Stirling Moss Trophy

The place for alternate championships that use real results as a base of forming alternative results, driver careers, and games in general
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Aislabie
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Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

I know I already have an alternate Championship running, but I've run this one all the way through and love the results it produces, so I'm going to run with it. The premise is that rather than deciding the World Championship based on points standings there is a Grand Final to conclude everything instead.

Ground Rules
  • The period from the opening Grand Prix to the penultimate one will constitute the League stage, and the season-ending Grand Prix will become the Grand Final.
  • In order to qualify for the Grand Final, a driver must be in the equivalent of the points-paying positions in the Drivers Standings. This means the top five from '50 to '59, the top six from '60 to '02, the top eight from '03 to '09 and the top ten from '10 to present.
  • If a qualified finalist fails to attend the Grand Final, through choice or incapacitation, then the race will continue without them and without a replacement for them.

World Champions
1950: Nino Farina Image
1951: Juan Manuel Fangio Image
1952: Alberto Ascari Image
1953: Juan Manuel Fangio Image
1954: Mike Hawthorn Image
1955: Juan Manuel Fangio Image
1956: Stirling Moss Image
1957: Stirling Moss Image
1958: Stirling Moss Image
1959: Tony Brooks Image
1960: Stirling Moss Image
1961: Dan Gurney Image
1962: Graham Hill Image
1963: Jim Clark Image
1964: John Surtees Image
1965: Dan Gurney Image
1966: John Surtees Image
1967: Jim Clark Image
1968: Graham Hill Image
1969: Jacky Ickx Image
1970: Jacky Ickx Image
1971: Francois Cevert Image
1972: Jackie Stewart Image
1973: Ronnie Peterson Image
1974: Carlos Reutemann Image
1975: Niki Lauda Image
1976: Patrick Depailler Image
1977: James Hunt Image
1978: Carlos Reutemann Image
1979: Gilles Villeneuve Image
1980: Alan Jones Image
1981: Alan Jones Image
1982: John Watson Image
1983: Nelson Piquet Image
1984: Alain Prost Image
1985: Keke Rosberg Image
1986: Alain Prost Image
1987: Gerhard Berger Image
1988: Alain Prost Image
1989: Thierry Boutsen Image
1990: Nelson Piquet Image
1991: Ayrton Senna Image
1992: Gerhard Berger Image
1993: Ayrton Senna Image
1994: Gerhard Berger Image
1995: Damon Hill Image
1996: Damon Hill Image
1997: David Coulthard Image
1998: Mika Hakkinen Image
1999: Mika Hakkinen Image
2000: Michael Schumacher Image
2001: Michael Schumacher Image
2002: Michael Schumacher Image
2003: Rubens Barrichello Image
2004: Juan Pablo Montoya Image
2005: Fernando Alonso Image
2006: Felipe Massa Image
2007: Kimi Raikkonen Image
2008: Felipe Massa Image
2009: Sebastian Vettel Image
2010: Sebastian Vettel Image
2011: Mark Webber Image
2012: Jenson Button Image
2013: Sebastian Vettel Image
2014: Lewis Hamilton Image
2015: Nico Rosberg Image
2016: Lewis Hamilton Image
2017: Valtteri Bottas Image
2018: Lewis Hamilton Image (Preview) (Quali) (Race)

From 1963 onwards, the competition was re-named in honour of retiring four-time World Champion Stirling Moss.
Last edited by Aislabie on 26 Nov 2018, 02:04, edited 18 times in total.
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Aislabie
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1950 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Juan Manuel Fangio (28 points)
Luigi Fagioli (24 points)
Nino Farina (22 points)
Louis Rosier (10 points)
Johnnie Parsons (9 points - absent)

Race Report
With Johnnie Parsons committed to racing only in America, the Grand Final was contested between just four drivers, who qualified in the following order: Fangio, Farina, Fagioli, Rosier.

On the first lap, Farina commandeered the lead from Fangio, who suffered a very poor start. Unfortunately, he was unable to keep the pressure on Farina owing to a car failure on Lap 23.

Fagioli never quite got onto terms with his fellow countryman, and finished 95 seconds behind him. Rosier was a distant third.

World Champion - Nino Farina
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Aislabie
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1951 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Juan Manuel Fangio (27 points)
Alberto Ascari (25 points)
Jose Froilan Gonzalez (21 points)
Nino Farina (17 points)
Luigi Villoresi (15 points)

Race Report
After close qualifying which gave a grid of Ascari, Fangio, Gonzalez, Farina and Villoresi, it looked like the Grand Final was anyone's to win.

However, the whole event hinged on the choice of the Ferrari cars to run 16-inch rear wheels compared to Alfa's 18-inch version.

With the Ferraris having to pit regularly for new tyres, the race proved to be an easy win for Fangio, with Gonzalez a minute back, then Farina and Ascari. Villoresi failed to finish.

World Champion - Juan Manuel Fangio
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Aislabie
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1952 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Alberto Ascari (36 points)
Nino Farina (24 points)
Piero Taruffi (22 points)
Rudi Fischer (10 points)
Mike Hawthorn (10 points)

Race Report
The qualifying grid for this race showed a huge spread: Ascari's pole lap was a full six seconds quicker than Fischer's fifth place, with Farina, Taruffi and Hawthorn spread between.

As a result, many observers expected a rather tame race, and it was certainly Ascari's to lose (which he didn't). Sure enough, runner-up Farina was very nearly a full lap down, with third-place Taruffi two laps further back. Hawthorn and Fischer both suffered race-ending failures.

World Champion - Alberto Ascari
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Aislabie
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1953 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Alberto Ascari (34.5 points)
Nino Farina (24 points)
Juan Manuel Fangio (20.5 points)
Mike Hawthorn (19 points)
Jose Froilan Gonzalez (13.5 points - absent)

Race Report
1953 saw the first ever Fomula One Grand Final to be hailed a classic.

After Ascari, Fangio and Farina qualified very close together at the front of the grid, it became clear that no one driver would be able to get away. While those three scrapped like fury for the lead, Hawthorne hung back and played the waiting game, hoping that they might collide with each other.

Eventually, a collision did occur - but not before the three World Champions had exchanged the lead twenty times amongst themselves. Ascari was thrown into the wall by Farina, leaving Fangio to take them both through the final corner and win his second World Championship. Hawthorn also came through to complete his third place.

World Champion - Juan Manuel Fangio
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Aislabie
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1954 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Juan Manuel Fangio (42 points)
Jose Froilan Gonzalez (25.14 points - absent)
Maurice Trintingnant (17 points)
Mike Hawthorn (16.64 points)
Karl Kling (10 points)

Race Report
For the second year running, Gonzalez was absent from the Final that he had worked so hard to earn his place in. Nonetheless, Fangio bagged pole ahead of Hawthorn, Trintignant and Kling.

Not for the first time, Fangio suffered a catastrophic start to the Grand Final. By the end of the first lap, he had fallen behind both Hawthorn and Trintignant. The Frenchman kept pushing and, on lap 11, he took the lead from Hawthorn and kept it until Lap 20. It was at that point that he started to fall backwards, with Fangio closing the gap to the two leaders. On Lap 30, Fangio passed the French driver, and one lap later he fell behind Kling as well.

Trintingnant would ultimately retire from the race, while Hawthorn would extend a lap's advantage over Fangio and three laps more over Kling.

World Champion - Mike Hawthorn
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Aislabie
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1955 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Juan Manuel Fangio (33 points)
Stirling Moss (22 points)
Maurice Trintignant (11.33 points)
Nino Farina (10.33 points)
Bob Sweikert (8 points - absent)

Race Report
Once again, it was Fangio who qualified on pole for the 1955 Grand Final; behind him on the grid were Moss, Farina and, a long way off the pace, Trintignant. Sweikert, the Indy 500 winner, chose not to travel for the race, while Nino Farina's car had technical difficulties and failed to start the race.

On this occasion, Fangio made a good start, and held off Stirling Moss but for a single overtake on Lap 8. Unfortunately, their battle came to a premature end when Moss's engine blew out on Lap 27. Trintignant was no threat to Fangio, and the Argentine driver won the Championship at a canter.

World Champion - Juan Manuel Fangio
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Aislabie
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1956 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Juan Manuel Fangio (30 points)
Peter Collins (22 points)
Jean Behra (22 points)
Stirling Moss (19 points)
Pat Flaherty (8 points - absent)

Race Report
Yet again, it was Fangio who found his way onto pole position, followed by Behra, Moss and Collins. Once again, the Indy 500 winner qualified, but neglected to attend the Grand Final.

Fangio got off to his not unusual poor start, slipping back into the clutches of Collins and Moss who had both leap-frogged the real Lap One loser, Jean Behra. On Lap Four, Moss leaped into the lead ahead of both Fangio and Collins, and it was there he stayed until the very end of the race.

The main controversy of the race occurred when Fangio commandeered the Ferrari of Peter Collins to make a late charge to chase down the Maserati of Moss. He ultimately finished 5.7 seconds down, but his second place was granted to Collins as it was earned in his car.

World Champion - Stirling Moss
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Aislabie
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1957 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Juan Manuel Fangio (40 points)
Stirling Moss (17 points)
Luigi Musso (16 points)
Mike Hawthorn (13 points)
Tony Brooks (10 points)

Race Report
After an exciting early phase of the race, during which Moss, Fangio and Brooks traded passes for the lead, the race settled into more of a rhythm.

Stirling Moss led the race without interruption from Lap 21 to the chequered flag with Fangio his nearest challenger. Hawthorn, Brooks and Musso all finished the race a few laps back.

World Champion - Stirling Moss
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dr-baker
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Re: F1 Grand Final

Post by dr-baker »

Any alternative championship that makes Stirling Moss a winner is a good alternative championship, I reckon.
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Aislabie
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1958 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Mike Hawthorn (40 points)
Stirling Moss (32 points)
Tony Brooks (24 points)
Roy Salvadori (15 points)
Peter Collins (14 points - deceased)

Race Report
The 1958 Grand Final was historic in several ways: it was the first to contain drivers from only one nation (Great Britain); it was the first to take place outside of Europe (Morocco) and, tragically, the first which contained a driver who was absent due to his own premature death (Peter Collins, after crashing at the Nurburgring).

Hawthorn qualified on pole from Moss, Brooks and Salvadori, a lead that he lost almost immediately to the reigning double World Champion. Moss would retain the lead all the way to the chequered flag despite spirited challenges from Hawthorn (2nd) and Brooks (DNF). Salvadori finished in third, two laps down.

World Champion - Stirling Moss
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Aislabie
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1959 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Jack Brabham (31 points)
Stirling Moss (25.5 points)
Tony Brooks (23 points)
Phil Hill (20 points)
Dan Gurney (13 points - absent)

Race Report
Dan Gurney would not have been pleased by Ferrari's decision not to allow him to race. It would have been his first Grand Final, in his home country, in his debut season. Instead, it was left to just four men to decide the World Championship.

It was the long-standing World Champion Stirling Moss who qualified on pole from Brabham, Brooks and Phil Hill, and he got off to a very good start, leading the first five laps only for his transmission to fail. Hill soon also dropped out of the running as his clutch failed. From there onwards, Brabham dominated, opening out a three-minute advantage over his sole remaining challenger, Britain's Tony Brooks.

As the final lap of the race began, Brooks had only narrowly avoided being lapped himself, but tragedy struck for the Australian as he ran out of fuel and came to a halt just a few hundred yards from his first World Championship. He got out and pushed his car home, but could only finish second behind a stunned Tony Brooks.

World Champion - Tony Brooks
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Aislabie
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1960 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:*
Jack Brabham (40 points)
Bruce McLaren (33 points)
Phil Hill (15 points)
Innes Ireland (12 points)
Stirling Moss (11 points)
Oliver Gendebien (10 points)
* Six drivers qualify for the first time, owing to a change in the points system.

Race Report
In qualifying, Stirling Moss put himself at the front of the largest ever Grand Final field ahead of Brabham, Ireland, Gendebien, McLaren and Hill by completing a lap of the Riverside Circuit in one minute, 54 seconds.

However, the big winner off the start line was Jack Brabham, who successfully beat Moss down to Turn One. It wasn't to last, however, as Brabham had made the mistake of over-compensating for the previous year's empty fuel tank by over-filling. He had to pit to fix the problem, and fell out of contention.

Despite a gallant charge back through the field, Brabham only managed to finish fourth behind Moss, Ireland and McLaren. Hill and Gendebien rounded out the field in fifth and sixth.

World Champion - Stirling Moss
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Aislabie
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1961 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Phil Hill (34 points - absent)
Wolfgang von Trips (33 points - deceased)
Stirling Moss (21 points)
Richie Ginther (16 points - absent)
Dan Gurney (15 points)
Jim Clark (11 points)

Race Report
With the Grand Final taking place once again at Watkins Glen, it was perhaps fitting that three of the six qualified drivers were Americans. Unfortunately for Hill and Ginther, the Ferrari team had opted not to allow them to race at The Glen due to the tragic death of Wolfgang von Trips at Monza.

These events conspired to leave the Championship with a somewhat muted Final, for which Stirling Moss qualified once again on pole position from Jim Clark and Dan Gurney. Gurney jumped Clark off the line and continued to pull away from him owing to an early stop for the Englishman.

At the front of the race, Moss pulled away and looked free and clear to take his fifth World Title until his engine failed. Gurney drove sensibly to seal the win.

World Champion - Dan Gurney
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Aislabie
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1962 F1 Grand Final

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Graham Hill (39 points)
Jim Clark (30 points)
Bruce McLaren (24 points)
John Surtees (19 points)
Dan Gurney (15 points - absent)
Phil Hill (14 points - absent)

Race Report
With Americans Gurney and Hill absent once again from the Grand Final owing to Ferrari's decision not to travel to South Africa, the grid for the 1962 Grand Final contained (in order) Jim Clark, Graham Hill, John Surtees and Bruce McLaren.

The Prince George Circuit failed to produce a thriller as Jim Clark started well, and earned himself a long-standing second place from Graham Hill. The only real battling on-track was between McLaren and Surtees for third - until Surtees' engine failed on Lap 26.

36 processional laps later, disaster struck in the form of an oil leak, which forced Clark to retire. Hill inherited the lead, retaining a 50-second lead from McLaren until the chequered flag fell.

World Champion - Graham Hill
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Aislabie
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1963 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers:
Jim Clark (54 points)
Richie Ginther (29 points)
Graham Hill (25 points)
John Surtees (22 points)
Jack Brabham (14 points)
Bruce McLaren (14 points)

Race Report
Before the race began, there was a ceremony to rename the Championship Trophy in honour of four-time World Champion Stirling Moss, who retired early in the year. His fellow countryman Jim Clark qualified on pole, from Brabham, Surtees, Hill, Ginther and McLaren, the split from first to last being only a little over two seconds.

Despite this suggesting that a close race was in store, the Prince George Circuit produced another snooze-fest. Clark led from lights to flag, with Hill and McLaren climbing to second and third after the retirements of Surtees (engine), Ginther (halfshaft) and Brabham (accident) allowed them to inherit their places.

It was processional, but it was also a long awaited maiden title for Jim Clark.

World Champion - Jim Clark
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Aislabie
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1964 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Graham Hill (39 points)
John Surtees (34 points)
Jim Clark (32 points)
Lorenzo Bandini (23 points)
Richie Ginther (23 points)
Bruce McLaren (13 points)

Race Report
Starting from pole position, Jim Clark's performance at the Magdalena Mixhuca circuit was dominant from the first lap to the sixty-fourth, only for his engine to cruelly stop him from finishing the final lap, and snatch away the World Championship that was surely destined to be his. So dominant was Clark that the only other drivers on the lead lap were fellow Briton John Surtees and his Ferrari team-mate Lorenzo Bandini. From nowhere, spectators were treated to a grandstand finish as Surtees held his lead by only 0.69 seconds to claim his maiden Championship.

World Champion - John Surtees
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Aislabie
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1965 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Jim Clark (54 points)
Graham Hill (40 points)
Jackie Stewart (33 points)
Dan Gurney (19 points)
John Surtees (17 points - absent)
Lorenzo Bandini (13 points)

Race Report
The 1965 F1 Grand Final was a real race of attrition. After Gurney had made a strong start, the three Brits behind him pushed so hard to catch up that each of their cars broke in turn: first it was Clark's engine, then Stewart's clutch, then Hill's engine which gave up the ghost. The only theoretical challenge left for Gurney was Lorenzo Bandini, but his Ferrari had fallen two laps back. Both cars retained their positions, leaving Bandini as the runner-up for the second successive year.

World Champion - Dan Gurney
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Aislabie
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1966 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Jack Brabham (39 points)
Jochen Rindt (22 points)
John Surtees (19 points)
Graham Hill (17 points)
Jim Clark (16 points)
Jackie Stewart (14 points)

Race Report
The 1966 Grand Final got off to a dramatic start as pole-sitter Surtees bogged down off the start line and fell behind Brabham and Rindt, who had jumped from third to first. Clark and Hill both suffered mechanical failures early in the race, while Stewart and Rindt got caught up battling each other until Stewart also suffered a failure. The fourth retirement of the race also occurred before the halfway point as Jochen Rindt's suspension failed, sending him dramatically off the track. The only two drivers left in the race, Brabham and Surtees, were locked in a tight battle from then onwards, lapping at a ferocious pace. But once again it was Surtees who came out on top, this time by a margin of 7.88 seconds.

World Champion - John Surtees
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Aislabie
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1967 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Denny Hulme (57 points)
Jack Brabham (42 points)
Jim Clark (32 points)
Chris Amon (20 points)
John Surtees (17 points)
Graham Hill (15 points)

Race Report
Despite starting on pole, 1963 World Champion Jim Clark slipped down to third place behind Chris Amon and Graham Hill. Evidently livid with himself, he made both positions back by the third lap, and pushed his Lotus as hard as it would go to eventually win the race by a minute and a half from Brabham's Brabham. Ferrari's Chris Amon had been bridging the gap, ready to pounce on Clark should something go wrong, but he pushed so hard to do so that he eventually ran out of fuel. Hulme and Surtees both finished a lap down, Hill didn't finish at all.

World Champion - Jim Clark
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Aislabie
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1968 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Graham Hill (39 points)
Jackie Stewart (36 points)
Denny Hulme (33 points)
Jacky Ickx (27 points)
Bruce McLaren (16 points)
Pedro Rodriguez (15 points)

Race Report
Pole-sitter Graham Hill enjoyed a trouble-free 1968 Grand Final in which he led all but four laps (a brief period in which he was engaged in a close battle with Jackie Stewart, whose Matra eventually fell back all the way to be a lap down by the chequered flag. Perhaps the real story of the day was the local star Pedro Rodriguez, who turned a back-row start into a podium place, albeit the better part of a lap down from Hill, and twenty seconds behind second-placed Bruce McLaren.

World Champion - Graham Hill
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Aislabie
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1969 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Jackie Stewart (60 points)
Jacky Ickx (31 points)
Bruce McLaren (26 points)
Jochen Rindt (22 points)
Graham Hill (19 points - absent)
Jean-Pierre Beltoise (19 points)

Race Report
For pole-sitter Jacky Ickx, the 1969 Grand Final was a largely stress-free affair. His Brabham was noticeably quicker than his closest challengers, the Matra pair of Jackie Stewart and Jean-Pierre Beltoise. The only other contender in this Final, Jochen Rindt, suffered yet another Grand Final suspension failure, leaving the a rather dull spectacle for the crowds in the stands: three cars, each roughly a sector apart, circulating with no real hope of overtaking each other thanks to McLaren being unable to start his eponymous car and Graham Hill's broken legs.

World Champion - Jacky Ickx
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Aislabie
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1970 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Jochen Rindt (45 points - deceased)
Jacky Ickx (31 points)
Clay Regazzoni (27 points)
Jackie Stewart (25 points)
Jack Brabham (25 points)
Denny Hulme (23 points)

Race Report
A fantastic start from third place on the grid saw reigning Champion Jacky Ickx jump Tyrrell's Jackie Stewart and his fellow Ferrari Clay Regazzoni and drive off into the distance. Stewart ultimately suffered a suspension failure that paved the way for a Ferrari one-two, split by 25 seconds. Denny Hulme came home in a distant third place that he inherited when Jack Brabham's engine gave up the ghost. Sadly, there was someone missing: Austrian Jochen Rindt, who won no fewer than five of the season's first eight Grands Prix, only to be tragically killed in practice at Monza.

World Champion - Jacky Ickx
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Ciaran
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Re: Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Ciaran »

Just out of curiosity, what would happen if all eligible contenders retired from the Grand Final? I'm almost certain that's never happened, but if it did, would the title have gone to the last man standing?
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Aislabie
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Re: Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Regenmeister94 wrote:Just out of curiosity, what would happen if all eligible contenders retired from the Grand Final? I'm almost certain that's never happened, but if it did, would the title have gone to the last man standing?

That is a very good question. I've never thought about it if I'm honest - I think for the purposes of zany winners, I'd go with the last man standing rather than whomever topped the league stage.
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Aislabie
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1971 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Jackie Stewart (60 points)
Ronnie Peterson (29 points)
Jacky Ickx (19 points)
Francois Cevert (17 points)
Emerson Fittipaldi (16 points)
Jo Siffert (13 points)

Race Report
After winning a tense battle for pole with Emerson Fittipaldi, Jackie Stewart continued an already-dominant season in the fashion that everyone had come to expect. He had opened up a large gap to the rest of the field before running into the significant problem of his tyres effectively melting in the unseasonal forty-degree heat of Watkins Glen. The Scotsman waved through his team-mate Cevert while acting as a mobile chicane for the cars behind, allowing Cevert to build up a healthy lead over Ickx. With the lead down to under three seconds and the Belgian looking like the favourite to claim a third successive crown, his car's alternator fell off and he was forced to retire.

Even then, Cevert didn't look entirely secure, clipping a barrier but continuing in the race, and being reeled in by the BRM of Siffert. Fortunately for the Tyrrell man, there was to be no final showdown as Siffert was mightily low on fuel, having to coast the final few laps more than ten seconds off the pace.

World Champion - Francois Cevert
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Aislabie
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1972 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Emerson Fittipaldi (62 points)
Jackie Stewart (36 points)
Denny Hulme (35 points)
Jacky Ickx (25 points)
Peter Revson (23 points)
Clay Regazzoni (15 points)

Race Report
Having experienced a season that was relatively poor by his own high standards, Stewart arrived at The Glen with a renewed determination to finally claim the Championship crown that has repeatedly slipped through his grasp. He started well, romping to pole position, and continued that form throughout the race to also claim the fastest lap and the win by 40 seconds. It was one of those days where he seemed incomparable, although the season's stand-out driver Emerson Fittipaldi was robbed of the chance to challenge thanks to his team failing to properly configure the suspension of his Lotus. With Fittipaldi gone, Hulme was Stewart's closest challenger - though that's a little like saying Adelaide is Perth's closest city: though technically true, it doesn't mean they are anywhere close to one another.

World Champion - Jackie Stewart
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Aislabie
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1973 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Jackie Stewart (71 points - absent)
Emerson Fittipaldi (54 points)
Francois Cevert (47 points - deceased)
Ronnie Peterson (43 points)
Peter Revson (36 points)
Denny Hulme (23 points)

Race Report
This year's Grand Final took place under the darkest of clouds, as 1971 World Champion Francois Cevert met his end at the Esses in practice. This was followed immediately by his team-mate's retirement, which left only four runners to compete in the Grand Final. After the death of a friend and competitors, the remaining drivers were hardly likely to compete at their exciting best, and nobody challenged pole-sitter Ronnie Peterson from lights-out to the chequered flag. Fittipaldi and Hulme engaged in a brief battle for second before settling into the order they would finish: Peterson, Hulme, Fittipaldi, Revson.

World Champion - Ronnie Peterson
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Aislabie
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1974 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Emerson Fittipaldi (52 points)
Clay Regazzoni (52 points)
Jody Scheckter (45 points)
Niki Lauda (38 points)
Ronnie Peterson (35 points)
Carlos Reutemann (23 points)

Race Report
There was something of a surprise for the spectators at The Glen when it was Carlos Reutemann's Brabham on pole, as opposed to either Emerson Fittipaldi's McLaren (fourth) or Clay Regazzoni's Ferrari (fifth) as they had been the outstanding car-driver combinations all season. Indeed, Reutemann's closest challengers were Regazzoni's team-mate Niki Lauda (who qualified second) and Tyrrell's Jody Scheckter. However, once they had both retired from the race due to suspension and fuel system failures respectively, Reutemann was alone out front and able to stretch his legs to win by almost ninety seconds, while the lame Ferrari of Regazzoni limped in four laps down.

World Champion - Carlos Reutemann
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Aislabie
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1975 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Niki Lauda (55.5 points)
Emerson Fittipaldi (39 points)
Carlos Reutemann (37 points)
James Hunt (30 points)
Clay Regazzoni (25 points)
Carlos Pace (24 points)

Race Report
This season had been shaped by the dominant driving of Niki Lauda, and the Grand Final would prove to be no different, though he was as always pushed close by the McLaren of Emerson Fittipaldi. After claiming a commanding pole position by roughly a third of a second, he led from lights out to the chequered flag, maintaining a small but secure gap over the Brazilian. Further down the field, James Hunt put in a sensible drive for Hesketh to claim third position thanks to Pace's crash, Reutemann's engine failure and Regazzoni's disqualification (the first in Grand Final History, given to him for retreating to a lap down and acting as Lauda's rear-gunner to block Fittipaldi). Regazzoni's actions turned what would have been a proud victory for Lauda into one that will be infamous for the circumstances in which it was achieved.

World Champion - Niki Lauda
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Aislabie
Posts: 1941
Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1976 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Niki Lauda (68 points)
James Hunt (65 points)
Jody Scheckter (49 points)
Patrick Depailler (33 points)
Clay Regazzoni (29 points)
John Watson (20 points)

Race Report
This season's Grand Final at Fuji was a controversial affair. The torrential rain caused points leader Niki Lauda to withdraw from the race at the end of the first lap, stating that his life was "worth more than a title." Nobody would know that better than the driver who was rushed from the German Grand Prix in an ambulance after being pulled from a fireball. He had originally qualified second, behind Hunt on pole and ahead of Watson, Scheckter, Regazzoni and Depailler in last place.

On the second lap, Watson aquaplaned down an escape road and into fifth last place. Depailler continued to climb through the field, overtaking Regazzoni's Ferrari on Lap 12 and passing the mechanically challenged Tyrrell of Scheckter a lap later. Finally, as the track dried, Hunt's wet tyres caused him to fall back into the clutches of Depailler, who claimed the lead on Lap 62. It was returned to Hunt on Lap 64 when Depailler suffered a tyre failure, only for Hunt to suffer the same thing on Lap 69. The running order was now Regazzoni, Depailler, Hunt. The Frenchman overtook Regazzoni for the lead on Lap 70, before Hunt did the same on Lap 72; however, he could not close down the gap to the Frenchman who won his maiden Championship. What a finale.

World Champion - Patrick Depailler
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1977 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Niki Lauda (72 points - absent)
Jody Scheckter (55 points)
Mario Andretti (47 points)
Carlos Reutemann (36 points)
James Hunt (31 points)
Jochen Mass (25 points)

Race Report
For the second successive season, Niki Lauda - the driver who dominated the season once again - did not compete at the season finale. This time, he did not even attend the weekend due to his relationship with the Ferrari team becoming terminal, meaning that they would be represented only by Carlos Reutemann, who qualified fourth out of five starters. Disaster struck on the first lap for pole-sitter Andretti, who crashed out of the most important race of the season. Scheckter qualified third, but was unable to get his Wolf to work properly, while Jochen Mass suffered an engine failure midway through the race. This left only Hunt and Reutemann to joust for the win, but it's not much of a joust when one competitor is a full minute behind the other.

World Champion - James Hunt
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Aislabie
Posts: 1941
Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1978 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Mario Andretti (64 points)
Ronnie Peterson (51 points - deceased)
Carlos Reutemann (44 points)
Niki Lauda (44 points)
Patrick Depailler (32 points)
John Watson (25 points)

Race Report
The Formula One paddock arrived in Montreal in muted fashion, still keenly mourning the loss of one of its most talented stars who should have been on the grid for the Grand Final. Instead, there were only five cars, which started in the following order: Watson, Lauda, Andretti, Reutemann, Depailler. It seemed like Brabham's Championship to lose once they had blocked out the front row of the grid, but their cars made poor starts that rather foreshadowed the mechanical issues that ultimately ended both Lauda's race by Lap 5. Watson, meanwhile, had a chronic time of things: he tangled with Andretti, dropping them both to the back of the field, then went on to have an accident of his own. Depailler had by this point risen to the lead, but a further mechanical issue dropped him back behind the Ferrari of Reutemann.

World Champion - Carlos Reutemann
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1979 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Jody Scheckter (51 points)
Gilles Villeneuve (44 points)
Alan Jones (40 points)
Jacques Laffite (36 points)
Clay Regazzoni (29 points)
Patrick Depailler (20 points - absent)

Race Report
Not much to tell here really. Pole-sitter Jones' wheel fell off, retiring him from the race. Second-placed Villeneuve had no problems whatsoever. Third-placed Laffite spun out early, while fourth-placed Regazzoni also suffered an accident. Fifth-placed Scheckter was doing okay until a puncture ended his race. Depailler was already absent after mashing up his legs while hang-gliding.

All of that meant that the winner was the last man standing.

World Champion - Gilles Villeneuve
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Aislabie
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1980 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Alan Jones (61 points)
Nelson Piquet (54 points)
Carlos Reutemann (40 points)
Jacques Laffite (32 points)
Rene Arnoux (29 points)
Didier Pironi (28 points)

Race Report
Before the race at Watkins Glen, there were two outstanding favourites. Two drivers had dominated the entire season to this point: Jones in the Williams, and Piquet in the Brabham. Of the two, it was Piquet who took the early advantage by claiming pole position by just 0.031 seconds from Carlos Reutemann, with Jones behind him in third. The three Frenchmen then took the remaining three places on the grid, with Arnoux's Renault leaving the twin Ligiers to populate the back row. The front row pair remained line astern after the first lap, but both Ligiers had jumped the cars on the second row. Down in fifth, Jones had to fight back through the field. On Lap Four, he passed Laffite, followed by Pironi on Lap 28. That coupled with Nelson Piquet's spin from the lead ensured had moved the Australian up to second place behind Reutemann, who was defending his third World Championship. However, Jones was unstoppable, and on Lap 30 he took a lead that he would not relinquish.

World Champion - Alan Jones
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1981 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Carlos Reutemann (49 points)
Nelson Piquet (48 points)
Jacques Laffite (43 points)
Alain Prost (37 points)
Alan Jones (36 points)
John Watson (27 points)

Race Report
Not for the first time, this year's Grand Final was to be held at a brand new circuit, this time the Caesars Palace car park. Carlos Reutemann, still seeking his third title, qualified on Pole alongside reigning Champion Alan Jones. Piquet and Prost were on the next row, with Watson and Laffite bringing up the rear. However, pole position was placed on arguably the wrong side of the grid, meaning that Jones, Prost and Laffite all gained positions at the start. After that, the race was a procession save for Reutemann's gearbox making him drop back to sixth and last place at the finish.

World Champion - Alan Jones
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Aislabie
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1982 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Keke Rosberg (42 points)
Didier Pironi (39 points - absent)
John Watson (33 points)
Alain Prost (31 points)
Niki Lauda (30 points)
Rene Arnoux (28 points)

Race Report
It was truly tragic that no Ferraris could be present, owing to both of their original drivers being taken from the sport of Formula One in horrific crashes. This also meant that only five cars would run in the season-ending Caesars Palace Grand Prix, with the Renaults of Prost and Arnoux on the front row, followed by Rosberg, Watson and Lauda. For the early part of the race, it was simply a question of which Renault would take the chequered flag first as they traded the lead. When Arnoux's engine failed on Lap 20, Prost's Championship looked assured. However, Watson - who had passed Rosberg on Lap 15 - had other ideas, and began to reel in the Frenchman. He was able to do so thanks to a vibration in the Renault car which had rendered it almost undriveable. After taking the lead on Lap 56, Watson would go on to win by over half a minute.

World Champion - John Watson
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1983 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Alain Prost (57 points)
Nelson Piquet (55 points)
Rene Arnoux (49 points)
Patrick Tambay (40 points)
Keke Rosberg (25 points)
John Watson (22 points)

Race Report
For this season finale, held at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa, it would be quicker to list the cars that didn't finish than those who did. Patrick Tambay started on pole only to slip back before suffering a turbo failure; Prost also suffered a turbo failure from the second place that he had reached, while Arnoux suffered an engine failure on Lap Nine. Watson also ended up being disqualified for an infringement on the parade lap, but would have finished last anyway. The only two drivers that leaves are Piquet and Rosberg: Piquet had led the race from the exit of Turn One to the chequered flag, while Rosberg finished a full lap down.

World Champion - Nelson Piquet
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Aislabie
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1984 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Niki Lauda (66 points)
Alain Prost (61.5 points)
Elio de Angelis (32 points)
Nelson Piquet (28 points)
Michele Alboreto (27.5 points)
Rene Arnoux (27 points)

Race Report
After a regular season that was utterly dominated by the McLaren pair of Lauda and Prost, it remained to be seen whether they would manage to transfer that into a Championship triumph. Prost qualified his McLaren on the front row (but behind Piquet's Brabham), while Lauda qualified his McLaren on the back row (but ahead of Arnoux's Ferrari). After Prost jumped the Brabham off the start line, he promptly drove off into the distance. Although Lauda did his utmost to climb back through the field, he couldn't get closer to Alain Prost than 13 seconds. Alain Prost, at the age of 29, becomes France's third World Champion.

World Champion - Alain Prost
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Aislabie
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Joined: 14 Feb 2016, 11:06

1985 Stirling Moss Trophy

Post by Aislabie »

Qualified Drivers
Alain Prost (73 points)
Michele Alboreto (53 points)
Ayrton Senna (38 points)
Elio de Angelis (33 points)
Nigel Mansell (31 points)
Keke Rosberg (31 points)

Race Report
Okay, so this was weird. The qualifying results were as follows: Senna, Mansell, Rosberg, Prost, Alboreto, de Angelis, which in many people's eyes made Mansell the favourite seeing as he had won his previous two Grands Prix. But many people were wrong: Mansell had a transmission failure after a single lap. Not long later, de Angelis was disqualified for speeding on the formation lap. On Lap 26, Prost had an engine failure. This left Senna, Rosberg and Alboreto, in that order, as the only three remaining runners, but strange things happened on Lap 62 as both Senna and Alboreto lost power and retired from the race. And that, as they say, was that.

World Champion - Keke Rosberg
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