James Garner’s stunt man tackles SVRA at VIR

Vintage Mini Cooper racer Phil Wicks has led many lives – and none of them have produced a dull moment in his 75 years. The Discovery Channel's go-to man for all things Mini Cooper, their "Auction Kings" TV show relies on him for expertise in specking out examples of the marque to separate fact from fiction.

"People pay for what I know," English-born Wicks quips. "Not for what I do."

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That's not entirely true. Wicks has done enough living to warrant a biography. Currently a driving instructor who certifies vintage racers, he raced motorcycles with John Surtees in the 1950's, competed on virtually all the classic European road courses and co-drove, at 23 years old, a factory-backed Fiat Abarth with 1959 Le Mans champion Roy Salvadori at Mallory Park. Today he has entered his 1967 Mini Cooper S in the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association Group 1 race of the Heacock Classic Gold Cup at Virginia International Raceway.

That's just his competition life. With the consistent theme of motorsports in everything he has done, he also drove the high-speed wheel-to-wheel scenes in James Garner's iconic racing movie "Grand Prix," as well as the stunt driving for the original "Italian Job" movie in 1969. His favorite though, may have been prepping "it" girl Diana Rigg's Lotus Elan for the '60's TV series, "The Avengers."

"Those early days with television didn't pay a lot, a few pounds and a sandwich for lunch," Wicks says with a wink. "But all the lovely ladies. They were impressed with us stunt men."

As a European racer of both bikes and cars in the 1950s and 1960s Wicks drove and rode through a romantic age of motor competition. He competed on all the classic European circuits of the European Touring Car Championship – places like Spa, Monza, Nurburgring, Brands Hatch, Zandvoort and Clermont-Ferrand. All the time he raced mostly Minis, his favorite affordable marque of car.

Learning practical engineering through work experience at his uncle's aeronautics factory in England, Wicks has found many applications in his motoring life. His father, also a racer, taught him the techniques of getting the most out of production cars such as shaving a head for greater compression. The skills earned him a position at Lamborghini in Italy for a time.

By 1979 he attained the financial resources he needed to move to Florida. There he started two British-style pubs and a restoration garage. He managed an AMA 250cc motorcycle team that tackled the Daytona 200. He also went into the business of running driver training academies not just to certify racers but also to teach people – especially youngsters – safety and how to appreciate a fine-handling automobile like the Mini.

One of his customers was so grateful for how Wicks helped his daughters he asked him to join him on his vintage racing team. Wicks accepted but on the condition that he keep the car at his garage and work on it himself. His friend gladly agreed. It wasn't long before Wicks purchased the car.

Now a resident of Columbia, S.C., near Carolina Motorsports Park, Wicks – a great-grandfather of five – spends most his time running his driving academy business. This weekend at VIR with the SVRA is what he calls one of four annual "Busman's Holidays." While he says he considers full retirement to spend his time bouncing great-grandchildren on his knee, don't count on it. This is one 75-year-old racer unlikely to slow down anytime soon.