Sadly died, peacefully, just seven months shy of 100 years of age. More famous as a pilot, both during World War Two where his first posting was to Malta flying Hurricanes in 185 Squadron; after the war ended, he flew Meteors in 600 City of London Squadron in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and later returned to full time flying after his Connaught years. He also worked as fighter gunnery instructor and as a test pilot flying rebuilt damaged aircraft to help make them serviceable again. He suffered two big crashes during the war. Mike’s first involvement with Rodney Clarke came about when he bought a Bugatti from Clarke in which he successfully competed in hill climbs, sprints and circuit events. Through this connection he joined Connaught where, after a spell as service manager, he became heavily involved in the engine design, constantly coming up with modifications to extract more horsepower. When time allowed, Mike also participated in races including a spectacular 1-2-3 finish for Connaught at Charterhall in 1952 when Mike passed Stirling Moss on the final lap to take third place. Clarke and Oliver gained a reputation for building very durable and good looking cars despite budget limitations. Their two greatest successes were the 1952 British Grand Prix when Poore and Thompson drove the cars to 4th and 5th places and then at the Syracuse Grand Prix of 1955 when a young dental student called Tony Brooks won on his Formula 1 debut. When Connaught disbanded, Mike returned to full time flying and was offered a job as a test pilot at Follands then moving up to chief test pilot developing the Gnat fighter. Follands were taken over by Hawker Siddeley and Mike remained with them until he retired – his latter years with Hawkers were in product support. In the New Year's Honours of 1965, Mike, whose first name is Richard, was awarded the Queen's Commendation for valuable service in the air. He was a member of the British Racing Driver's Club for 71 years and had links to the plane world all his life, including testing and demonstrating fighter planes to the Yugoslav Air Force in Batajnica.

Biography last updated 29 Aug 2020