Did Enzo Ferrari respect Ken Miles?
An understated moment when enzo ferrari acknowledges ken miles’ exceptional skill and sportsmanship. Despite the corporate politics that ultimately cost him the victory, ferrari’s respect underscores the true spirit of racing beyond business rivalries. In 1963, enzo ferrari rejected ford’s offer because he was unwilling to cede control of ferrari’s racing division.Why Enzo Ferrari Reneged On Ford’s Deal. Ford had made it clear it wanted full control over Ferrari’s budget, which meant Enzo wouldn’t have had free rein over his race team. The Italian had always been unequivocal that the road car side of his business was only there to fund the race team, which was his real passion.
Did Ken Miles ever win Le Mans?
British-born Ken Miles was a gifted race car engineer and driver. Through his work for Carroll Shelby, Miles got involved in Ford’s GT racing program. Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and he placed second at Le Mans. Miles died in a crash while testing Ford’s J-Car later that year. Unfortunately, Miles’ life was tragically cut short by an accident while testing another Ford race car in 1966. The GT40 that Miles raced in Le Mans, however, is still intact and currently housed within the Shelby American Museum in Boulder, Colorado.
Did Ken Miles actually win Le Mans?
Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and he placed second at Le Mans. He was a race winner in GP3, and also finished second overall in the Toyota Racing Series in 2014. He also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing third in the LMP2 class on his debut in 2013 and helping his team lead the category for 14 hours the following year.
Who really won 1966 Le Mans?
This was all unbeknownst to the Ford team. They were under the impression that Miles had won the race, but McLaren was indeed declared the 1966 Le Mans winner. In a 1997 interview Shelby lamented the ACO made up rule and that indeed Ken Miles won the race and feelings of guilt about what had occurred. Although he knew Ford officials did not like him to win the race, and Shelby always regretted their decision, Ken Miles slowed as instructed, to let McLaren catch up on the 359th and penultimate lap of the race, knowing that in the event of a dead heat, the qualifying times would be used and McLaren would have been .