Born in Ashburton, Tim was a proud Cantabrian. He grew up with other well-known names in the industry: Andy McElrea, Paul Cruickshank, and John Evans (Jaxon Evans’ father), who were all in the same year at high school.

“Tim was the year behind us,” Andy told Speedcafe in a 2020 interview, “but acting like he was a year ahead of us, which hasn’t changed.”

For all intents and purposes, Tim and Andy were brothers, and with Cruickshank and Evans formed a mischievous brat pack that got themselves into plenty of trouble with cameos from the likes of Adrian Burgess and compatriot Craig Baird. Despite trotting to different parts of the world, one way or another they always managed to find each other.

Tim and Andy each pursued racing growing up, but Tim’s on-track endeavours never got quite as far as Andy’s. Driving was largely limited to hill climbs and local car club meetings for Tim as a teenager. Meanwhile, Andy won the New Zealand Formula Ford title in the mid-1980s and rose to the country’s top Trans Am competition.

While Tim helped Andy, he harboured a passion for racing, and it was his business acumen that opened the door to explore that competitive bug later in life competing in Porsche racing and the local GT scene.

Andy’s racing career ultimately fizzled out and he headed to the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. He was joined later by Tim, where he worked in Formula 3 with Pacific and Bowman racing and then the British Touring Car Championship with Vic Lee Racing where he won three titles as a crew chief and as a team manager.

Tim wound up working in the business sector and the sudden passing of his boss plunged him into the deep end. Pressure, as they say, makes diamonds, and Tim thrived in the corporate environment.

Tim enjoyed a successful banking career in the late 1990s and early 2000s and eventually started an independent corporate advisory firm, Miles Advisory Partners. In its more than 20 years, the business brokered over 150 sales totalling $16 billion.

Each of those sales came with a story of its own — and often an epic party. Among them was the 2011 sale of Supercars to Archer Capital. Ironically, Archer Capital wound up enlisting Miles to sell it for them, and in 2021 the Supercars business was bought by Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises (RACE Pty Ltd).

Business was the key that opened the door for Tim to enjoy motorsport again as a competitor.

Like McElrea and Cruickshank, Tim took an interest in team ownership and was a founding member of Tasman Motorsport with Kevin Murphy in the mid-2000s. After it folded in 2009, Tim got back into ownership in 2015 by way of investing in Triple Eight Race Engineering alongside founder Roland Dane with co-owners Paul Dumbrell and Trinette Schipkie.

Tim became a regular on track too, racing a Porsche in Carrera Cup with his mate Andy and teaming up with the likes of Jaxon Evans and Brendon Leitch in GT racing. Before his untimely death, Miles reached motorsport’s pinnacle – racing at Le Mans in a Ford Mustang.

But all business achievements aside, it was Tim’s personality that made him such a powerhouse. Tim made you feel like a million bucks, whether he knew you well or not. His remarkable quick wit and cheekiness broke down barriers and left most people laughing by the end of any conversation.

Tim could be trusted, and it was those interpersonal attributes that made him revered, so much so that many high-profile motorsport figures tasked him with buying and selling businesses on their behalf. Tim could sell ice to Eskimos.

In a touching tribute video, Paul Morris paid tribute to Miles’ impact on his own business, Norwell Motorplex.

“I was thinking about selling Norwell. I had sold the (Supercars) race team and I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do,” said Morris.

“He just did a whiteboard session with me and he blue-skied the business. He just sat there and said, ‘If you do a little bit more of this and do a bit more of that and we get the number up there, I reckon we get a bigger number for the business’.

“What I walked away with was, he had just given me a business plan. He didn’t get upset when I said I didn’t want to sell, he just said ‘Oh, I’m happy to help you, dude’.”

Tim adored his wife Tracy, who he married in 2001. He passed on his same endearing characteristics to their two daughters Caley and Erin. Tim was a hustler, and he loved to see how driven and determined his girls were to succeed in their own careers. He reckoned they worked harder than he ever did.

When news broke of Tim’s death, the list of tributes was enormous and included names that would be the envy of anyone in motorsport on this side of the world.

Craig Baird called Tim “one of the best humans that walked this earth” and Adrian Burgess said he was “proud to have worked with him and called him a friend since we were kids.”

Supercars champion Will Brown said Tim was “the best of the best” while Tony Quinn called him “a true friend and a gentleman.” Broc Feeney said Tim was “the nicest and funniest guy in the pits.”

Commentator Greg Rust said “Tim had a vibrancy and a sense of fun that filled a room. He invariably owned it.

“We went to an afterparty until 4am recently and my stomach hurt from the giggles. On every occasion he filled your cup with positivity.

“There are plenty in our industry and beyond that rightly admire his achievements but for me the true mark of success is the person he was. I’ll be forever grateful that we crossed paths mate.”

Speedcafe founder Brett Murray said: “In almost 40 years in this business, he was one of the best blokes I have done business (and drank) with.”

Tim sold assets, but knowing him was an asset in its own right. The likes of Matt Campbell, Hunter McElrea, Scott McLaughlin, Evans, Leitch, and so many more all benefited from Tim.

“He was a huge supporter of my racing as I came up the ranks as well as many other Kiwis,” McLaughlin wrote on social media.

Shane van Gisbergen, after winning the NASCAR Cup Series race on the streets of Chicago, paid tribute to Miles.

“Thinking of Tim Miles and his family today. Brilliant Kiwi racer. I think he would have enjoyed
that race.”

And Shane’s right. Tim took a very keen interest in what everyone was doing. Behind the scenes, he was often steering drivers in the right direction, none more so than the McElrea Racing’s crop of up-and-comers.

Tim was influential in Campbell’s career, which was privately funded by investors and ultimately got the Warwick-born driver to factory Porsche status.

More recently, Miles helped Leitch kickstart his career down under, putting him on the radar of Supercars teams.

Tim’s loss is momentous for motorsport – not because he was an elite businessman or a keen competitor, but because he was just the best bloke to be around.

On Monday, after Tim’s sudden passing, Miles Advisory Group issued a statement that summed up the sentiment nicely.

“This is an unimaginable loss for his family, his friends and everyone at Miles Advisory,” the statement read.

“Tim was not only the visionary behind the firm, but also a deeply respected mentor, colleague and friend to many.

“His leadership, generosity and vision shaped the culture and values of this firm in ways that will stay with us all.

“Over the course of his career, Tim built Miles Advisory into one of Australia’s most trusted and respected advisory firms.

“His leadership, integrity and deep commitment to his clients and colleagues earned him wide admiration across the business community.

“His impact on the firm and the people within it cannot be overstated.

“He had the reputation of being an incredible champion for his clients, his team and the motorsport community, of which he was a beloved member for many years.

“Our thoughts are especially with Tim’s wife and his two daughters at this incredibly difficult time.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Tim’s wider family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of knowing him.”

Speedcafe extends its condolences to Tim’s family and friends.