By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. The sport of motor racing is filled with memorable races marked by both triumph and tragedy. It's the nature of the sport that these two extremes have left such an indelible impression that they live on for decades, leaving a legacy that is part and parcel of our collective memories. The many heroic individuals - and individual efforts - that have carved out their place in motorsport history are too often luridly offset by gut-wrenching tragedies that have torn us apart along the way. It is an unfortunate consequence of a sport that consumes everything and everyone in its path, a fevered, relentless pursuit marked by unbridled elation and devastating, soul-crushing disappointment. In this series I will try to avoid dwelling on the tragic stories, because as enthusiasts of this sport we are all too familiar with them. If, in the course of talking about a particular race mentioning a tragic event is unavoidable that will have to be, but this series will mainly focus on those glorious moments from those glory days that rivet us to this day.
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The Monaco Grand Prix, held on May 14, 1961, was the opening round of the 1961 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. It featured a star-studded field of the most talented drivers of the day. This was the season when the FIA restricted F1 cars to 1.5-liters of engine displacement, a move heavily campaigned for by Ferrari, as its new 1.5-liter V6 was rumored to put out as much as 50HP more than its chief competitor, the Climax V8. Ferrari would bring three of its 156 Grand Prix cars to Monaco for Americans Richie Ginther (No. 36) and Phil Hill (No. 38), and for German star Wolfgang von Trips (No. 40). Porsche System Engineering brought three cars for Jo Bonnier (No. 2 Porsche 787), Dan Gurney (No. 4 Porsche 718) and Hans Herrmann (No. 6 Porsche 718). The Owen Racing Organization would bring cars for Tony Brooks (No. 16 BRM P48/57 Climax) and Graham Hill (No. 18 BRM P48/57 Climax). The Cooper Car Company would enter cars for Jack Brabham (No. 24 Cooper T55 Climax) and Bruce McLaren (No. 26 Cooper T55 Climax), and Colin Chapman's Team Lotus would enter two factory cars, for Jim Clark (No. 28 Lotus 21 Climax) and Innes Ireland (No. 30 Lotus 21 Climax). There were other notables, including John Surtees (No. 22 Yeomen Credit Racing Team Cooper T53 Climax), American Masten Gregory (No. 14 Camoradi International Cooper T53 Climax), Maurice Trintignant (No. 42 Scuderia Serenissima Cooper T51 Maserati) and last, but certainly not least, Stirling Moss (above) in the No. 20 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Lotus 18/21 Climax). It would prove to be an interesting weekend, as Stirling Moss would dominate proceedings in his independently-entered Lotus.
Detroit. The sport of motor racing is filled with memorable races marked by both triumph and tragedy. It's the nature of the sport that these two extremes have left such an indelible impression that they live on for decades, leaving a legacy that is part and parcel of our collective memories. The many heroic individuals - and individual efforts - that have carved out their place in motorsport history are too often luridly offset by gut-wrenching tragedies that have torn us apart along the way. It is an unfortunate consequence of a sport that consumes everything and everyone in its path, a fevered, relentless pursuit marked by unbridled elation and devastating, soul-crushing disappointment. In this series I will try to avoid dwelling on the tragic stories, because as enthusiasts of this sport we are all too familiar with them. If, in the course of talking about a particular race mentioning a tragic event is unavoidable that will have to be, but this series will mainly focus on those glorious moments from those glory days that rivet us to this day.
(Getty images)The Monaco Grand Prix, held on May 14, 1961, was the opening round of the 1961 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. It featured a star-studded field of the most talented drivers of the day. This was the season when the FIA restricted F1 cars to 1.5-liters of engine displacement, a move heavily campaigned for by Ferrari, as its new 1.5-liter V6 was rumored to put out as much as 50HP more than its chief competitor, the Climax V8. Ferrari would bring three of its 156 Grand Prix cars to Monaco for Americans Richie Ginther (No. 36) and Phil Hill (No. 38), and for German star Wolfgang von Trips (No. 40). Porsche System Engineering brought three cars for Jo Bonnier (No. 2 Porsche 787), Dan Gurney (No. 4 Porsche 718) and Hans Herrmann (No. 6 Porsche 718). The Owen Racing Organization would bring cars for Tony Brooks (No. 16 BRM P48/57 Climax) and Graham Hill (No. 18 BRM P48/57 Climax). The Cooper Car Company would enter cars for Jack Brabham (No. 24 Cooper T55 Climax) and Bruce McLaren (No. 26 Cooper T55 Climax), and Colin Chapman's Team Lotus would enter two factory cars, for Jim Clark (No. 28 Lotus 21 Climax) and Innes Ireland (No. 30 Lotus 21 Climax). There were other notables, including John Surtees (No. 22 Yeomen Credit Racing Team Cooper T53 Climax), American Masten Gregory (No. 14 Camoradi International Cooper T53 Climax), Maurice Trintignant (No. 42 Scuderia Serenissima Cooper T51 Maserati) and last, but certainly not least, Stirling Moss (above) in the No. 20 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Lotus 18/21 Climax). It would prove to be an interesting weekend, as Stirling Moss would dominate proceedings in his independently-entered Lotus.
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The Scuderia Ferrari 156 F1 cars of Richie Ginther (No. 36), Phil Hill (No. 38) and Wolfgang von Trips (No. 40) are pushed to the grid before the start of the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix.
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Stirling Moss served notice that he was in fine form that weekend, grabbing the pole in his Lotus by two-tenths of a second over Richie Ginther's Ferrari. Jim Clark (Lotus) would complete the front row, with Graham Hill (BRM) and Phil Hill (Ferrari) occupying Row 2; followed by von Trips (Ferrari), McLaren (Cooper), Brooks (BRM), Bonnier (Porsche) and Gurney (Porsche). Ginther would storm into the lead at the start and by the end of Lap 1, it was Ginther leading Clark and Moss. That would soon change as Clark would have to stop with fuel pump issues, costing him several laps.
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Richie Ginther (No. 36 Scuderia Ferrari 156 V6) ran a strong race at Monaco, eventually finishing second to Moss.
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Phil Hill (No. 38 Scuderia Ferrari 156 V6) followed his teammate to finish third. A good showing for Ferrari, but not enough to take on Moss.
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Stirling Moss (No. 20 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Lotus 18/21 Climax) on his way to a dominant win in the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, 3.6 seconds clear of Ginther. It is widely regarded as the best race of his illustrious career.
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Moss ran most of the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix missing a body panel.
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Wolfgang von Trips (No. 40 Scuderia Ferrari 156 V6) qualified sixth and was classified fourth, even though he didn't finish the race.
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Stirling Moss runs alone and out front on his way to the win in the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix. It was the first win for a Lotus in F1.
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When Stirling Moss was on, he was incredibly hard to beat. His No. 20 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Lotus 18/21 Climax was technically outmatched and out-powered by the formidable Ferrari team at Monaco, but his brilliance behind the wheel delivered the win that day and remains one of the greatest F1 races ever run.
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG