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Car and engine bits struck the crowd as there was only a 4 foot bank between spectators and cars traveling up to 170 MPH due to a lack of safety standards. (AP Photo/Jimmy Prickett). It had been Levegh's unprecedented solo drive in the 1952 race that failed in the last hour, which allowed Mercedes-Benz their first Le Mans victory. Accdez au meilleur de Getty Images avec un simple abonnement. Large. However, a press photograph showed Hawthorn smiling on the podium drinking from the victor's bottle of champagne. The horror of the crash caused some drivers present, including Americans Fitch (after completing the season with Mercedes), Phil Walters (who had been offered a drive with Ferrari for the rest of the season[2]), and Sherwood Johnston, to retire from racing. These big wigs included Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes Benz, who were past winners of the competition. Instead it pointed the finger of blame at the track layout which was deemed unsuitable for such high- speed racing. [8] Coming out of the Maison Blanche portion of the course, he rapidly caught Lance Macklin in his Austin Healey 100S, who had seen him and moved over to the right to let him pass. Extricating the Dead and Dying. During late night practice, a week before the race, Michelot went out to test one of the cars during the night following a meal at the Hunaudires restaurant. On the one hand: worst accident in autoracing so far, with one dead pilot and about 80 dead spectators. 24 Hours du Mans (in French), held at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Northern France, is a 24 hours' endurance-focused sports car race that started in 1923. Filmmaker Quentin Baillieux paints a picture of sport and tragedy at Circuit de la Sarthe. The 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 23rd 24 Hours of Le Mans and took place on 11 and 12 June 1955 on Circuit de la Sarthe.It was also the fourth round of the F.I.A. Your email address will not be published. [25], Opinions differed widely amongst the other drivers as to who was directly to blame for the crash, and such differences remain even today. "There was a doctor who was carrying his young son on his shoulders," Raymonde Galisson, a Le Mans resident who was among the spectators that day, told Sports Illustrated. In other racing events where a car's ability is based on how fast it moves and in record time, this is a test of car reliability. [14][15], Levegh's front-right wheel rode up onto the rear-left corner of Macklin's car, which acted as a ramp and launched Levegh's car into the air, flying over spectators and rolling end over end for 80 metres (260ft). Andr Guilbert was the first driver to die in June 1925 during the race's third year, although this was due to a collision with a van while en route to the race,[1] but is classified by race historians and authors of the official yearbooks, Christian Moity and Jean-Marc Teissedre. "The hood decapitated tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine. Browse 312 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Much recrimination was directed at Hawthorn, saying that he had suddenly cut in front of Macklin and slammed on the brakes near the entrance to the pits, forcing Macklin to take desperate evasive action into the path of Levegh. [14] Levegh's lifeless body, severely burned, lay in full view on the pavement until a gendarme hauled down a banner to cover it. 1955 June 11 Race car at Le Mans crashes into spectators, killing 82 On June 11, 1955, a racing car in Le Mans, France, goes out of control and crashes into stands filled with. What stands out in these pictures is the confusion. The first media accounts were wildly inaccurate, as shown by subsequent analysis of photographic evidence conducted by Road & Track editor (and 1955 second-place finisher) Paul Frre in 1975. The Mercedes crashed into the embankment that bordered the track, killing Levegh instantly. In 2003, the Federal Assembly of Switzerland started a lengthy discussion about whether this ban should be lifted. Organisez, contrlez, distribuez et mesurez tous vos contenus digitaux. During trials the veteran. I did not discuss who might have been to blame but said that I believed the organizers had been right to continue the race and that Mercedes, having continued to race for more than six hours after the accident, I could not see the point in them withdrawing, and I did not intend to pull out the cars. They suggested that Mercedes-Benz had tampered with the official fuel-supply with an explosive additive, but the intensity of the fire was due instead to the magnesium-alloy construction of the chassis. One of the main shortcomings of the Circuit de la Sarthe as at the period of the disaster was that there were no barriers between the pit stop and the racecourse, and every sudden pit stop by a driver was a heart in the mouth moment as any minor collision could result in something fatal. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is safer, much safer, than it was in 1955, but it is still a deadly track. Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. Bueb in particular was very reluctant, but given Hawthorn's condition had no choice, as Dewis firmly pointed out to him.[3]. By 1955, top speeds for the leading cars were over 270km/h (170mph). Levegh was killed outright as he was flung from the car and thrown onto the track. Lance Macklin, who had just been lapped in his slower Austin-Healey moved across to avoid Hawthorn and Levegh ran into the back of his car. The greatest carmakers in the world were competing, as were the best drivers. Fitch approached one of the Mercedes team bosses and explained to him why it made sense for the very German team (many of those working at the team were very much active when Mercedes race cars had swastikas painted on the side) to pull out of this French race. This was indeed one of the most terrible accidents in the early decades of motorsports. Levegh and competitor Mike Hawthorn were running near each other at the beginning of the pit lane when Hawthorn slowed for a pit stop. He invented traffic safety devices currently in use on highways, including the sand-and-air-filled Fitch barrels. Levegh would die before sunset. Macklin, who also braked hard, ran off the right-hand edge of the track, throwing up dust. Everything slows right down as if you were watching a slow-motion film. I should say that the 'pits' were completely undivided from the racetrack back then. The pits and grandstands had been reconstructed, but there were no barriers between the pit lane and the racing line, and only a 4ft (1.2m) earthen bank between the track and the spectators. It turned friends into enemies, fans into critics, and winners into losers. Large pieces of debris flew into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Levegh, and injuring nearly 180 more. The 1955 Le Mans disaster of 11th June 1955 during the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, Sarthe, France. [25][3] Tony Rolt and other drivers had been raising concerns about the pit straight since 1953. [3], Both Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz issued official statements, mainly in self-defense against the accusations leveled against them and their drivers. RELATED: 10 Of The Coolest Le Mans Prototypes No One Remembers. His car skidded off the road on a wet British highway in 1959. [Warning: graphic content]. But you quickly start to see people running towards the smoldering wreck, hoping to rescue anyone still alive. French magazin L'Auto-Journal published the image with the sarcastic laden caption, votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn. ("To your health, Mr Hawthorn."). During preliminary tests on a wet track on Saturday morning, April 2, 1966 he lost control and drove down an escape road. The cars touched, Bonnier's was launched over the barriers and ended up in the trees. In the background of the picture below, you can see people on the other side of the track, standing on top of teams' pit garages, trying to see how bad things were. Look at how dense the crowd was. An explosion followed, sending metal into the crowd of spectators. Cole was killed when his Ferrari left the road, impacting one of several farm houses lining the road at Maison Blanche. Fangio never raced at Le Mans again. The engine and front axle cut a swath like an artillery barrage. Macklin also decided to retire after being involved in another fatal crash, during the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod Circuit. In picture, shown on Finishing Straight, car numbered '25' (Jaguar Works, XKD 605, 'long-nose') was 6th at Le Mans in 1956. That said, many contemporary race reports treat the crash unbelievably mildly. It was Hawthorn's Jaguar that started the whole incident, after all. The cars had no seat belts; the drivers reasoned that it was preferable to be thrown clear in a collision rather than be crushed or trapped in a burning car. A reporter for Life magazine recounted that: the Mercedes took off like a rocket, struck the embankment beside the track, hurtled end over end and then disintegrated over the crowd. It's important to look at why so many people died that medical attention was so poor, that the Mercedes so easily split into multiple parts and sprayed out its fuel, that the crowd was so poorly protected. The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France on June 11, 1955. Hawthorn!")[28][3]. Levegh had no time to evade, and with possibly his last action, raised his hand, warning Fangio, thereby probably saving Fangio's life. The car overturned and exploded in flames following impact, killing Enjolras instantly. The protagonists were Pierre Levegh representing Mercedes, Mike Hawthorn driving for Jaguar, and Lance Macklin of the Austin-Healey team. It might have been the case that determined who was at fault once and for all, but Hawthorn died before the case could be resolved. The Austin-Healey driver had to swerve out of the way as Hawthorn darted into the pits. Macklin is startled at not having the more technologically advanced disc brakes as the Jaguar, which leads him to move to the right, kicking up dirt before veering towards the center of the track. World Sports Car Championship.During the race, Pierre Levegh crashed into a crowd of spectators, killing 84 (including himself) and injuring 120 in the deadliest accident in motor racing history. He recalled: "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. D-Type Jaguars won the Le Mans 24hr endurance race in 1955, 1956 and 1957. A special mass was held in the morning in the Le Mans Cathedral for the first funerals of the victims. . Neubauer limited himself to suggesting improvements to the pit straight and making pit-stops safer. The behemoths of sports racing all featured their sports cars with their respective drivers for another car racing festival. I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think."[17][18]. When Mercedes pulled out, they approached the Jaguar team. outstanding team of sports writers. Last year, Aston Martin GT driver Allan Simonsen died when he crashed into an insufficiently protected tree. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. Entering the straight, his Matra veered off the inside of the track and exploded into flames. Levegh rear-ended Macklin at high speed, overriding Macklin's car and launching his own car through the air. They suggested that Mercedes-Benz had tampered with the official fuel-supply with an explosive additive, but the intensity of the fire was due instead to the magnesium-alloy construction of the chassis. Registered in Ireland: 523712. Leveghs car, which was estimated to be travelling at over 150mph (240khm), flipped over and flew on before slamming into the bank by the spectator enclosure. Stewart's campaign gained momentum after the deaths of Lorenzo Bandini and Jim Clark. The Mercedes' body was partially made of a magnesium alloy. Below is that interview in full. The Jaguar boss didn't have to report back to the factory, and when Mercedes came up to him to say they weren't going to finish the race, they asked if he would too. Mercedes team manager Alfred Neubauer assembled a multinational team for the race: pairing his two best drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss in the lead car, 1952 race-winner Karl Kling with Frenchman Andr Simon (both also in the current F1 team) and American John Fitch with one of the elder statesmen of French motor-racing, Pierre Levegh.
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