Ken Miles Remington assures him as long as the driver gets out of the car they can be saved, and then one time he couldnt make it out of the car. [Miles grabs a hammer, opens his trunk and starts beating the inside of the trunk lid until it fits the fuel cell]. In the movie, Miles reluctantly agrees to slow down to let the other two . Did you bring your son all the way out here to watch you get disqualified or just act like a jackass? Early life [Wayne speeds off, struggling to control his MG A]. Leo Beebe came up to me and said Who do you think should win the race? I thought, well hell, Kens been leading for all of these hours, he should win the race. Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and placed second at Le Mans. If you drive her like a school teacher, she'll clog up. Those guys. From The Archives: Who Really Won Le Mans 66. Carroll Shelby 8. A shocked and dismayed Denis Hulme and Ken Miles enjoy a glass of champagne on the winners stand, as Bruce McLaren (far left) and Chris Amon (far right) enjoy the victors laurels. Bob Negstad Senior Project Engineer, Ford Motor Company: At Le Mans, I was the guy that Jacque Passino sent over to Ken Miles to tell him to back off and let the other guys catch up. The issue with Dan Gurneys engine proved to be a blessing in disguise, as the Ford Engine and Foundry team stripped the engine down to examine all of the components to see if it could be improved. : Additionally, Ford Motor Company decided to bring on its NASCAR racing team Holman & Moody in addition to Shelby American. Carroll Shelby Ken Miles He became the chief test driver of Shelby-American in 1963.[7]. No, no, no. Many have also asked about Mollie Miles, the wife of Ken Miles, and . With the Mark II all three elements were in play. [13][14] Regardless of the reason, McLaren's #2 was declared the winner with Miles was denied the unique achievement of winning Sebring, Daytona, and Le Mans in the same year. Several months later, sharing the drive with Denny Hulme, Miles was leading the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans in the #1 car, but Ford Motor Company executive Leo Beebe, desiring a publicity photo of three of Ford's cars crossing the finish line together, instructed Miles to slow down, which he did. Are you telling me I don't know how to drive my own car? I like it. Do you like losing, Ken? However, people who have raced against Miles were the only ones who have seen how much of a gentleman driver he was, earning the nickname "Stirling Moss of the West Coast". Of course, any movie is a dramatization and Ford v Ferrari is no exception. With a true team effort, Phil Remington of Shelby American developed a quick change system for the calipers and John Holman built a quick change setup for the rotors, so even if there were issues, the brakes could be changed out in mere minutes. Mechanics Charlie Agapiou, Max Kelly and Phil Remington watch from the pit wall, while Ford racing boss Leo Beebe points out something to Ford Division Vice President Don Frey in the top right corner. The next year he won the 24 Hours of Daytona, sharing the Ford GT Mk II with Lloyd Ruby, and then won the 12 Hours of Sebring. I should think it would be jolly good fun! Ken Miles : One of the first changes made for the 1966 racing season was the establishment of the Le Mans Committee, which was comprised of the heads of a number of Ford divisions involved, including the Engine and Foundry, General Parts, and also expanded the role of the Dearborn Motorsports and Styling and Engineering teams. : . Who had won? All you need is one good accident and you lose all your investment.. Yes. No, no, no, Peter, You're okay. A story that circulated among the teams was that one of the foundries could not produce enough material for the pads, so Ford Motor Company purchased them to ensure all necessary materials would be delivered. We all wanted Ken to win Le Mans after his successes at Daytona and Sebring because he would have been the first to win all three of those races in one year. We didnt want to risk those guys crashing each other or breaking the cars. Carroll Shelby Together with Lloyd Ruby, the pair won the 1966 Daytona 24 Hours and the 12 Hours of Sebring, which was, at the time, two legs of the triple crown of endurance racing. Drive like you mean it. He wanted you to drive at Sebring. No, he doesn't mean that. Ford Motor Company engineering did tremendous work on the elements of the car and many were highlighted in papers to the Society of Automotive Engineers, while the stellar teams of Shelby American and Holman & Moody provided the artistry to turn the cars into unbeatable racing machines, and the drivers provided the vision and courage to navigate the difficult courses. Interestingly, the Mark IIs only used four speed manual transmissions, as the bigger engine put out so much torque that a five-speed gear box was considered unnecessary. : How is that even possible? 11. 1. The explanation may get a little lost in the film, but an excerpt from the book Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans published on Jalopnik explains that air ducting was costing them up to 76 horsepower, so they were able to gain speed just by circulating the wind better. One of those was Mose Nowland who said, the atmosphere was electrified instantly, because we knew the assignment was very important to Mr. Ford. : November 15, 2019 8:45am James Mangold's Ford v Ferrari is driving up some serious Oscar buzz. SCCA Official 0 Comments, 2021 Dailysportscar. You can verify the outcome of the race for yourself. : The other major engineering obstacle was the brakes. Now remember, I advanced the timing, so a smidge twitchy in first. : : If this were a beauty pageant, we just lost. Ken Miles Ken Miles Eventually, Carroll Shelby climbed on a block and waved a hammer at Ken Miles, who finally obeyed the signal to slow down to spare the cars and ensure they finished. : Leo Beebe was a high-ranking executive at Ford Motor Company for many years. With 2019s Le Mans 66 movie now out in physical and digital form for us all to rewatch during the lockdown (details here), nows the perfect time to dig up some buried treasure from the DSC archives related to the fabled 1966 running of the 24 Hours. : Ford Engineer Gus Gussel noted that with the dyno tape created it was like Ken Miles was in that control room running that car. Learn more about the dyno tape in the historic video in the last tab of this story. No, you don't. No. : These and other questions have been hotly debated by the Shelby American crew, journalists and historians who were at Le Mans in 1966 for over 40 years now. Over the course of the night, it became apparent that the two lighter 289 GT40s did not have the topline speed to keep up with the Ferrari, while the Mark IIs piloted by Ken Miles and Dan Gurney cruised along, keeping pace. I am a mechanic. [4] Miles served in North West Europe until the end of the war,[1][2] by which time he had achieved the rank of staff sergeant. Showbiz Cheat Sheet did some research to find out what exactly the movie Ford v Ferrari got wrong. [12] Additionally, McLaren's #2 started in second position behind Miles's car and had therefore covered 8 meters more distance during the race. [while racing at Willow Springs, Gurney notices Miles' broken windshield]. Leo Beebe ultimately made the decision to not notify the drivers and let the dead heat occur, which would make the McLaren team the victor. Mine just ran fine. That was absolute bullshit. He was also one of Carroll Shelby's closest associates during Miles' too-short life. Peter stayed at the workshop for four years. : : Peter Miles In the early 1960s, Henry Ford II's love for car racing was part of the reason that he decided that the Ford Motor Company would start competing. Don't make me lamp this at your head. Ken Miles The main competition would come from 11 Ferraris, which included three 330P3s and four 385P2s. Dad, look at that. He played a major role in the development and success of the racing versions of the Shelby Cobra 289 in SCCA, USRRC and FIA sports car racing between 1962 and 1965 as well as the Daytona Coupe and 427 versions of the Cobra and the Ford GT (GT40). With the LeMans victory, Ford Motor Company won the Manufacturer Championship because of their combined scores. Because they just want to please their boss who wants to please his boss who wants to please his boss. She's a hell of a machine. And last I checked, the professionals all have a car. The reason this is dramatically significant is that earlier in the film, Miles has an accident testing the GT40 and catches on fire. In an interview a few months after the race he was philosophical, noting once again that he worked for Ford and would accept whatever outcome occurred. No, he really does think that Bill is an arsehole. Every time you go racing, you put your reputation on the line., Carroll Smith Shelby American Race Team Manager: I knew the ramifications of a dead heat at Le Mans. Carroll Shelby And to him, driving was a way to relax, and he treated it as a hobby, similar to how golfing is to others. A few months after Ken's death, Peter went to work for Ken's friend Dick Troutman at the Troutman and Barnes custom car shop in Culver City, California. : We now know that every successful car lies a brilliant engineer that developed it. Kenneth Henry Jarvis Miles (1 November 1918 17 August 1966) was a British sports car racing engineer and driver best known for his motorsport career in the US and with American teams on the international scene. For the Ford Engineers like Mose Nowland, it was the culmination of years of hard work. You see it? He was also a close friend of Carroll Shelby. Carroll Shelby Carroll Shelby Carroll Shelby Wayne - Customer : The initial race of the year was in February at Daytona, which was increased from 12 hours to 24 hours. by Stephen Kilbey : For the 1957 season (in co-operation with Otto Zipper), Miles engineered the installation of a Porsche 550S engine and transmission in a 1956 Cooper chassis and body. That's what's making her misfire. He was instructed to lap at between 3:37.0 and 3:38.0. It was a hell of a drive. I dont know what they told Ken during that final pit stop, but he wasnt very happy as he entered the car to finish the race. From 1958 to 1963, he won 38 of the 44 races he entered. The move achieves the desired photo opp, but Miles loses the championship he deserved on a technicality. SCCA Official [27] In a 2019 interview with Le Mans, Peter said that the last time he went to Le Mans was in 1965 with his father Ken, and he has not returned since. Out there is the perfect lap. Before that. Wayne - Customer : Bruce McLaren takes the Ford that he shared with fellow New Zealander Chris Amon through the Mulsanne hairpin. Nothing in there about my trunk and your lovely little portmanteau. He died June 30, 2001, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, at the age of 83. Discretionary infraction. The Ford Mustang. Henry Ford's right-hand man in the pursuit of Ferrari was tasked to oversee and ensure the Blue Oval achieved overall victory at Le Mans and endurance racing's other premier events, including Sebring and Daytona. In Ford v. Ferrari, chameleonic Academy Award winner Christian Bale plays Ken Miles, a test driver turned engineer and race car driver who dominates the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans on behalf of the Ford Motor Company. Such as Gordon Murray with the McLaren F1, Adrian Newey with his title-winning Formula One cars, the list goes on. Jan Lacuna is an engineer, car enthusiast, sim racing and real life racing driver from the Philippines now working as a writer for HotCars.com. Ken Miles Yeah, you've coked up the inlet valves and the plugs. He was a daredevil and I pulled him in and literally engineered the end of that race one, two, three. : There are several reasons why this may have happened. No one in England would believe me. Did Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon really win the 1966 race at Le Mans, or did Ken Miles and Denny Hulme win, and have the race stolen away from them in a political move that was well beyond their control? I'm just doing my job here. Here are 10 fast facts about the unsung motorsport hero. You and me have a problem, buddy? Technical Specs, [Mollie grabs some bottles of Coke at Ken's request]. Wayne - Customer The origins of the Ford GT40 and the victory at Le Mans in 1966. Bruce McLaren, Henry Ford II, and Chris Amon on victory rostrum after 24 Hours of Le Mans 1966. 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