Kenneth Miles (born 1 November 1918 and died 17 August 1966) was a British racing driver and engineer, best known for his sports car achievements with American teams. In 1961, he was entered into the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, but did not participate in the race.
Miles began his racing career in the United Kingdom after World War II before moving to the United States in 1952. The following year, he won 14 consecutive races in the Sports Car Club of America driving an MG-based car he had designed himself.
In 1955, he placed first overall in a sports car race at Palm Springs, but was later disqualified because the fenders on his car were too wide.
In 1963, he became the chief test driver for Shelby-American, which led to drives in popular endurance races including the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 1966, Miles placed first overall in the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he was leading the race. However, Ford executives wanted a publicity photo of their cars crossing the line at the same time and ordered their drivers to slow down. Despite all of the cars crossing the line at the same time, the other Ford driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon was given the win. Race organizers felt that because McLaren's car had started second on the grid opposed to Miles' first on the grid, McLaren's car had completed more race distance and deserved the win.
That year, Ford began testing their new J-car, which was the planned successor of the GT40 Mk II. Development of the car was put on hold in April when Walt Hansgen was killed while testing the new car. Testing of the car resumed in August, with Miles becoming the primary test driver. The car featured some new and unproven innovations, including a honeycomb panel design that was intended to lighten and strengthen the car.
While driving the car at a private test session at the Riverside International Raceway, Miles was killed in a crash near the end of the day. The car suddenly flipped and caught fire at the circuit's long downhill back straight while travelling at speeds of more than 320 km/h. The car broke into pieces, ejecting Miles who was killed instantly.
As a result of the crash, aerodynamic improvements were made to the car to prevent the rear of the car from lifting at high speeds. Additionally, a roll cage was installed on the car to offer better protection to the driver in the event of a crash. Ford later rebranded the car to the GT40 Mk IV, in an effort to distance it from the events.
Miles' years at Ford were depicted in the film Ford v. Ferrari in 2019. Miles was portrayed by Christian Bale.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 |  Louise Bryden-Brown
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Lotus-Climax | Did not participate | |
Career Statistics[]
| Entries | 1 |
| Starts | 0 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Race Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Laps Raced | 0 |
| Distance Raced | 0 km (0 mi) |
Career Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pts | Pos | |||||||||||||||
| 1961 | 
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0 | NC | |||||||||||||||
| DNA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
Notes[]
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