life of Sir Stirling Moss. These tickets will be available from 20th March.