John Miles (auto racer)
Encyclopedia
John Miles is a British
former racing driver from England
. He participated in 15 Formula One
World Championship Grands Prix, making his debut on July 6, 1969. He scored a total of 2 championship points. He drove for Team Lotus
where he was the official test driver of the Lotus 63
4-wheel drive F1 car.
for the 1970 Formula One season
, he was thoroughly overshadowed by his team leader who earned the F1 World Championship that year. Matters came to a head at the Italian GP
. Lotus cars founder and Team Lotus principal Colin Chapman
ordered Miles to follow Rindt in running a new Lotus 72
without front and rear wings in order to take advantage of the Monza
circuit's fast, low-downforce corners. Miles reluctantly complied but was distressed by the wingless 72's handling on the straights. His teammate Rindt was killed when one of the brakes on his new Type 72 failed and his car veered off the track, submarining the steel barrier that was placed too high for the revolutionary wedge design of the 72. Rindt, who had only recently acquiesced to wearing a simple lap belt, slid underneath and had his throat cut by the belt buckle. That was too much for Miles, who was widely regarded as too cerebral and sensitive to fit Chapman's idea of a race driver, and he left the team, being replaced by Reine Wisell
. A qualified mechanical engineer, Miles later made a name for himself working for Lotus's road car division. He wrote a column, Miles Behind The Wheel, for Autocar magazine, giving his road impressions of sportier cars.
won the BT Jazz CD of the year award, it was inspired by the death of Ayrton Senna
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
former racing driver from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He participated in 15 Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
World Championship Grands Prix, making his debut on July 6, 1969. He scored a total of 2 championship points. He drove for Team Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
where he was the official test driver of the Lotus 63
Lotus 63
The Lotus 63 was an experimental Formula One car, designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1969 season. Chapman's reasoning behind the car was that the 3 litre engines introduced in 1966 would be better served by building a car that could take full advantage of its power while...
4-wheel drive F1 car.
Early career
In 1963/64, Miles was the overall champion of the Autosport Veedol Sports and Saloon Championship, with 15 outright wins from 17 races, driving the Lotus Elan Sports Car .Formula One
Promoted to number two Lotus F1 driver behind Jochen RindtJochen Rindt
Karl Jochen Rindt was a German racing driver who represented Austria during his career. He is the only driver to posthumously win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship , after being killed in practice for the Italian Grand Prix...
for the 1970 Formula One season
1970 Formula One season
The 1970 Formula One season included the 21st FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on March 7, 1970, and ended on October 25 after thirteen races...
, he was thoroughly overshadowed by his team leader who earned the F1 World Championship that year. Matters came to a head at the Italian GP
1970 Italian Grand Prix
The 1970 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 6, 1970. The race was marred by the death of Jochen Rindt, who died during the qualifying session on September 5...
. Lotus cars founder and Team Lotus principal Colin Chapman
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
ordered Miles to follow Rindt in running a new Lotus 72
Lotus 72
The Lotus 72 was a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe of Lotus for the 1970 Formula One season.- Development :The 72 was yet another innovative design by Chapman featuring inboard brakes, side mounted radiators in sidepods, as opposed to the nose mounted radiators which...
without front and rear wings in order to take advantage of the Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
circuit's fast, low-downforce corners. Miles reluctantly complied but was distressed by the wingless 72's handling on the straights. His teammate Rindt was killed when one of the brakes on his new Type 72 failed and his car veered off the track, submarining the steel barrier that was placed too high for the revolutionary wedge design of the 72. Rindt, who had only recently acquiesced to wearing a simple lap belt, slid underneath and had his throat cut by the belt buckle. That was too much for Miles, who was widely regarded as too cerebral and sensitive to fit Chapman's idea of a race driver, and he left the team, being replaced by Reine Wisell
Reine Wisell
Reine Wisell is a former racing driver from Sweden. He participated in 23 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on October 4, 1970. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 13 championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races...
. A qualified mechanical engineer, Miles later made a name for himself working for Lotus's road car division. He wrote a column, Miles Behind The Wheel, for Autocar magazine, giving his road impressions of sportier cars.
Business career
In 1985 Miles founded 'Miles Music', a jazz recording company, with Peter Watts. In 1996 their release of the CD Tamburello by Peter KingPeter King (saxophonist)
Peter John King is an English jazz saxophonist, composer, and clarinettist.- Early life :Peter King was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, on August 11, 1940. He took up the clarinet and saxophone as a teenager, entirely self taught...
won the BT Jazz CD of the year award, it was inspired by the death of Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 1969 Formula One season The 1969 Formula One season included the 20th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on March 1, 1969, and ended on October 19 after eleven races.-Season summary:... |
Gold Leaf John Player & Sons John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. It is today a part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:... Team Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... |
Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... 63 Lotus 63 The Lotus 63 was an experimental Formula One car, designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1969 season. Chapman's reasoning behind the car was that the 3 litre engines introduced in 1966 would be better served by building a car that could take full advantage of its power while... |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 |
RSA 1969 South African Grand Prix The 1969 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on March 1, 1969. It was the first round of the 1969 Formula One season.- Background :... |
ESP 1969 Spanish Grand Prix The 1969 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Montjuïc circuit on May 4, 1969. It was the second round of the 1969 Formula One season.... |
MON 1969 Monaco Grand Prix The 1969 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on May 18, 1969. It was the third round of the 1969 Formula One season.- Qualifying :- Race :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
NED 1969 Dutch Grand Prix The 1969 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Zandvoort Circuit on June 21, 1969. It was the fourth round of the 1969 Formula One season.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
FRA 1969 French Grand Prix The 1969 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Charade Circuit on July 6, 1969. It was the fifth round of the 1969 Formula One season.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... Ret |
GBR 1969 British Grand Prix The 1969 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit on July 19, 1969. It was the sixth round of the 1969 Formula One season... 10 |
GER 1969 German Grand Prix The 1969 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Nürburgring on 3 August 1969 with Formula Two cars competing by invitation. It was the seventh round of the 1969 World Championship for Drivers. The F2 entrants were not eligible for points in the World Championship.-Report:Gerhard Mitter... |
ITA 1969 Italian Grand Prix The 1969 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 7, 1969. The race was notable in that less than a fifth of second separated the winner from the fourth-placed driver, and is generally reckoned to be the closest 1-2-3-4 in Formula One history... Ret |
CAN 1969 Canadian Grand Prix The 1969 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mosport Park on September 20, 1969. Jacky Ickx led home a Brabham 1-2.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Jacky Ickx - 1:17.4... Ret |
USA 1969 United States Grand Prix The 1969 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 5, 1969 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
MEX 1969 Mexican Grand Prix The 1969 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on October 19, 1969.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Jack Brabham - 1:42.90*Fastest lap: Jacky Ickx - 1:43.05 on lap 64-Standings after the race:... Ret |
NC | 0 | ||
| 1970 1970 Formula One season The 1970 Formula One season included the 21st FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on March 7, 1970, and ended on October 25 after thirteen races... |
Gold Leaf John Player & Sons John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. It is today a part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:... Team Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... |
Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... 49C Lotus 49 The Lotus 49 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1967 F1 season. It was designed around the Cosworth DFV engine that would power most of the Formula One grid through the 1970s and was the first successful Formula One car to feature the engine as a... |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 |
RSA 1970 South African Grand Prix The 1970 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on March 7, 1970. It was the first round of the 1970 Formula One season... 5 |
MON 1970 Monaco Grand Prix The 1970 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Circuit de Monaco on May 10, 1970. It was the third race of the 1970 Formula One season.-Report:... DNQ |
19th | 2 | |||||||||||
| Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... 72 Lotus 72 The Lotus 72 was a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe of Lotus for the 1970 Formula One season.- Development :The 72 was yet another innovative design by Chapman featuring inboard brakes, side mounted radiators in sidepods, as opposed to the nose mounted radiators which... |
ESP 1970 Spanish Grand Prix The 1970 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Jarama on April 19, 1970. It was the second round of the 1970 Formula One season.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... DNQ |
BEL 1970 Belgian Grand Prix The 1970 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 7, 1970.- Classification :-Notes:* Pole Position: Jackie Stewart - 3:28.0* Fastest Lap: Chris Amon - 3:27.4*Last win: Dunlop... Ret |
NED 1970 Dutch Grand Prix The 1970 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Zandvoort on June 21, 1970.- Classification :-Notes:* Pole Position: Jochen Rindt - 1:18.5* Fastest Lap: Jacky Ickx - 1:19.23* Driver Piers Courage had a fatal accident in this race.... 7 |
FRA 1970 French Grand Prix The 1970 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Charade Circuit on July 5, 1970.- Classification :-Notes:* Pole Position: Jacky Ickx - 2:58.22* Fastest Lap: Jack Brabham – 3:00.75... 8 |
GBR 1970 British Grand Prix The 1970 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Brands Hatch on July 18, 1970.- Classification :-Notes:* Pole Position: Jochen Rindt - 1:24.8* Fastest Lap: Jack Brabham - 1:25.9* Rindt was initially disqualified but within minutes reinstated... Ret |
GER 1970 German Grand Prix The 1970 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hockenheimring on 2 August 1970.On short notice following the drivers demand for improved safety at the Nürburgring, the race was moved to Hockenheim as this track already had been fitted with Armco... Ret |
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| Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... 72C Lotus 72 The Lotus 72 was a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe of Lotus for the 1970 Formula One season.- Development :The 72 was yet another innovative design by Chapman featuring inboard brakes, side mounted radiators in sidepods, as opposed to the nose mounted radiators which... |
AUT 1970 Austrian Grand Prix The 1970 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Österreichring on August 16, 1970. This was the second Austrian Grand Prix and the first Formula One race at the scenic Österreichring, built to replace the bumpy and bland Zeltweg Airfield circuit.... Ret |
ITA 1970 Italian Grand Prix The 1970 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 6, 1970. The race was marred by the death of Jochen Rindt, who died during the qualifying session on September 5... DNS |
CAN 1970 Canadian Grand Prix The 1970 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Circuit Mont-Tremblant on September 20, 1970.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
USA 1970 United States Grand Prix The 1970 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 4, 1970 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
MEX 1970 Mexican Grand Prix The 1970 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Mexico City on October 25, 1970.- Race report :The immense crowd of 200,000 proved almost uncontrollable and almost forced the cancellation of the race. They were crammed in front of the guard-rails, sat at the trackside and ran across the... |