Stirling Moss - gifted driver and British sporting icon

Widely regarded as the greatest driver never to win the Formula One drivers' world championship, Briton Stirling Moss who died on Sunday aged 90 was synonymous with the dangers and dramas of all forms of motor racing in the 1950's and early 1960's.

A naturally gifted driver, with a great flair for speed and an instinctive feel for racing, it was his misfortune that the best years of his career coincided with those of the great Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the title five times.

But the affection and respect in which he was held by his sport was unmatched and even in his later years he remained revered.

It was an enduring British joke that when a policeman stopped a speeding driver on a road, his first words would be: "Who do you think you are - Stirling Moss?" Moss was much more than a Grand Prix racing star.

He competed successfully in sports cars, touring cars and rallying, as well as the top levels of single-seaters. He took part in Formula One from 1951 to 1961 before being forced to retire after a huge crash at Goodwood in April, 1962.

He made 67 starts in the F1 World Championship, winning 16 races and claiming 16 pole positions and 24 podium positions, but it was his courage, grace and all-round skill that set him apart.

Born in West Kensington, London, on September 17, 1929, he raced for Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Vanwall, Rob Walker's private Cooper team and Lotus in an illustrious career in a dangerous, if not deadly, era.

"I certainly had an appreciation of the danger which for me was part of the pleasure of racing," he was quoted as saying in early 2016.

"To me now, racing is.... The dangers are taken away and if it is difficult, they put in a chicane.

"So really, now, the danger is minimal, which is good, because people aren't hurt, but for me the fact that I had danger on my shoulder made it much more exciting.

- British patriot - ===================
"It's rather like if you flirt with a girl, it's more exciting than paying for it... The danger is a very necessary ingredient like salt if you are cooking."
That feat was described by esteemed British racing reporter Doug Nye as the "most iconic single day's drive in motor racing history."