At the wheel of his 1956 1.5-litre OSCA, Sir Stirling OBE was leading his class in the two-driver RAC Woodcote Trophy sportscar race ahead of musician Chris Rea.
 
But with just ten minutes of the one-hour race to run, 80-year-old Moss was forced to pull up in the pit lane. At the time he was lying in 19th position overall after taking over from driving partner Ian Nuthall - they had started 33rd on the 48-car grid.

Moss said of his retirement: 'She was stuck in fourth gear and I couldn’t get it to come out. That’s a bit too high a gear to become jammed in. Third I could have coped with. But we were flying and I’ve really enjoyed it.'
 
The Silverstone Classic marked Moss's first race since he broke both his ankles in an accident at his home in London in March. His retirement from the race meant Rea and co-driver Richard Hodson were able to speed by and take the class win instead.