Why didn’t McLaren give Miles the win?
Additionally, McLaren’s #2 started in second position behind Miles’s car and had therefore covered 8 meters more distance during the race. Regardless of the reason, McLaren’s #2 was declared the winner with Miles denied the unique achievement of winning Sebring, Daytona, and Le Mans in the same year. With no means to communicate with the drivers, McLaren and Miles crossed the finish line side by side. After some deliberation, the ACO declared that McLaren was the winner, citing the 24 hour nature of the race and that McLaren had travelled 25+ more feet than Miles.Additionally, McLaren’s #2 started in second position behind Miles’s car and had therefore covered 8 meters more distance during the race. Regardless of the reason, McLaren’s #2 was declared the winner with Miles denied the unique achievement of winning Sebring, Daytona, and Le Mans in the same year.Excerpted from UK Racing History Although obediently staged by the drivers, history records that the finish wasn’t a dead heat because the #1 Miles/Hulme car was two spots ahead of the #2 McLaren/Amon car on the grid, therefore car #2 had technically traveled further in the 24 hours, and was declared the winner.
Why didn’t Ford let Ken Miles win?
Ultimately, due to a technicality, Ken Miles was given second place instead of first. The race officials ruled that since the car driven by Bruce McLaren/Chris Amon had started the race further back, their car therefore covered a greater distance in the same amount of time. 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.