Names such as Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher are some of the legendary names of today’s racing world, but when we go back a little and look at the years when cars were just beginning to develop and races were won not with money, but with wrist power, we come across the name Ken Miles. Without a doubt, Ken Miles has a unique place in the hearts of motorcyclists and racing enthusiasts.
Ken Miles holds a special place in the hearts of car lovers and racing enthusiasts alike, because he was not only a racing driver with a smackdown of championships, but also a master of engineering skills that improved the car he drove and thus the world of automobiles. Unfortunately that track that he was a fan of was where he lost his life. Let’s get to know Ken Miles, the legendary name of the racing and automobile world.
WWII veteran born with engineering skills:
Born on November 1, 1918 in the West Midlands of England, Ken Miles was a racing enthusiast since childhood . In fact, when he was still a child, he had an accident while riding his 350 cc Trials Special Triumph bike in 1929, breaking his nose and losing three teeth. Miles, who wanted to advance things a little after this accident, started using a 1100 cc Salmson motorcycle by modifying it.
In 1933, when he was 15 years old, he met his future wife, Mollie, and discovered his engineering skills. While he was driving an Austin 7 Special that he had been working on meticulously, he got a job as an apprentice at Wolseley Motors and started to use these skills in the most effective way. Then the Second World War broke out and he joined the British Army.
Ken Miles began his military service as a gunner. He became a sergeant major in 1942 after becoming a driving instructor at Blackpool. In 1944, he participated in the Normandy Landing with his tank division. Miles, who did not lose his passion for automobiles even during the war, started working as an engineer at Morris Motors when the war ended and he returned home as a veteran. During this time he got married and had a son.
Ken Miles starts racing:
Ken Miles, who made a quick entry into the post-war engineering world, listened to his passion for racing as there were no obstacles in his way anymore and He participated in the races for the first time on April 23, 1949, in a car with a V8 powered engine for Frazer Nash at Silverstone. This challenging race opened the doors of the racing world to him.
Miles, who started working for Gough Industries in the United States in 1951, participated in the races with an MG-TD on behalf of this company. After winning his first race in the United States at Pebble Beach, 1953 became his year, and that year he won all races under 1500cc.
Starting to dust the tracks with Ford:
Ken Miles won every race he participated in between 1958 and 1963. A living legend, Miles caught the attention of Carroll Shelby and was hired to test the new model Cobra vehicles. Ford and Ken Miles had finally met. It was remarkable that Miles was a master racing driver, but more importantly, Miles was a skilled engineer.
Ken Miles, who participated in races for Ford and Shelby American in succession, was fighting hard and winning many races. More importantly, with each race, the MK IIB was improving its GT40 model. In the end, Ken Miles was the winner of Le Mans, one of the most important races in the world, which lasted for 24 hours in 1966.
A life dedicated to the track and ended there:
After the Le Mans win, everyone’s eyes were now much higher. Ford, who wanted to try something different after the MK IIB GT40 model, started a project called J-Car. Of course, the chief engineer of the project was star name Ken Miles. Ken Miles took the J-Car for a test drive on August 18, 1966.
Miles accelerated to 320 km/h while testing the J-Car at the Riverside circuit in California. That’s when something went wrong. The car overturned. He flipped over and over. The driver was already thrown out of the car on the third roll. J-Car caught fire. Ken Miles’ body was lying on the Riverside track. Ford said the accident was caused by a mechanical failure. Hundreds of people attended Ken Miles’ funeral, including his most arch rivals.
Ken Miles’ life is described in the movie Ford v Ferrari:
Ken Miles, working with Ford and GT At the time he was developing the 40 model, his biggest rivals were the Ferrari company. Before winning the Le Mans races and taking the throne in 1966, there was a fierce rivalry between Ford and Ferrari at times. The 2019 Ford v Ferrari movie describes this cutthroat competition.
We answered the question of who is Ken Miles, one of the legendary names of the automobile and racing world, and we talked about what you need to know about this legendary name. You can share other legends you know in the comments, such as Ken Miles, in the world of cars and racing.
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