A capacity Le Mans crowd was thrilled to see Sir Stirling Moss display the iconic Aston Martin DBR1 in the Legends race at Le Mans this morning, for sports cars built between 1956 and 1968.
The one-hour race, during which Moss shared the car with Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Ulrich Bez, formed part of the build-up to the 75th Le Mans 24 Hours.
Moss and Bez finished fifth in class and 30th overall out of a field of 60 runners in DBR1/2, which is identical to DBR1/3 that won Le Mans in 1959 with Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori. Moss himself led the 1959 race in a DBR1, before being forced into retirement. Also in the DBR1, he claimed wins at the 1958 and 1959 Goodwood Tourist Trophy, as well as at the Nurburgring 1000 kilometres in Germany.
This morning’s Legends race took place in damp conditions, meaning that Moss and Bez drove carefully to preserve their valuable machine – which forms an integral part of Le Mans heritage.
Moss commented: “It’s been tremendous fun to drive the DBR1 again: even more fun than I remember it being back in 1959. The gearbox and handling was a lot easier than it was back then, and of course this race was also a lot shorter! I’m first and foremost a racer, so I never actually enjoyed 24-hour races as much as other events – just because it meant I could never drive the whole race. This Legends race was quite a new experience for me as we used the new circuit, which is quite different from the old circuit I knew. Things have changed a lot from my day: the racing is a lot safer, for example, but if racing had not been dangerous in my day then to be honest I probably wouldn’t have been interested…”
Dr Bez commented: Partnering Sir Stirling in the race was the experience of a lifetime for me, I enjoyed a careful dice with the number six DBR1 – which was also competing – but I was very aware of the value of the car I was driving and the slippery conditions. ”
The 75th Le Mans 24 Hours will get underway at 1500 today, with the 008 AMR Larbre Competition DBR9 starting from pole position in GT1.
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