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Ken, Bruce and Ford

17. Jul 2023 
by Ziv Knoll
4268 views

Ken Miles and Bruce McLaren, picture above, shared a Ford GT40 at the 12 Hours of Sebring 1965. They finished second, four laps behind the Chaparral 2A-Chevrolet of Jim Hall and Hap Sharp.

Due to his great skill and talent, both as a driver and mechanical engineer, Ken Miles was a significant member of the Shelby/Cobra race team in the early 1960s. Miles described himself this way: “I am a mechanic. That has been the direction of my entire life. Driving is a hobby, a relaxation for me, like golfing is to others. I should like to drive a Formula One machine, not for the grand prize, but just to see what it is like. I should think it would be jolly good fun!

In 1965, he shared a Ford GT Mk II with Bruce McLaren at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but retired with gearbox trouble. 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.

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 executive Leo Beebe, desiring a publicity photo of three of Ford’s cars crossing the finishing line together, instructed Miles to slow down, which he did.

Miles’s #1 car and McLaren’s #2 car crossed the finish line almost at he same time, with photos showing McLaren’s #2 slightly ahead when crossing the line. It was considered that because McLaren car had started in second position behind Miles’s car and had therefore covered 8 meters more distance during the race.

Regardless of the reason, McLaren and Amon were declared the winners, with Miles denied the unique achievement of winning Sebring, Daytona and Le Mans, in the same year. Immensely disappointed, Miles died a few months later at Riverside, while trying to sort out the new and unstable Ford J.

Source: Bruce McLaren Tribute

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