F1 legend handed ban for dangerous driving - On This Day

F1 legend Stirling Moss faced an unlikely setback in 1960 when a Shropshire court found him guilty of dangerous driving.

In addition to a 12-month driving ban, he was handed a £50 fine, a punishment that could have derailed his Formula 1 aspirations at a crucial point in his career.

The incident occurred while Moss was test-driving a Mini near Chetwynd, Shropshire, when he collided with a van, a Rover car, and a cyclist. 

He appeared at Newport, Salop, on 1 January 1960, pleading not guilty before electing to proceed to trial at Shropshire Quarter Sessions. 

Despite his defence, the court found against him in April, handing down the penalty that threatened to compromise his racing activities.

The timing proved particularly inconvenient. Moss was competing for Rob Walker's private racing team that season, piloting a Lotus 18-Climax, and had already claimed victory at Monaco earlier in the year. 

His name had become so synonymous with speed that British policemen allegedly asked speeding motorists, "Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss?" Yet here he stood, stripped of his road driving privileges.

However, Moss found a practical solution, obtaining a US driving licence that enabled him to continue competing in races despite the UK ban.

The workaround proved effective. Although his season was interrupted by a serious crash during Belgian Grand Prix practice at Spa, fracturing his legs and back, he recovered to win the United States Grand Prix and ultimately finished third in the World Championship.