Call to help honour Sutton Coldfield legend, played by Christian Bale in Le Mans 66
Residents of the Royal Town are being urged to back a petition aimed at winning recognition for a Sutton Coldfield motorsport legend.
Ken Miles won the world famous 24 hours of Daytona and 12 hours of Sebring races in 1966.
Team orders denied the former Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School pupil the unique achievement of adding the 24 hours of Le Mans in the same year.
He died while testing the Ford GT in the USA the same year and his fame was such that 2019 Hollywood blockbuster film Le Mans 66 was based on him, with his character played by Christian Bale.
Sutton resident Paul Robinson has now made a plea for the racing superstar to be given proper recognition in the Second City.
Miles was posthumously inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2001.
Paul wants him to be given a star on Birmingham’s Broad Street Walk of Stars and is urging people to sign his petition.
Paul said: “Ken was an unsung hero who needs more recognition in Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham.
“A lot of people don’t know a lot about him still and yet he’s one of the biggest icons to ever be born in Sutton.
“What he achieved was absolutely massive in motorsport, particularly in the United States of America. He won Daytona, Sebring and he would have won Le Mans in the same year – no one had ever won all three.
“He raced the likes of Graham Hill, John Surtees, Bruce McLaren and he was up there.
“He took no prisoners and said what he thought but what he achieved was amazing.”
Miles is buried at the Abbey of the Psalms Mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
“It was such a shame that his life was cut short and killed,” said Paul.
“In lockdown, I took time to find out more about him as I was a big motor sport fan.
“I set up a page about him on Facebook and it’s been intriguing. I’m just really keen to get him the recognition he deserves.”
Anyone who would like to sign the petition is asked to visit change.org. - https://www.change.org/p/birmingham-city-council-grant-ken-miles-a-star-on-broad-street-birmingham-walk-of-stars
Does anyone have memories of Ken and motor racing in the 1960s? Share your memories with us by writing to Readers’ letters, Chronicle Week, Waterloo Road, Ketley, TF1 5HU.
