Mike Wilds (born January 7, 1946 in Chiswick, London) is a British racing driver from England. He participated in eight Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 20, 1974. He scored no championship points.
After winning a few races in Formula 3 in the early 1970s, Wilds moved on to Formula 5000. At the same time, he took part in a few Formula One Grands Prix, firstly with a non-works March, then with Ensign and BRM. After he failed to qualify at his home grand prix in 1976 with a privately run Shadow, he concentrated on other forms of motor sport, including sports car racing and historic racing.
Wilds' sports car racing career included driving at Le Mans 8 times, including C2 cars for Ecurie Ecosse (World Champion C2, 1986), and Group C for Nissan in 1988 with team-mate Win Percy.
Wilds won the 2008 Britcar Drivers Championship together with Ian Lawson and also won the 2008 Group C Enduro Trophy in the Porsche 962 with Henry Pearman.
He still occasionally drives in events for historic cars. He raced a Porsche 962 and an Elva Mk5 in the 2008 Silverstone Classic.
In addition to his car racing career, Wilds is an active commercial helicopter pilot and instructor. He is affectionately known as 'The Honorific' Mike Wilds.
Famous quotes containing the words mike and/or wilds:
“Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?”
—Calder Willingham, screenwriter, Buck Henry, screenwriter, and Mike Nichols. Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman)
“The man who would change the name of Arkansas is the original, iron-jawed, brass-mouthed, copper-bellied corpse-maker from the wilds of the Ozarks! He is the man they call Sudden Death and General Desolation! Sired by a hurricane, dam’d by an earthquake, half-brother to the cholera, nearly related to the smallpox on his mother’s side!”
—Administration in the State of Arka, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)