Stirling Moss and the 1000 mile race: Motorsports' best achievement ever?

quote:

---

Sixty years ago today, Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson won the Mille Miglia. On board a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, the British pair covered 1,000 miles of Italian public roads in 10 hours 7 minutes and 48 seconds at an average of 97.95 mph. They raced east from Brescia, south along the Adriatic coast to Pescara before heading inland to Rome and then north, climbing the Futa and Raticosa passes along the way. The final 83 miles from Cremona back to Brescia were covered at an average of 165.50 mph.

During months of planning, Jenkinson made 17 pages of notes, logging car-breaking hazards such as level crossings, sudden dips, bad surfaces and tram lines. During the course of the 12,000-mile reconnaissance, they graded the tricky corners as 'saucy', 'dodgy' or 'very dangerous', Jenkinson pinpointing them thanks to roadside stone markers at every kilometre.

Talking about what lay ahead while practising in a Mercedes 220 saloon was one thing; passing on this vital information while flat out in a two-seater version of the Mercedes W196 Grand Prix car, quite another. To overcome the wonderful bellow of the 3-litre straight eight at 7,400 rpm, Moss and Jenkinson agreed on a series of hand signals that they used during later practice runs, Jenkinson recalling his satisfaction with the system.

Moss made just two mistakes; Jenkinson one. When Moss arrived too quickly in two corners, they were fortunate not to sustain damage other than a crumpled nose after hitting straw bales. Jenkinson missed a note when, not long after the stop in Rome, fuel surged from the filler and sprayed his neck. Typically, Moss remembered the corner and took it perfectly.

---

LINK

In 1955 Moss won Italy's thousand-mile Mille Miglia road race, an achievement Doug Nye described as the "most iconic single day's drive in motor racing history."[7] Motor Trend headlined it as "The Most Epic Drive. Ever."







What balls to drive at those speeds in that open car. Drivers from that era were something else. Just imagine doing those speeds on public roads with 50s technology (drum brakes anyone?)...