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.