On 18th June 1960, during a practice run for the Belgian Grand Prix that was to take place the next day, British Formula One driver Stirling Moss almost died when the left rear wheel of his Lotus-Climax 18 fell off on the treacherous Burnenville curve. Moments later he was thrown from the car as it collided heavily with the banking, an impact that left him temporarily blind and with two broken legs. This was his diary entry on that dreadful day. Tragically, just twenty-four hours later, two of his fellow drivers, Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey, also lost control of their cars as they sped around the same circuit, but neither were as fortunate as Moss. At the time, it was the only Formula One race in history to have claimed two lives.

The Diary Entry

18 June, 1960: Shunt. Back. Legs. Nose. Bruises. Bugger.

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Further Reading

Read more about the disastrous 1960 Belgian Grand Prix over at Wikipedia.

This diary entry is excerpted from Stirling Moss: The Authorised Biography, by Robert Edwards. Copyright © Robert Edwards. Orion Publishing Group Limited, 2005. Reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.