( CNN ) -- `` It was the only race that frightened me , actually , '' motorsport legend Stirling Moss says of Italy 's historic endurance rally -- the Mille Miglia . `` It certainly was one of the races throughout the year where I thought , 'Oh God , ' because I did n't know where I was going . '' Translated as the `` Thousand Miles , '' the race was held on public roads . Competitors set off from Brescia and blazed a trail south to Rome , before turning around and returning to the northern city . The rally was a true test of speed , courage and navigation . The Mille Miglia 's origins date back to the early days of motorsport and the decision to move the 1922 Italian Grand Prix from Brescia to Monza , near Milan . The switch proved unpopular in Brescia , and when an automobile club was formed in the city in 1927 , they sought to put on a racing spectacle of their own . The rest , as they say , is history . For 30 years between 1927 and 1957 , competitors -- including Moss and five-time Formula One world champion Juan Manuel Fangio -- pushed their vehicles to the limit in an attempt to reach the finish line . It has since been resurrected as a serene , grand touring event , but in its racing years the prospect of driving at breakneck speeds down everyday roads was both a trial and a thrill for participants . Moss says it made for a nerve-shredding ride . `` Imagine going up a large incline towards a village and going at 185 mph without knowing which way the road goes , '' the 82-year-old told CNN ahead of this week 's 2012 edition . `` If there is a turn over the brow , you need to know about . '' In 1955 , ably assisted by co-pilot Denis Jackson , the British driver loosened Italy 's stranglehold on the race , sealing one of only three Mille Miglia victories by a foreigner in record-breaking fashion . Moss , one of the best drivers never to win the F1 world title , set an average speed record for the route , clocking a time of 10 hours seven minutes and 48 seconds . But when asked about one of the highlights of his 14-year racing career , Moss ' response was surprising . `` I did n't know I 'd won , '' he explained . `` All I knew is that I was the leader at the stop before . `` I did n't know I 'd won until my time had been split and I knew I could n't be passed , so it was a terrible anticlimax . I was very much on tenterhooks waiting . It was anticlimactic but nonetheless very exhilarating . '' But when compared to all the races staged throughout motorsport history , including the 66 F1 grands prix Moss started , what set the Mille Miglia apart ? `` The whole of Italy turns out , it 's absolutely staggering , '' he said . `` All across the whole country , people come out and line the roads . It 's amazing , more than five millions spectators . It 's something that could happen nowhere else but Italy . `` The one thing you must remember is we were genuinely doing speeds of 185 mph , on ordinary roads . There were no autostrasses or dual carriageways . And the amount of cars you have to pass , hundreds of cars , it 's pretty daunting . '' Ultimately , it was the element of danger which proved the race 's downfall . In addition to glorious victory , the Mille Miglia 's legacy is also littered with fatal crashes . The most infamous was in 1957 in the village of Guidizzolo , a tragedy which proved to be the final nail in the race 's coffin . Spanish driver Alfonso de Portago 's Ferrari veered off the road and tore through a group of spectators , killing the driver , his co-pilot and nine bystanders , five of which were children . `` A lot of the drivers -- you had hairdressers , you had chefs -- really were n't competent enough to drive at the speeds you had to drive at , '' recalls Moss . `` In the modern day , one could not take the death toll . As the years passed , people dying in motorsport like that became unacceptable . '' The 2012 edition began on Thursday , with Moss in attendance to take part in the festivities . Despite no longer being a rip-roaring , high-speed chase , the fabled tour still draws a big crowd . `` It 's absolutely terrific , '' said Moss after this year 's event had got underway . `` The enthusiasm of the people here ... The Italians line the streets , pat you on the head , it 's just great . `` People bring their own cars , if they 're fast cars , and go around . It 's something very special . '' Reflecting on the Mille Miglia as it was 60 years ago , Moss believes it had a certain spark which modern day motorsport has n't quite rekindled . `` When the race car was just an ordinary road car , a bit faster of course , that was terribly exciting , '' he said . `` I 'm sure it is today , but I 'm not sure it would be quite as exciting as it was then . ''
The Mille Miglia was an Italians road race between 1927 and 1957 . Stirling Moss clocked the fastest average speed for the 1,000-mile event in 1957 . The race was dash from Rome , in Northern Italy , to Rome and back again . A fatal crash ended the race in 1957 , but it survives 1957 as a touring event .