Sunday, August 10, 2014

Stirling Moss Said It. What's It Got to Do With You?

Stirling who?  Stirling Moss, perhaps the greatest racing car driver to never win the World Driving Championship.  An immensely talented driver who was particularly good at open road races back in the 50's, like the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio.  These races favored drivers who could read the road effectively because of the challenge of "learning" such a course.  Stirling also raced Formula One, and endurance events like LeMans.

Once, Stirling was being interviewed by a motorsports journalist who asked him why he didn't late brake the same way many of his opponents did, and he quipped, "Better to go in slow and come out fast than to go in fast and come out dead."

Think about it.  Here's a guy who's getting paid to win, and his method is to go in slow and come out fast.  So many more choices that way.  So much better opportunity to respond to the unexpected.  So much more latitude to be on the gas to stabilize the bike once you get it leaned over.

You're not getting paid to win races down your favorite mountain road.  That makes taking Stirling Moss' free advice even more affordable. 

No comments:

Post a Comment