Mike Wilds

William Michael Wilds was born on the 7th January 1946 and after competing in his first race in 1965 he would still be found battling on the racetrack half a century later. He participated in eight F1 World Championship entries between 1974 and 1976, recording three starts, plus was active in sports cars and entered seven Le Mans 24 Hours events between 1981 and 1988.

Although his brother Johnny raced motorbikes, Mike’s interest was in cars and as a youth he regularly cycled from his home in London to spend time looking through the showroom window of The Chequered Flag’s garage. He was eventually offered a Saturday job, washing cars, and it was here that his passion for racing began as Chas Beattie built Gemini Formula Juniors at the back of the garage and one day invited him to a race meeting at Brands Hatch. He told how “I went with him in the transporter with these two Geminis in the back and it led to one of those ‘eureka!’ moments-I got out of the truck and there was this atmosphere, the noise, the smell. It was like somebody throwing a switch in my brain: ‘This is what I want to do with the rest of my life. From that day I spent every waking moment wondering how I could start racing.” At the end of 1964 he managed to buy a DRW Mk1, after working seven days a week and saving as much money as he could, plus his mother acting as guarantor on a loan to cover some of the cost. However, at that time he was still riding a bicycle and did not even own a road car and as the family lived in a flat the car had to sit outside under a tarpaulin.

His first race came in 1965 at an 1172 Formula event at Snetterton and he recalls “A man by the side of the track lifted a Union Jack, so I applied a few revs-I’d never done a race start’ and as the flag came down I dropped the clutch, shot between the first two rows and led towards the first corner.” However, he braked early and was overrun by the field though said it was the most sensational moment of his life to that point and eventually finished third. In two later races at Silverstone he won and was second and finished seventh in the 1172 Championship and during the year also had a class win at the Woburn Hillclimb. Unfortunately he had a huge accident at Brands Hatch the following year when his car rolled and he suffered a fractured pelvis and broken nose when he was almost thrown from the car. He did not wake up for a week and was in traction for a long period in hospital. Despite having no money, fellow racer Tiny Littler repaired Mike’s chassis free of charge and he was able to resume in 1967, taking a podium at Brands Hatch plus a victory and three podiums at Lydden. There was also an outing in an F4 Vixen though a lack of money meant he eventually had to sell the DRW to pay off his debts. Racing a Vixen in F4 in 1970 he had wins at Oulton Park, Ingliston, Snetterton, Brands Hatch, Mallory Park (twice) and two podiums at Lydden but unfortunately the team withdrew the car before end of the year. Mike also had a third place in F100 with a Royale RP4 at Mallory Park.

During this time he was working for Firestone and through this made contact with Sheridan Thynne, who asked if he wanted to race a Titan in FFord in 1971. Firestone’s marketing department rallied round and helped raise funds for him to go racing and there were podiums at Snetterton plus two at Silverstone and he was evenly matched in a tight battle with Jody Scheckter in the Race of Champions support event at Brands Hatch until his fuel pump failed.

Thanks to support from fellow racer John Cavill and his father Jack, 1972 saw Mike contest F3 in a March 713 and he was third at Thruxton and ninth at Mallory Park. Then came the start of his association with Dempster Developments, who provided invaluable support and in drives with an Ensign LNF3 he was fifth at Snetterton, sixth at Thruxton and Silverstone then tenth in the final two races at Brands Hatch and Thruxton. He raced a Chevron at a Libre race at Brands Hatch, after badgering the car’s owner Jeremy Summer, who told him he wouldn’t have a chance as he would be facing a field full of single-seaters plus would have to repair it if damaged it. However, Mike recalled “it was raining by the time my race started… and I won. Jeremy came up to me afterwards and said ‘I think we’re going to have to help you.” A second season in F3 saw him contest all three British Championships with Dempster International’s Ensign LNF3 and later, a March 733, and he gained his first win. Starting in early March in the MDC Lombard North Central Championship he was fifth and third in the opening rounds at Brands Hatch and Silverstone then second at Mallory Park and Brands Hatch, third at Snetterton, fifth at Brands Hatch, seventh at Silverstone and Oulton Park plus thirteenth at Oulton Park. The BARC Forward Trust Championship began in late March and his performances produced second at Mallory Park, third at Snetterton, sixth at Thruxton then at Croft in August he took his first victory, beating Ian Taylor and Tony Brise. Drives in the MCD John Player Championship began in April and saw fourth at Oulton Park and a non-championship Mallory Park race. He was also sixth and seventh at Brands Hatch and Mallory Park, eighth at Oulton Park, tenth at Brands Hatch and thirteenth at Paul Ricard then in October he beat a strong field at Mallory Park to take a second victory, ahead of Jacques Laffite and Brian Henton. At the season end he was classified third in the Lombard North Central, sixth in the Forward Trust and ninth in the John Player Championship and he described it as “a fantastic time to be racing and I loved it to bits.”

There was a move into F5000 in 1974 when Dempster fielded a March 74A. The power difference was initially an eye opener though in the first race at Brands Hatch he learnt by following Brian Redman and watching how he handled the power and finished second, to Peter Gethin then was second again (to David Hobbs) in the next race at Mallory Park. He went on to finish fourth at Zolder, sixth at Silverstone and Brands Hatch, eleventh at Mallory Park plus thirteenth at Thruxton. There were also two non-championship F1 outings though he crashed out of Brands Hatch’s Race of Champions and was not classified at the BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone. During the middle of the season he was offered a drive with March at the Swedish GP, standing in for an injured Hans Stuck, but while racing the next day at Thruxton he injured his wrist in a crash and Reine Wisell took the seat. His debut World Championship race came in July at the British GP but despite improving in the final practice/qualifying session in the March 731, he failed to make the grid. He was offered a drive with Ensign for the final four Grands Prix but failed to qualify in Austria, Italy and Canada. He described it as the worst time of his career and felt so frustrated that he considered giving up but at Watkins Glen he finally started a Championship race. Despite feeling totally demoralised during practice, the team had saved one fresh set of tyres for a final run so he told how he “went out and drove my bollocks off. Jody Scheckter had followed me out of the pits and every time I looked in my mirrors he was still there. It was my best lap by far and got me into the race.” Leading up to the race, he recalled “sitting on the grid at The Glen awaiting the start of my first GP, I could see my hero Ronnie Peterson three places ahead (he’d had a problem in qualifying!). It was a magical moment.” During the race, fuel pressure problems caused a lengthy pit stop and he was eventually sent back out and told to enjoy himself and gain a bit of experience. He retired on lap 50 but his good friend Helmuth Koinigg was sadly killed during the race and the two had travelled out to the race together.

A meeting with team boss Louis Stanley led to a test in a BRM P160 at Snetterton, which in turn led to him doing two races for the Stanley BRM team at the start of 1975. However, the first race in Argentina saw a retirement after 24 laps due to a broken engine while clutch problems ended his Interlagos race after 22 laps. Unfortunately, Mike’s comments to Louis Stanley about changing the BRM V12 engine in favour of a Ford DFV did not go down well and he was fired, with Bob Evans in the car at the next race in South Africa. Through the year there were several outings in F3 and F5000 and he was fifteenth in an F3 round at Silverstone with Chequered Flag’s March 753 plus seventh at the final two F5000 rounds in October at Mallory Park and Brands Hatch with a March 74A.

During this time he had also begun working as a sales director at a friend’s helicopter company then in 1976 entered the ShellSport 5000 European Championship. Racing Team PR Reilly’s Shadow DN3, he was third at the first race at Thruxton, fourth at Brands Hatch and second at Snetterton though failed when trying to qualify for the British GP. When the team switched to an Ensign N174 his results included nineteenth at Brands Hatch, fifth at Thruxton and sixth at the final round at Brands Hatch and the series was won by David Purley (with six victories), with Mike fifth in the standings. There was also a one-off F2000 race in a Ken Hensley entered Dulon at Cadwell Park and in July he co-drove a Renault 5 alongside Neil McGath at the Spa 24 Hours though they did not finish.

Returning to the Shellsport series with AIM Racing’s Chevron B30 he did not start 1977’s opening race due to an oil pipe problem and in his two outings he was eighth at Snetterton (but not classified due to two enforced pit stops to repair damage) and was seventh in the final race at Brands Hatch. One touring car outing with a Triumph Dolomite brought sixth place at Brands Hatch’s Race of Champions meeting in the British Championship. The Shellsport series became the British F1 Championship for 1978, with F1 cars now the focus though F2 cars were permitted. The twelve round series ran from March until September and Mike contested the full season with Graham Eden Racing’s Ralt RT1 F2 car against a field including drivers such as Bob Evans, Tony Trimmer, Emilio de Villota, Guy Edwards, Geoff Lees, Desire Wilson, Teddy Pilette, David Kennedy, Brett Lunger and Stephen South. He retired due to running out of fuel at Oulton Park’s International Gold Cup while finishes included sixth at Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Thruxton and Zandvoort, seventh at Mallory Park and Brands Hatch, eighth at Mallory Park and fifth in the final round at Snetterton. Tony Trimmer’s five victories saw him take the championship while Mike was ninth overall in the final standings though won the F2 class.

There was only one outing in the British F1 series the next year, finishing twelfth at Thruxton with Pontin Racing’s March 782. From there Mike focused on sports car racing and in the following years had World Championship drives with several teams. May 1980 saw his first race in the World Endurance Championship, at the Silverstone 6 Hours with Adrian Yates-Smith and Barrie Williams in Malaya Garage’s Porsche 911 SC but they did not finish. In September that year Mike and Neil McGrath raced a Renault 5 in the RAC Tourist Trophy.

In 1981 he and Jan Lundgardh drove a Porsche 935 for Tuff-Kote Dinol Racing but retired at the Silverstone 6 Hours while his Le Mans debut, alongside Jan Lundgarth and Axel Plankenhorn, ended in retirement after 49 laps. Mike would enter seven Le Mans 24 Hours events during his career and his second outing came the following year. However, his return with a Dorset Racing De Cadenet Lola ended after he, Ian Harrower and Francois Duret, ran out of fuel plus he and Bernard de Dryver did not finish at Silverstone. He missed Le Mans in 1983 and only had one outing with the De Cadenet Lola, finishing twelfth in the Silverstone 1000km with Ian Harrower and Francois Duret. There was a return to an F1 cockpit on the 1st April but it was no April Fool as Mike qualified on pole and went on to win with Colin Bennett Racing’s Williams FW07-Ford but the series was abandoned after the one race. In Thundersports, two races with Tech-Speed’s Chevron B19 saw retirement at Oulton Park with Steve Thompson though there was a fifth place result at Brands Hatch with James Wallis. Unfortunately there was a nasty incident at Donington when driving a Marsh Plant sponsored Lola T280 with Ray Mallock, as the fuel tank split and a massive fire broke out while the car was racing and Mike spent quite some time in hospital healing from his burns.

1984 would see the start of four seasons with Ecurie Ecosse in the World Championship but though he was tenth with Ray Mallock and David Duffield in the C284 at Monza, he and D.Duffield retired at Silverstone and his Le Mans return, teamed with David Leslie and David Duffield, finished after 36 laps. A return to the Tourist Trophy ended in retirement alongside Terry Drudy in an Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6 though two Thundersports outings with Ray Bellm in a Chevron B36 saw victory at Thruxton and fourth at Brands Hatch. Ecosse fielded a C285 the following year and, teamed variously with Ray Mallock and David Leslie in 1000km events they were sixth at Brands Hatch, eighth at Hockenheim, ninth at Silverstone, tenth at Monza and fourteenth at Spa. Unfortunately, his fourth visit to Le Mans ended in retirement after 45 laps though the results at Silverstone, Hockenheim and Brands Hatch were C2 class victories and the team finished second in the C2 Prototype Cup. In Thundersports with The Ortford Group’s Lola T286 he and James Wallis were race winners at Brands Hatch and fourth at Thruxton. Mike retired in his two races for the team in 1986, at Silverstone and Le Mans, though racing a Burke Ratcliffe Racing Lola T530 in Thundersports he was a race winner with at Brands Hatch alongside Andrew Ratcliffe then he and David Leslie won at Oulton Park. 1987 saw a full schedule with ADA Engineering and Ecurie Ecosse and he finished fifth in the C2 class standings. He started alongside Ian Harrower with three races in ADA Engineering’s Gerbhardt JC843 though their best result was thirteenth at the Jarama Supersprint. Outings with the Ecosse C286 saw eighth at the 1000km Silverstone (with Johnny Dumfries), tenth at Brands Hatch (with Marc Duez) then eleventh (with Win Percy) at Nurburgring. Le Mans brought more frustration with a retirement after 135 laps due to electrics alongside Andy Petery and Les Delano and in September he and Marc Duez were twelfth and fifteenth with a Swiftair sponsored car at Spa and Fuji. He teamed with Ian Flux for Thundersports in a Lola T530 but though they retired at Snetterton and Oulton Park the pair finished second at Donington and Thruxton plus won at Brands Hatch. Speaking of the Ecosse days he declared “they were four of the most fun seasons I’ve had. I instantly fell in love with that kind of racing..It was very competitive, but in the paddock you were among friends-and that to me is how motor racing should be. Silverstone 1985 was the first race Ray Mallock and I won-I know it was a class success, but to stand up there on the podium after a world championship victory on home soil felt very special.” In 1988, he and John Brindley recorded two Thundersports victories, at Brands Hatch in a BHL Racing Lola T530 and Oulton Park with a BBR Motorsport entered car and he and Richard Piper were second in a PC Automotive March 847 at Brands Hatch. His last participation at Le Mans came in July when he joined the Nissan team to race the R88C prototype with Win Percy and Allan Grice and though gearbox problems dropped them back down the field they fought back and finished fourteenth.

Mike wound down his international career after the final Le Mans outing but he continued to race in national competitions and historic events. He added another Thundersports victory in 1989 at Oulton Park with Martin Colvill in Bell and Colvill’s Ecosse C286 while three BRDC Championship races produced third at Donington plus second and sixth place finishes at Silverstone. He also recorded one entry in the BTCC, though did not finish when racing alongside Mike Smith in a Trackstar Ford Sierra RS500 at Donington Park. Continuing with the Ecosse C286 in 1990’s BRDC Championship (teamed variously with Ray Mallock, David Leslie and Martin Colvill), results included third at Silverstone and Snetterton, third and fourth at Donington, fourth at Brands Hatch and fifth at Thruxton.

Though his racing was more sporadic in the following years he won numerous championship titles and took the RJB Mining Historic Sports Car Championship in 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1998. Unfortunately in 1994, while demonstrating the ex-Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari 312T3 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, he crashed quite heavily and sustained a broken leg and other serious injuries. He said it was his worst accident and described how “approaching the house it felt as though something had broken and the car just turned left-it hit some stone blocks lining the road, enough to break both legs and ankles. I was out of action for a while, but won my comeback race in a Chevron B8 at Donington Park. I cried my eyes out afterwards, because in hospital they’d been telling me I might not been able to walk properly again, never mind race.”

Later years saw a British GT series outing in 2000, finishing third at Silverstone alongside Dave Clark in a CSI-Brookspeed Dodge Viper then in 2008 he and Henry Pearman won the Group C Enduro Trophy in a Porsche 962 and he also won the Britcar Drivers Championship with his son Anthony and Ian Lawson in an ING Sport BMW 320i. Cars also driven during these years included a Marcos Mantis, a Ferrari F430, a Mazda MX-5, a Lamborghini Gallardo, BMW Z4 GT3 and a Ford Capri Mk111. In 2015 he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his racing and in the following year won Class 2 in the Britcar Endurance Championship together with his son Anthony. 2016 also saw him race a BMW CSL GTO in the Masters 70s Celebration while in Britcar drives in a Ferrari 458 he took his first win in a shared drive with son Anthony at Snetterton. He described the moment as “one of the last boxes ticked for me. Car owner Dave Summers is a very good driver and could just as easily be at the wheel but he loves doing the strategy stuff from the pit wall. I’d just taken the overall lead when I got a call telling me we were marginal on fuel and that a quick splash-and-dash might be wise. Dave reckoned that would put us third on the road, which was still a class-winning position, but to me that wasn’t an option. I cut the revs and drove the nuts off the thing in the corners. I kept looking at the clock and wondering when the ‘last lap’ board would appear. A Renault RS01 prototype had stopped for a splash of fuel. I could see it gaining – and then the Ferrari ran dry as I accelerated out of the final corner towards the line. I got across with about three seconds to spare. I know it was only a national race, but we were both quite emotional after that.”

In winning Class 2 of 2016’s Britcar Championship, at that point he had won twelve British championships in sports, GT and touring cars. During 2017 he competed in the GSCC Super Touring Car Trophy in a BMW 2002Ti and in Britcar with a Ferrari 458 then the following year made his Porsche Carrera Cup debut and raced in two rounds with Redline Racing’s 911 GT3. 2020 saw two Group C Racing outings with a Porsche 956 plus in a Ginetta G4R for two rounds of the Gentleman Drivers Pre-66 GT Cars Championship.

Besides his racing commitments, he is also a performance driving instructor and helicopter pilot and instructor while a favourite pastime is spending time on his boat. Mike still feels the same about driving as he did in 1965 as “the passion is still there and won’t go away. It has been my life” and still heads into competition wearing the distinctive yellow crash helmet with a ring of black diamonds.