The incredible story of Ken Miles. Part 1

softjoker (44)in #life • 7 years ago

Greetings, dear readers!

The current racing driver - not only the person who knows how to properly manage a car, it requires a huge amount of skills, both mental and physical. Not the last place here and take personal qualities. On the example of Ayrton Senna, we know that a charming sportsman will always be attracted by the attention of the leaders and mechanics of the team. But a person with a complex character, as in the ordinary world, and in the world of sports, always wields a bear like a windbreak, not regretting himself or others.

Kenneth Henry Miles, better known as Ken, was born in 1918 in the industrial area of English Birmingham. He had been interested in wheeled technology since childhood, and as soon as age allowed, Ken settled on as an apprentice to the Wolseley car factory, lowering all the money he earned for a motorcycle for racing. During the Second World War repair skills were useful to him in tank troops, where in the rank of sergeant he was responsible for maintenance of the park.

After demobilization in 1946, Ken Miles seriously engaged in motorsport. There he received the nickname "Hawk" - for a characteristic long and hunchbacked nose. Ken joined the Vintage Sports Car Club and competed in small pre-war racing cars, like the Bugatti T35 and Alfa Romeo Monza. Then he bought Frazer Nash and installed Ford Flathead V8, which he fought hard for the victory. Ken's problem was that he spent the best years of racing in the army, he was already over thirty, and he was just starting his racing career, while his rivals were only a little over twenty. Miles's allies were his will to win and confidence in his abilities.

At number 50 racing MG Miles

However, some of the consequences of World War II served Ken well. During the war, many American military men visited Europe for the first time, where they paid attention to unusual cars, which were completely different neither in size nor in style in those manufactured at home. Many of them returned home with European sports cars, and soon American businessmen set up imports and opened lounges for the sale of such cars. Ken Miles and his wife and young son moved across the ocean, where the Briton got a job as a service manager at the MG salon in California. Although Ken called to America a very different perspective - there was planned to start competitions on European cars.

In the breaks between work, Miles built himself racing MG, well versed in the device car, he used mostly pre-war details. With his help in 1953, he won 14 races, prize money was enough for the maintenance of the family and the construction of another racing car. On his new MG, he easily dealt with much more wealthy racers on cars such as the Porsche 356 and 550 in the class to 1.5 liters. One of his rivals was the cult actor James Dean.

Behind the wheel of the Porsche 550

In 1955, Ken made his debut in the 24-hour race in Le Mans, taking the 12th place in the overall standings, and in 1956 the Briton was invited to compete in the American championship not on his own behalf and on his car, but to protect the honor of the mid-engine Porsche . In addition to racing, Hawk was also the organizer of races in California, where he dealt with a wide variety of issues. He did his best to attract enthusiasts to the races without much money, although in those years the race in the US was affordable only for the rich. In 1957, Miles, in his example, showed how to achieve a result with low resources, installing the engine from the broken Porsche, of which there were many, into an affordable Austin Mini Cooper and calling the car "Pooper".
Pooper

Technically savvy and experienced Briton dominated in his class, and also found himself regularly faster than more powerful cars. For this reason, as well as because of its intractability, representatives of Porsche stopped any official contacts with the driver and Miles attracted only a private team as a hired driver. Meanwhile, his age was already approaching forty years, and it seemed that the racing career was coming to an end.

In the early 60's, our hero meets Carroll Shelby, who at this time decided to create a car on the basis of the British roadster AC Ace, capable of competing with Chevrolet Corvette. Such a specialist as Miles was urgently needed by Shelby. The result of their cooperation was the appearance of AC Cobra. The new car beat all possible competitors in the prestigious GT class. Ken Miles also regularly went up to the podium, with pleasure speaking at their joint offspring.
Miles and Shelby after the victory