John Miles (racing driver) facts for kids
Miles in 1970
|
|
| Born | 14 June 1943 |
|---|---|
| Died | 8 April 2018 (aged 74) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality | British |
| Active years | 1969–1970 |
| Teams | Lotus |
| Entries | 15 (12 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 2 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1969 French Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1970 Italian Grand Prix |
John Jeremy Miles (born June 14, 1943 – died April 8, 2018) was a British racing driver from England. He took part in 15 Formula One races. His first race was on July 6, 1969. He drove the Lotus 63 car, which had four-wheel drive. John Miles was also a test driver for Team Lotus. He earned 2 championship points by finishing fifth in the 1970 South African Grand Prix.
Contents
Early Racing Days
John Miles started his serious racing career in 1963. He became the champion in the Redex Sports Car Championship. He drove a car called a Diva GT. He had another successful season with the Diva car.
In 1966, he won the Autosport Championship. He drove a Lotus Elan 26R car. He won 15 out of 17 races that year. This particular Lotus Elan car was very strong. It was not beaten until newer, mid-engined cars came along. In 1966, he also started racing the new Lotus 47GT. He then raced for the Lotus team in 1967 and 1968. He won four international F3 (Formula 3) races in 1968.
Formula One Career
In 1969, John Miles had a big job. He had to help develop the new Lotus 63 4WD car. Other famous drivers, like Graham Hill and Jochen Rindt, did not want to drive it. They thought it was too dangerous. Miles finished only one of his five races that year, in 10th place. The car was also given to Mario Andretti twice, but he also did not finish. Miles did qualify well for the Canadian Grand Prix. The fast turns of that track suited the four-wheel-drive Lotus 63. However, the car was very difficult on twisty tracks.
After Graham Hill was injured in 1969, he left Team Lotus. John Miles then became the second driver for Lotus in 1970. He raced alongside Jochen Rindt. In the 1970 South African Grand Prix, Miles finished fifth in a Lotus 49 car. He drove most of the race with fuel leaking on him. Even so, the team boss, Colin Chapman, was not happy. He thought Miles should have finished higher.
For the Spanish Grand Prix, Lotus brought out a new car, the Lotus 72. Miles struggled with it and did not qualify for the race. Because of problems with the new car, the team used the older Lotus 49C in Monaco. Miles did not qualify for that race either.
In Belgium, Miles raced the Lotus 72. Rindt used the older 49C. Both drivers had to stop their races early. In Zandvoort, the Lotus 72 finally showed its speed. Rindt won the race from pole position. Miles finished seventh in a more experimental version of the 72. This car was harder to drive but had excellent brakes. Miles started the race very well, moving up to fifth place. He fought hard to keep other drivers behind him.
In France, Rindt won again in the Lotus 72. Miles finished outside the points, but on the same lap as his team leader.
By this time, it was clear that Rindt was much faster than Miles. Rindt won five races that year and became the Formula One World Champion. John Miles felt that Colin Chapman saw him as just a mechanic. He was paid very little for each race. He even had to pay for his own travel.
For the British Grand Prix, Lotus started to enter a third car. This car was for a young driver named Emerson Fittipaldi. Fittipaldi finished his first three races in a reliable old Lotus 49C. Miles, however, had to stop in both the British and German races. His car had a small crack in the water pipes. This caused him to retire early. Miles qualified well at Brands Hatch, but his car problems continued.
During practice for the German Grand Prix, Miles helped Fittipaldi. He drove in front to create a slipstream, which helped Fittipaldi go faster. Rindt, the team leader, was surprised Miles wasn't faster. He said that two seconds slower was not safer.
Things became very difficult at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix. Colin Chapman told Miles to remove the wings from his new Lotus 72 car. This was to make the car faster on the long straight parts of the Monza track. Miles did not want to do this. He was worried about how the car would handle without wings. His teammate, Jochen Rindt, was killed in a crash during this race. One of the brake shafts on Rindt's wingless Type 72 failed.
This was too much for John Miles. Many people thought he was too thoughtful and sensitive for racing. He decided to leave the team. Lotus did not race in the next event. At the race after that, Reine Wisell drove the second Lotus car. Fittipaldi won that race, helping Lotus win both championships.
Life After Formula One
In 1971, Miles joined the BRM racing team. He worked mainly as a test driver. He raced in two non-championship races. He also won the British sports car championship that year. He drove a Chevron B19 car.
John Miles was also a trained mechanical engineer. He later worked for Lotus's road car division. This is the part of Lotus that makes cars for everyday use. He also wrote a column for Autocar magazine. In his column, called "Miles Behind The Wheel," he shared his thoughts on sporty cars.
Personal Life and Music
John Miles was the son of famous actors Bernard Miles and Josephine Wilson.
In 1985, Miles started a jazz music company called 'Miles Music'. In 1996, one of their CDs, Tamburello by Peter King, won an award. This CD was inspired by the death of racing driver Ayrton Senna.
John Miles passed away on April 8, 2018. He died from problems after having a stroke.
Images for kids
-
Miles in 1970
-
Lotus 63 4WD
See also
In Spanish: John Miles (piloto) para niños
