Ken Miles Biography

Ken Miles: An amazing story of life and mysterious death of one of the greatest racers of the 20th century. Ken was an ordinary courtyard boy, he was distinguished only in that he adored the races and everything connected with them. Therefore, at the age of 15, he decides to quit school and begins to work as a trainee-mechanical at Wolseley Motors. The founder of the company Herbert Austin, seeing the potential of the boy, insisted that Ken go to study on a car mechanic.

Miles did so, at the same time participating in racing races. These were motorcycle races! DINICS, G. The whole thing did not last long: the Second World War began. Miles is sent to the advanced, to Normandy, to the tank division. After impressive victories, Ken decides to fulfill the childhood dream - to win the other shore of the Atlantic, California. The road race in Palm-Springs, G.

In the States, Miles quickly earns authority among local racers, although they gave him the nickname “Teddy tea bag” for his love for tea and a typical English accent. In the middle of the x, Miles first performs in a clock race in Le Man and takes a line 12. Immediately after the Porsche race, they invite him to the team. Ken combined an experienced racer and no less talented mechanic.

For example, he personally installed a motor from a broken Porsche in a tiny Austin Mini Cooper body simply for fun. It was the combination of these two skills that interested Carroll Shelby, and he offered Miles to work. Pomona, California, G. Photo from the collection of Peter Miles. Ken Miles on his Porsche will finish the sixth race, but finish the first less than two liters in his class.

Las Vegas, G. Having got into the Shelby workshop, Miles felt at home. Shelby mechanics team are real pros. The work inside was comparable to membership in a closed community: each mechanic knew his own business and worked for a personal result, each car was assembled and washed completely manually. Pride of the project was traced inside the whole team, and the mechanics have always been striving to sell the car as expensive as possible, benefiting the entire project.

Yes, and Shelby himself was an excellent seller: celebrities were lined up for him to tell about his cars and put an order in a waiting list. But the main source of confirmation of the quality of Shelby was Miles. He carefully tested the cars, taking the prizes and thereby reinforcing the reputation of the brand even more. Photo 2: John Olsen, Ken's crew chief, makes notes in his book of speed secrets.

The working meeting of Cecil Bowne and Ken Miles in the test laboratory of engines. The first day of designing the secret project Brock Coupe, which later became called Shelby Daytona. October, G. Kena Race lasted 25 circles, after which he got off the distance due to various problems. Then Shelby recommends Ken to Ford as a better pilot that can configure a supercar and defeat Le-Man.

By that time, Ford desperately needed engineers in the battle with Enzo Ferrari, after an unsuccessful transaction for the purchase of the Ferrari plant. During the negotiations, it turned out that Enzo used Ford to attract another buyer - Fiat Corporation. Lee Jacock, the top manager Ford and, perhaps, the best manager of the auto-specifications of that time, begins to seriously develop a “king” plan.

Lee decides to redeem the finished Lolagt car, one of the most noticeable cars of the British manufacturer Lola. So Ford gets a finished body, chassis and engine. Ferrari takes the first three places and defeats the sixth year in a row. And Carroll, in turn, attracts Ken Miles, the most ambitious pilot of that time. Ken was always wayward even after two or three suckers and a couple of fights Ken agreed.

Shelby and Miles stood, at first glance, an impossible task - to completely redo the Lola GT sports car. Together they change the body aerodynamics, replace the engine and completely redo the brake system. MKII became real carburetor monsters with seven -liter V8 engines, developing p. Ken talked about this race: "The first 12 hours were easy, but the second 12 hours was a clean test." Ferrari also participated in Daytona’s arrival and, having lost, seriously thought about how the race in Le Man would take place.

Ford MKII. Lloyd Ruby and Ken Miles with a trophy on the continental race “24 hours of dietons”, the year before they won the Daytona Continental KM race together. Ford GT40 in the pit during the “24 hours of dyton” in the year. GT40 defeated Ferrari and anticipated the legendary victory in Le Man. The victory of Ken and Loyda instilled hope for the team and the company Ford.

They went to France, anticipating prizes. But Leid Ruby could not participate in Le Man, nearly perishing when the aircraft crash. At the start of the clock le-man Ford and Ferrari, 14 cars were put up, which amounted to exactly half of the total number of participants. Enzo introduced the three latest P3 models with four -liter V12 under the hood, power in l. The Ford team together took up the preparation: finally they had a common enemy in front of them-Enzo!Then Ferrari were a representative of the “Old World” - a privileged Society of Snobs, who despised any upstarts.

Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby tried to unite the racers before the battle. For Bruce, McLaren Ken became a difficult mentor, and an older brother. Everyone was ready! In front of each big race, Shelby held a team meeting. Ken Miles - left below. Number 2 - Bruce Maclaren and shifter Chris Eimon. Dan Garni and Jerry Grant - at number 3. Mark Donahu and Paul Hawkins - number 4.

Ronnie Bakanam and Dick Hutcherson - 5. Start, attention, march! Following the strategy, Dan Garni walked ahead of Miles, his task was to cut off Ferrari. Miles was the second, Maclarene was the third. Drivers run to their cars at the start of the “24 hours of Le Man” race. Four cars in the foreground - Ford GT40 MK. France, on June 18, Ford GT40 cars are lined up in a row at the start of the race.

Dan Garni said: “Jerry Grant took the championship in the second round and did not let Ferrari go forward. We were the first to go almost the entire race, until we had to get off the highway due to overheating of the engine, at the end of the hour. ” Dick Hutcherson: “The track was pretty.

There were no protective fences in the year, nothing but trees that many participants crashed about. I shore my ass! And in the rain they rushed even faster than dry. Ken Miles: “I intended to start more slowly to warm up the belts evenly - what other guys did not do. It was the most difficult thing to drive in the late day, when the sunset sun blinded all the way.

Then it got dark, it started to rain and it became easier. ” Dan Gurni, “24 hours of Le Man”, G. at the beginning of the race, the door of Miles jammed and he lost a lot of time, repairing the car. To catch up, Ken drowned like a demon, setting a record time of passing a circle. Dan Garni did not want to give in to Ken and rushed ahead of him, setting another record. At this time, McLaren fought with Firestone tires, which were not intended for rainfalls, it lagged behind a few laps from the main team and had to change the tires on Goodyear, although Firestone was its sponsors.

In the last hours, Dan Garney “hit” the engine due to powerful overheating and Ken burst forward! Leading with a margin of several circles, Miles goes to the finish, but inferior to Bruce McLaren. Ken Miles after the message of Carroll Shelby about the team finish. The very finish of the “24 hours of Le Man” in g all knew that Ken would win, Ford II was desperately against the victory of the racer, the company was supposed to defeat the company Ford, and not a separate hero.

If the pilots began to fight in the first place or, God forbid, had an accident, this would seriously affect the reputation of Ford. Then the top manager Leo Bib came up with a command finish. When Carroll Shelby found out about the team finish, he was beside himself with rage: the victory was supposed to belong to Miles! At the final pit Stop, Shelby reported the new Ken plans, thereby completely discouraging him.

Sitting in the car, Miles contacted the radio with the chief mechanic of Shelby Charlie Agapiu and said: “Charlie, in my opinion they were fucking me! Daithon is bullshit!