Having slowed to accommodate the Ford finish decision, the Miles … Within another hour Miles and Hulme had taken the lead. Ken Miles heads for the victory stand, with Denny Hulme sitting on the deck lid waving to the crowd. [28], The new Group 4 category started attracting interest as the earlier prototypes were meeting the homologation and production requirements. Well, now it’s all history. Bruce McLaren leads Ken Miles and Dick Hutcherson across the finish line in one of the most controversial finishes in the history of Le Mans. Meanwhile, Miles had been putting in extremely fast laps, breaking the lap record and getting back up to 5th place. Ferrari never won Le Mans again, but Ford wouldn't go back until 2016. As you remember we had three cars running up at the front as the race was drawing to its conclusion. 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? Ken got tears in his eyes and said: ‘No, this is my only opportunity to do this and I can’t do that and I won’t do that.’. British-born Ken Miles was a gifted race car engineer and driver. [20] In the end, the car was reinstated though Thompson was banned. Victory in the 1966 24 hours of Le Mans should have gone to Ken Miles and Denny Hulme, driving the Ford GT40 Mk II that carried chassis number P/1015. Amon 22, is the youngest winner in the history of the event. We had both driven the first two 7.0-litre cars at Le Mans the previous year: Bruce with Ken Miles and myself with Phil Hill. As it turned out McLaren's #2 car crossed the finish line just ahead and was declared the winner. 0 Comments, © 2016 Dailysportscar. Ken followed his directions to the letter. Ferrari took the Manufacturers' title for 1967, edging up-and-coming Porsche by two points. His birth name is Kenneth Henry Miles. The piece below is a look back piece from Dave Friedman on the finish of the race which saw controversy surrounding the two Ford GTs gunning for the win, featuring fabulous shots and direct quotes from the key personalities involved. I looked at Leo Beebe and said ‘What do you think ought to happen Leo?’ He said ‘ I don’t know, I’d kind of like to see all three of them cross the finish line together.’, Leo Beebe did not tell me what to say or do so I said: ‘Oh hell, let’s do it that way then,’ not knowing that the French would interpret the rules the way that they did. It was rumoured that Miles, upset about the team orders, lifted off to allow McLaren to finish a length ahead. The 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 34th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 18 and 19 June 1966. 5. 10. "Tom Cruise, 'Oblivion' Director Joseph Kosinski to Reteam for Fox's 'Go Like Hell, "Adam Carolla's 'The 24 Hour War' Is a Car Movie by Car People That Isn't Just for Car People", Deadliest Crash: The Le Mans 1955 Disaster, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1966_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans&oldid=982328570, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Fastest Lap in practice – D.Gurney, #3 Ford GT40 Mk II – 3:30.6secs; 230.10 km/h (142.98 mph), Fastest Lap – D.Gurney, #3 Ford GT40 Mk II – 3:30.6secs; 230.10 km/h (142.98 mph), Winner's Average Speed – 201.80 km/h (125.39 mph), Armstrong, Douglas, English editor (1967), This page was last edited on 7 October 2020, at 13:42. Photos courtesy Ford Motor Company. At halfway the Ford Mk IIs held the top-4 places (Miles/Hulme, Gurney/Grant, McLaren/Amon, Bucknum/Hutcherson) with GT40s in 5-6-8: Essex, Filipinetti and Ford-France (Revson/Scott, Spoerry/Sutcliffe, Ligier/Grossman). The Miles / Hulme Ford Mk. It was a record shattering performance as the winning car covered more miles (3,009.3) at a faster speed (125.38 mph) than any previous entry. Meet The 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II That Won Le Mans For America ... Ken Miles, Bruce Mclaren, and Chris Amon, Ford Total Performance was born … Previously unseen amateur footage of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans with reflections by Ford icons who were there that day. Siffert/Davis were leading a train of Porsches in 7th and the nearest Ferrari was the Bandini/Guichet P3 limping in 12th. Two New Zealanders in a car painted black and silver, New Zealand’s sporting colours, what could be better?”. Jochen Rindt, the previous year's winner, had moved across from Ferrari to Ford, in the new Canadian Comstock Racing Team. [37] At dusk it started to drizzle, reducing the power advantage of the big Fords, and allowing the Ferraris to keep in touch. The Bucknum / Hutcherson Holman & Moody entered Ford moved from ninth starting position to third position at the end of the first hour, and that’s where they eventually finished. While repairing the damage, officials told the team that they were disqualified for Thompson leaving the scene of a major accident. This strategy fell apart when our tires started losing treads early in the race and we lost considerable time. [36][38], During the night the Ferraris started to suffer from overheating. "[46] Beebe also later admitted he had been annoyed with Miles racing Gurney, disregarding team orders by potentially risking the cars' endurance. Fact: There really was a company in Italy named Ferrari that made excellent and fast sports … Ken was a lap ahead at the finish, that’s true, that’s absolutely, totally, true. [39], What could have been a procession was anything but for Ford. Ken Miles, a racer who at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hour had already won the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona, was driving a Ford GT40 MkII alongside Denny Hulme. Baime titled "Go Like Hell"—the words shouted by Bruce McLaren to Chris Amon as they drove to their famous victory. Ferrari. The 5.3L small block put out 420 bhp and had a semi-automatic transmission. [23] The Chaparral had been running well initially, getting as high as 5th, until a broken alternator stopped them also just before midnight while running in 8th. [14] Two months later, Ken Miles died at Riverside while testing the next generation Ford GT40 J-Car, which became the MkIV that won Le Mans in 1967. 8. He did his two laps, his first ever at Le Mans on raceday morning to qualify. Thompson was adamant he had advised pit officials, and in the hearing Ford's director of racing Leo Beebe threatened to withdraw all Fords. [11] The third car was the all-Kiwi pairing of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon. No one in England would believe me. When it started raining, I told John Holman that if he wanted that sucker to go any faster he better put someone else in there because I was slowin’ my ass down. Ford told their cars to drop to 4-minute laps, but Gurney and Miles kept racing hard for the lead. Miles was told to ease off to allow McLaren to catch up with him. Ford v. Ferrari tells the story of Carroll Shelby, Ken Miles and their work to help Ford win Le Mans. Two legends come together. From The Archives: Who Really Won Le Mans ’66. Four Alpines finished this year, 9-11-12-13, with that of Delageneste/Cheinisse from the Ecurie Savin-Calberson winning the Thermal Efficiency Index. 14. The Stommelen/Klass car in 7th was the first, and only, Sports car to finish. Unfortunately, their records are lost and they have both passed away. ShareFacebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, Email. This time six were built and prepared by Shelby American. Entered by Frenchman Hubert Giraud and driven by Jean-Louis Marnat and Claude Ballot-Lena, the team was able to get a works engine and gearbox from BMC. A shocked and dismayed Denis Hulme and Ken Miles enjoy a glass of champagne on the winner’s stand, as Bruce McLaren (far left) and Chris Amon (far right) enjoy the victor’s laurels. In 1966 there wasn’t any guardrails or nothin’, just trees, which people used to hit rather regularly, linin’ the racetrack. Later that year, the driver died testing a new experimental Ford in California after the vehicle flipped at 150 mph. "I'm disappointed, of course, but what are you going to do about it. Ex-Ferrari engineer Giotto Bizzarrini had fallen out with Renzo Rivolta and with his own company brought his new design, the P538, but still using the 5.3L Chevrolet engine. However it was a new design that was entered. Ford's Sixties Le Mans program was famously the result of a dispute between Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari–Ford had tried to purchase Ferrari (the company), only to have Enzo shut down the sale at the last minute. 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. That was absolute bullshit. [26] The final finisher was the little Mini Marcos. Ford the man vowed to get even, aiming his considerable resources at Ferrari's Le Mans record. I think that they deserved to win. Charlie Agapiou: “We thought we had won and we attempted to push the car to the victory stand. Ginther's NART Ferrari was leading from Parkes, chased by the Fords of Miles and Gurney on the same lap, McLaren a lap behind then Bandini and Andretti two laps back. When the car came in for its final stop, Ken got back into the car and refused to participate in the prescribed finish. [32], There were also two significant dramas in practice. [15][19] At the end of the first lap Ford's cars led – Hill ahead of Gurney then Bucknum, Parkes in the Ferrari, followed by Whitmore's Ford, the Chaparral, then the GT40s of Scott and Rindt. 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 third was a quiet though significant entry: Jacques Dewes, ever the pioneering privateer, brought the first Porsche 911 to Le Mans. Ken Miles is besieged by spectators seeking autographs, and press and photographers wanting to know what happened at the finish. [6] But the new year started with promise with Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby winning both the inaugural 24 Hours of Daytona and then 12 Hours of Sebring. It came after years of struggle, more than a few public failures, and enough burnt cash to refloat the Titanic. The whole thing really seemed to be so simple.”. He was a lap ahead and Passino and Cowley went down and took the lap away. However, the crash did not stop him, and he soon recovered from his i… I am sure that, after looking at the pictures and reading the quotes by those who were involved with the Ford effort that day, the debate will carry on for another 40 plus years. Ken Miles was in one and Dick Hutcherson and Bruce McLaren were in the others. Ford v Ferrari (known as Le Mans '66 in the UK and other territories) is a sports drama film distributed by 20th Century Fox, based on the rivalry between Ford and Ferrari for dominance at Le Mans. But had they really won? Nino Vaccarella, race winner in 1964, was furious when he found out he was ‘demoted’ to drive the Dino rather than the P3 and threatened to walk out, but did, in the end run the car. Bruce McLaren: “After the win at Daytona I said that the Fords could and should win at Le Mans. Ford v Ferrari: the real story of Le Mans '66 and Ken Miles Ford v Ferrari The Ford v Ferrari battle at the Le Mans 24 Hours race of 1966 was a personal feud between Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari that played… [45], The Ford team's decision was a big disappointment for Ken Miles, who was aiming for the 'Endurance Racing Triple Crown'—winning Daytona-Sebring-Le Mans—as a reward for his investment in the GT40 development. In 1929, Miles began riding a 350cc Trials Special Triumph bike, resulting in a crash that broke his nose and the loss of three teeth, but Miles persevered and fixed up an 1100-cc Salmson motorcycle. Le Mans 1966 would be one of Miles’ final races. According to the official Shelby American race report, Dan Gurney was instructed to lead the race and break the Ferraris. Sam Smith, Adam Carolla's 'The 24 Hour War' Is a Car Movie by Car People That Isn't Just for Car People, Road and Track, Jan. 18, 2017.[60]. At 9am the Gurney/Grant car, which had been dicing for the lead with Miles & Hulme (against strict team orders), retired from 1st when the car blew a headgasket. Ken Miles and long time friend and crew chief Charlie Agapiou confer during a late-race pit stop. 9. Chris Amon: “I remember when I came in for our last pit stop and Bruce told me that Ford wanted to do a blanket finish, I said ‘ Who is supposed to win?’ Bruce said ‘I don’t know, but I’m not going to lose.’ “. We didn’t want to risk those guys crashing each other or breaking the cars. [27] Another competitor in the small prototypes was ASA. There were six GT40s entered by customer teams, with the 4.7L engine. [16][18][19], The second incident was more serious – Dick Thompson in the Alan Mann Ford Mk II collided with Dick Holqvist who was going far slower in the Scuderia Bear Ford GT40 and pulled right in front of him at Maison Blanche. [18] In the end Australian Brian Muir, who was in England was flown over to France. That’s why its distinct livery is imitated on so many kit cars, as well as quite a few modern Ford GTs.We saw a very nice replica of it in the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari, which has helped educate more of the general public. 12. [4], As Group 7 were ineligible for FIA events, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) opened its entry list to Group 3, 4 and 6. Ken Miles takes his Ford through the Mulsanne Hairpin. Miles would race his grandmother to the breakfast table and the other two weren’t much better. That left Ford with only three Mk IIs left (albeit running 1-2-3) as all the GT40s had retired as well. But Beebe pushed on with his plan anyway. They ran a good race and did what we had told them to do.”. As the damage was being cleared, Scarfiotti crashed his P3 into the Matra and all four cars were wrecked, although only Scarfiotti was taken to hospital, with minor bruising. Ken told me that, in spite of any Ford decision, he wasn’t going to finish second.”. Just before 4pm, it started to drizzle again. Who had won? Driving into the late afternoon or early morning sun is a bloody nuisance; you can’t see anything, it absolutely blinds you.”. [14][15][35], On the third lap Gurney took the lead, which he held onto until the first pit-stops. It shows the cars leaving the grid at the start. 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. That was my fuck up, I take full responsibility for it, and I’m very sorry for it because, as you know, Ken was killed at Riverside two months later. For the 2019 film released internationally as Le Mans '66, see, Challenge Mondial de Vitesse et Endurance standings, Clarke 1997, p.10: Road & Track Sept 1966, Clarke 1997, p.11: Road & Track Sept 1966, Clarke 1997, p.12: Road & Track Sept 1966, Clarke 1997, p.13: Road & Track Sept 1966, "A look back at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours", "Watch the story of the controversy behind the Ford GT40's photo finish at Le Mans in 1966", "Le Mans 1966: The Golden Mystery – dailysportscar.com", "20 Jun 1966, Page 11 - The Cumberland News at Newspapers.com", "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans – Book Review", "How Carroll Shelby And A Gang Of Nerds Beat Enzo Ferrari", "Ford Preparing to 'Go Like Hell!' The race became the subject of a 2009 book, detailing the race and the famous background rivalry between Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II, by A.J. Production of what would become the ubiquitous Le Mans car had started in late 1964 and the new 911 S model had its ‘boxer’ 6-cylinder engine tuned to 160 bhp. We were all under the distinct impression that, despite the finish, that we were a lap ahead at the end.”. The race became the subject of a 2009 book, detailing the race and the famous background rivalry between Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II, by A.J. 14. So is the automobile itself. Two cars were entered, one by ASA and one by NART. Three days earlier Marcos-boss Harold Dermott had made a deal to buy the car with the intention to restore it and put on museum display. 24/10/2019 - 17:01 In 1966, Ford won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time. After a defective batch of transaxle shafts sank Ford's effort, Ferrari took a 1-2-3 finish with their new P4s and returned the favor of Ford's victory formation. They wanted the headlines to read Ford Wins Le Mans, not Miles Becomes The First to Sweep Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans. The year after that, they won a third time. Few rivalries are as famous or as delightfully petty as the one between Ford and … Ferrari didn't insult Ford. [7][20] Chris Amon was fastest at the test weekend in the experimental Ford J-car with a 3:34.4 lap. The other Chevy was in Texan Jim Hall's Chaparral 2D. The FIA mandated minimum annual production runs of 500 cars for Group 3 (up from 100 previously[5][6]) and 50 for Group 4,[6] which also had a maximum engine capacity of 5000cc. The new A210 had a 1.3L Gordini-Renault engine with a Porsche gearbox making it more durable if only a little faster at 245 kp/h (150 mph). Ken Miles was born Kenneth Henry J Miles on November 1, 1918 to Eric Miles and mother Clarice Jarvis in Sutton Coldfield, England. The Ford-France and Essex cars had already retired with engine issues during the night.[29]. Leo Beebe came up to me and said ‘ Who do you think should win the race?’ I thought, well hell, Ken’s been leading for all of these hours, he should win the race. A close examination of the official ACO scoring records of the Miles / Hulme car, of which I have copies, does not indicate that any lap was ever deleted from the final tally of laps run during the race. Fourth, 20 seconds further back, was the first NART Ferrari, of Rodriguez. He was supported by Huschke von Hanstein who was prepared to withdraw the Porsche team as well. Dick Hutcherson: “That race track was kind of neat. 7. All Rights Reserved. On his out-lap Spoerry lost traction and spun at the Esses wrecking the car. I found a photo which graphically shows why Ken Miles did not win the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. When the NART P3 retired from 4th with a broken gearbox at 3am, and the Filipinetti car of Mairesse/Müller from 5th an hour later, the Ferrari challenge was spent – there would be no privateer-saviours for the marque this year. We finished fifth. Ken Miles was to run second and lap one to two seconds slower than Gurney, while Bruce McLaren was to run third and lap between 3:41.0 and 3:42.0. Up against them was Ed Hugus’ modified Ferrari 275 GTB and the Equipe Nationale Belge ran its 250 LM. 24h le mans. I took over from Bruce and he spoke to Firestone and they generously said we could switch to the Goodyears the other GT40s were running. Such was the interest in Group 6 there were 43 prototypes on the starting grid and only 3 GT cars: After 2 years of its 3-year program, Ford had very little to show for its immense investment. Phil Hill, in the Chaparral, broke up the Ford-Ferrari procession in 10th. Ken Miles is besieged by spectators seeking autographs, and press and photographers wanting to know what happened at the finish. Bruce said to me we had to drive the doors off the thing, so we did. We led most of the race, at record speed, until we retired with an overheating engine at the end of the 17th hour.”, Charlie Agapiou – Crew Chief: “There was some talk in the pits that Ford thought that Ken did not follow team orders and pushed Gurney to the point of breaking. [14][41][42][43][44], At their last pitstop, the 7th-placed Porsche of Peter Gregg and Sten Axelsson was stopped by engine problems. The car was powered by a 1130cc Peugeot engine, marking the return of the French company last seen in the 1938 race. GT cars were now Group 3 and Prototypes were now Group 6. With Shelby now fully concentrated on the Ford program, the Cobra GTs were abandoned. [26], Charles Deutsch (CD) brought his new aerodynamic SP66. The resulting warpath employed everyone from Bruce McLaren to Carroll Shelby and Indy 500 legend A.J. Bruce McLaren prepares to leave the pits after his car’s final pit stop is completed. Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and placed second at Le Mans. Finally, the new 911 GT ran well and finished 14th starting a long record of success.[23]. It had taken three attempts for Ford to win Indianapolis and the NASCAR Championship, and now it added the Le Mans 24 Hours. [20] A major accident occurred when Jean-Claude Ogier's CD got loose on spilt oil at the Mulsanne kink and was hit hard side-on by François Pasquier in the NART ASA. I don’t know what they told Ken during that final pit stop, but he wasn’t very happy as he entered the car to finish the race.

le mans 1966 ken miles

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