THE GREATEST racing driver in the history of motorsport celebrated the 60th anniversary of a double victory by returning to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Sir Stirling Moss marked the anniversary of his 1955 Mille Miglia victory and his 1955 British Grand Prix win at the event on the Goodwood Estate by getting back in the driver seat in cars including the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR #722, which took the racing world by storm .

The 85-year-old said he was fond of the "magnificent" event, which he often returns to, but would always remember the serious injuries he sustained in a crash on the track there in April 1962 when his Lotus left the track at high speed.

He said he was "incredibly lucky" the crash did not end his career or his life when he spoke to reporters at the event yesterday.

The four day motoring extravaganza opened on Thursday with thousands of visitors making the most of the warm weather to enjoy the sights. It launched with a moving motor show where visitors could see, hear and even drive some of the latest new production cars.

One-off racing prototypes, hypercars and brand new designs were shown off in timed track events as well as a classic cars exhibition. Stunt drivers also set a new world record during a display yesterday.

Events organiser Michelle Cobb visited Goodwood with her colleague and friend Sophie Harrison for the first time yesterday.

The 23-year-old said: "It's the first time I've been and I'll definitely be coming back. I was really impressed by the Bentley stand, that was one of the highlights. The weather has been great and we really enjoyed the whole day. We also came to suss out the competition a bit and see how they do things."

Organisers said overall numbers are still being finalised but yesterday's tickets were sold out. The event's total crowd is understood to be bigger than that of Glastonbury Festival, which is also taking place this week.

A spokesman for Goodwood said: "It’s incredible to have a diverse line-up that includes 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen – here with Shell – Gymkhana hero Ken Block and motorcycle legends Casey Stoner and John McGuinness. Plus we’ve had a world record set by stunt icon Terry Grant for the fastest mile ever completed by a car on two wheels – 1m10s in a Nissan Juke RS NISMO. Coupled with 21 major UK car debuts at the Moving Motor Show, it’s been a tremendous start to the Festival of Speed."

The event ends on Sunday.