Video: A racing masterclass from Stirling Moss
Can you imagine having a driving lesson from the late Sir Stirling Moss? Amazingly, you don’t need to, because many years ago Mr Goodwood himself filmed just that, a lesson in racing lines, braking and acceleration. A more mesmerising video you won’t watch today.
The car is a Cooper T51, from 1959, and the track is Donington Park. Filmed for the documentary ‘Who Do You Think You Are, Stirling Moss?’ in 1998, to hear the great man talk about how the car is “giving me a message”, and “it’s like learning a language – the more you know, the more fluent you are”, is simply fantastic. Lines like “if I was really a bit younger, a bit more gutsy, I’d have probably kept it flat there” are heart-warming, too – you can feel his excitement as he talks about how the cars were to race and how different they are to contemporary F1 machines.
What’s more, some of the camera angles are superb. There are shots facing him from outside the cockpit, there’s a camera by his feet so you can see him heel-and-toe on the downshifts, and there’s an over-the-shoulder angle that looks handheld.
There’s little more to say other than it’s a brilliant video and well worth your time.
Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a mid-morning helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the last video: NSX vs. Testarossa track battle
Video
Elevenses
Stirling Moss
Donington Park
Formula 1
Cooper
T51
