Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, and Mike Hawthorn were household names in the fifties with the marquee manufacturers of Ferrari, Jaguar along with Mercedes Benz all throwing resources at claiming the crown. I should say that the 'pits' were completely undivided from the racetrack back then. 24 Hours du Mans (in French), held at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Northern France, a 24 hours' endurance-focused sports car race that started in 1923. It turned friends into enemies, fans into critics, and winners into losers. Your brain acts so fast you can see everything, and I can remember as I was spinning I saw the timekeepers watching me from their booth. The accident happened at 6:26 pm, at the end of lap 35, when the first pit stops for the leading cars were starting. "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 1957, D-Types were placed 1-2-3-4-6, with only a solitary Ferrari in 5th spoiling the parade. Drivers run to their cars for the start of the Le Mans 24 hour race in Le Mans, France on June 11, 1955. In 1955 Mercedes offered Levegh the opportunity to race with John Fitch in their 300SLR sports car. Your email address will not be published. The momentum of the heaviest components of the car the engine block, radiator, and front suspension hurtled straight on into the crowd for almost 100 metres (330ft), crushing all in their path. [9][14], The critical kink in the road put the car on a direct trajectory toward the packed terraces and grandstand. 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 circuit goes through a dedicated section of the racing track too. In the history of racing disasters, the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans tragedy still exists in a category of . Macklin, on reading Hawthorns 1958 autobiography, Challenge Me the Race, was embittered when he found that Hawthorn now disclaimed all responsibility for the crash without identifying who had caused it. [14] When Fitch returned to his pit, he urged the Mercedes team to withdraw from the race, as continuing to compete would be a public relations disaster for Mercedes-Benz regardless of whether they won or lost. Going into the second hour, Castellotti started dropping back, but Hawthorn and Fangio continued the duel, swapping the lead and dropping the lap record further and further, lapping most of the field.[4][5]. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh died and 120 more were injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history. Behind these fleeing spectators is the scene where many were killed when hit by flying pieces of the racer which exploded after crashing into a retaining wall. "But by overtaking me and braking sharply he forced me to overtake him again, which meant I had to pull out in front of Levegh and Fangio. But it's wrong to try and point fingers. Macklin's car hit the unprotected pit-wall, just short of the Cunningham and Mercedes-Benz pits where Shell and Lockheed equipment were stationed, running down a policeman, a photographer and two officials (all seriously injured), then rebounded back across the track again to end up skating down the left-side fence for a second time. In terms of human toll, it is the most catastrophic accident in motorsports history. Bodies were strewn throughout the stands The majority of the dead were French, with the numbers injured running into the hundreds. "He pulled across in front of me, and then I remember being surprised to see his brake lights come on. [25][3] Tony Rolt and other drivers had been raising concerns about the pit straight since 1953. You can see a man here, his arms outstretched in shock. 2023 Getty Images. At first you can see people running from the fire. Pierre Levegh, in a Mercedes Benz, was next on the scene. Le Mans 1955 Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images I've seen many shots of the '55 disaster, but never all of them in one place outside of the AP archives. The healthy carry bodies away from the wreckage. Just How Horrifying Was The Worst Crash In Motorsports, Le Mans '55? The other team cars were being kept on tighter leashes to conserve the cars, but still racing in the top ten. Two hours after the start, 77 were killed and another 77 injured when Pierre Le Veghs Mercedes somersaulted into the crowd. It's easy to find reports of the crash today that talk about how desensitized the public was to the crash. He wrote a book saying so, and Macklin then sued Hawthorn for libel. A single accident that caused death and destruction on an unprecedented scale. The 1955 Le Mans Disaster Via: Youtube On the 11th of June 1955, about 300,000 spectators gathered at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Northern France for another endurance car race event. They included: After an emergency meeting and vote of Mercedes-Benz company directors by telephone in Stuttgart, West Germany, Neubauer finally got the call approving his team's withdrawal just before midnight. In the current world of social distancing, it is hard to imagine the crowd of spectators who had squeezed into Le Mans on the afternoon of June 11, 1955. Fitch said that in light of "recent unpleasantness," Mercedes "should not win this race over the bodies of however many.. French people." 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. Select from premium Le Mans Disaster of the highest quality. Most vehicle manufacturers focus on this particular race to test the fuel efficiency of their vehicles and know the viability of their cars and engines throughout the 24 hours rather than learning how fast their cars can go. Now it's recorded that Mercedes pulled out of the race following the crash. Meanwhile, Macklin's car, heavily damaged, rammed the left-side barrier, then veered to the right of the track into the pit lane, narrowly missing Kling's Mercedes-Benz, Roberto Mieres's Maserati, and Don Beauman's Jaguar, all of which were already in the pits refuelling before the accident. After his victory, Hawthorn celebrated with champagne. Cole was thrown from the car and died at the scene. The Austin-Healey driver had to swerve out of the way as Hawthorn darted into the pits. Le Mans 1955 horror crash that killed 82 people will always be motor I'll try and give an explanation of how it happened, why so many people died, and why the organizers didn't cancel the race after the crash. Ivor Bueb and Norman Dewis, both Le Mans debutants, had to step into their respective cars for their first driver stints. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. Many other drivers tried to describe the whole crash as a blameless 'racing incident,' but Hawthorn blamed Lance Macklin, the driver of the Austin-Healey. That was the exact number of spectators killed during the Le Mans disaster. Years later Fitch claimed, based on his own recollection and from what he heard from others, that Hawthorn had caused it. The crash started when Jaguar driver Mike Hawthorn pulled to the right side of the track in front of Austin-Healey driver Lance Macklin and started braking for his pit stop. 312 Le Mans 1955 Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE EDITORIAL All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 312 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. My instant reaction when he did it was, 'Bloody Mike Hawthorn, he must be out of his mind!' This race report shows the crash, though the video is curiously backwards. This was only a few hours after the crash. Search instead in Creative? An explosion followed, sending metal into the crowd of spectators. died when he crashed into an insufficiently protected tree, crashed and nearly careened over a low wall into a large row of photographers. But widen the scope of the camera, and you get a real feel that this victory had been tainted with something utterly terrible. The car lacked the more effective state-of-the-art disc brakes featured on the rival Jaguar D-Type, instead incorporating inboard drum brakes and a large air brake behind the driver that could be raised to increase drag and slow the car.[2]. It shows you not only how the crash happened, but how little stood between those watching and the flying wreckage. His Monopole flipped at Maison Blanche, trapping and killing the driver. Browse 305 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. The Le Mans endurance race is organized by France's Automobile Club de L'Ouest and has been held . Noticing that Hawthorn was slowing down, Macklin swerved left to avoid Hawthorn, whether it was an instinctive reaction, a loss of control from going onto the change of road-surface, or his car's disc brakes operating unevenly. Life reported that it was days before drivers put together exactly what happened and the public at large learned the gravity of the crash. Fast forward two hours and 26 minutes later, and disaster struck. Documentary about the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race in which Pierre Levegh's Mercedes went into the crowd killing 83 and injuring 120, the worst disaster in motor racing history. It was the turning point in the industry as considerable changes were made towards improving the safety of drivers and spectators. Future British F1 champion Mike Hawthorn drove for Jaguar and then-F1 champion Fangio drove for Mercedes, along with British phenom Stirling Moss, American John Fitch, and Frenchman Pierre Levegh. The cars continued to zoom around the massive 8.383-mile circuit as emergency morgues were set up and ambulances ferried the walking wounded to hospitals. 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. Everything started when Hawthorn in his Jaguar cut in for the pits. I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think."[17][18]. 1955 le mans hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy Only two cars were involved in the disaster. France kept the ban until they they made safety improvements to the tracks, such as breaking down the grandstands at the crash site. 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. With the Mercedes-Benz team withdrawn and the Ferraris all broken, Jaguars main competition had gone. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. 0. Le Mans Motor Racing Disaster (1955) | British Path Watch on At least 83 spectators were killed and over a hundred more injured in the 1955 Le Mans Disaster. A further 120 people were injured. Levegh was thrown from the car and killed, while burning pieces of the car were flung into the crowd and caught fire, killing 83 others. Browse 312 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Instead it pointed the finger of blame at the track layout which was deemed unsuitable for such high- speed racing. French Memorial Site. Footage of the 1955 Le Mans Disaster. : r/WTF - reddit The greatest carmakers in the world were competing, as were the best drivers. Here he is, still in his car after crossing the finish line, reaching up for a kiss from a local girl. 1955 Le Mans disaster | Autopedia | Fandom In its silence, you sense the horror of what's being recorded. The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly 12 months after the catastrophe. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Macklin survived the incident without serious injury, jumping out of the wreck and over the bank. Discover the great outdoors on Ireland's best walking trailsStart Exploring, Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our Levegh died in the 1955 Le Mans disaster which also killed 83 spectators during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans automobile race. Levegh was killed outright as he was flung from the car and thrown onto the track. Hawthorn retired from motorsport soon after but was ironically killed when overtaking a Mercedes on a slippery road near his Surrey home in 1959. One spectator actually recorded the crash head-on. ", Get the latest news from the world of sport along with the best opinion from our outstanding team of sport writers, direct to your inbox every Friday. There was great anticipation for the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, as Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz had all won the race previously and all three automakers had arrived with new and improved cars. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. With the Mercedes team withdrawn and the Ferraris all out of commission, Jaguar's main competition had gone. The Lola was completely destroyed, debris from the car were all around the forest, Bonnier had been killed upon impact. 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans - Wikipedia Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. If you would like to manage your push notification preferences, you can do so here. Footage of the 1955 Le Mans Disaster. Mike Hawthorne, the leader in the Jaguar, was getting close to the pit area as he approached driver Lance Macklin who he would lap. The Mercedes trucks were packed up and gone by morning. Putting another lap on Macklin coming up to the main straight, Hawthorn then raised his hand to indicate he was pitting and pulled across to the right (from Hawthorn's testimony). The scene in the aftermath was hellish. He took the racing name Pierre Levegh [lvk] in memory of his uncle, a pioneering driver who died in 1904. They use them to cover one of the bodies in the road. Accounts put the death toll at 80 to 84 (spectators plus Levegh), either by flying debris or from the fire, with a further 120 to 178 injured. Paul Frere - It is completely clear from these photographs that Hawthorn did not make a sudden-brake-and-pull-sharp-right manoeuvre only a short distance from the pits Tony Bailey No use without acknowledgement Plagiarism of this site will NOT be tolerated Home Home Life in Harlem in 1970 Photographed by Jack Garofalo, The Burning Monk: The Story Behind the Shocking and Iconic Image of Thich Quang Duc Immolating Himself on a Saigon Street, 1963. Levegh's Mercedes flipped into the air and struck the sandbank at the side of the track. The car rolled over during the incident. The protagonists were Pierre Levegh representing Mercedes, Mike Hawthorn driving for Jaguar, and Lance Macklin of the Austin-Healey team. On 10 June 2009, the Stnderat (upper house of the Swiss parliament) defeated a proposal to lift the ban for the second time. '"[6][7] The lap before, Hawthorn's pit crew had signalled for him to come in the next lap. The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly twelve months after the catastrophe. The Ferraris, current champions at the time, were very fast but fragile and prone to mechanical failure. In the end the enquiry ruled that no specific driver was responsible for the crash, and that it was merely a terrible racing incident. In the United States, the American Automobile Association (AAA) dissolved their Contest Board that had been the primary sanctioning body for motorsport in the US (including the Indianapolis 500) since 1904. Le Mans 1955 Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images 77 deaths at Le Mans Mon 13 Jun 1955 04.33 EDT Le Mans, June 12 Le Mans is in mourning today for the 77 people killed when the blazing wreckage of a Mercedes sports car crashed through. Macklin claimed that Hawthorns move to the pits was sudden, causing an emergency that led him to swerve into Leveghs path. It is one part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, including the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. [14][3][18], Hawthorn had overshot his pits and stopped. 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. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. Even then, it took hours for that Mercedes boss to reach his superiors and get their approval to withdraw their cars. This breathtaking animated film retells the 1955 Le Mans disaster Les tableaux sont le meilleur endroit pour sauvegarder des images et des vidos. Fourteen people were decapitated with the death toll in the crowd recorded at 83 - though more were believed to have succumbed to their injuries in the weeks and months afterward. As the Austin-Healey moved across the road, Levegh raised his hand. Being 98 years old, it is the oldest endurance racing event. 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. The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race in Le Mans, France in June 1955, when a crash caused large fragments of debris to fly into the crowd. During trials the veteran. Years later Fitch claimed, based on his own recollection and from what he heard from others, that Hawthorn had caused it. Entering the straight, his Matra veered off the inside of the track and exploded into flames. A major crash caused large fragments of debris to fly into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Bouillin (who raced under the name Pierre Levegh) and injuring nearly 180 more. [15][16], Prior to the crash, the car was involved in a previous incident with partial damage to the front bodywork, as photographic evidence shows. The AP states that it's unclear how this body ended up as it lay. . If you had panned in your camera on Jaguar driver Mike Hawthorne drinking from the fizz of the victor's champagne bottle and ignoring the happenings at the Le Mans circuit, you would have been forgiven to think that it was another victor's dance at the podium. outstanding team of sports writers. "I felt the heat of his exhaust as he went by me, no more than three feet over my shoulder. Newsreels show the crash itself, and police rushing to tear down advertising banners by the wreck. At the time, it took over six hours for the team to withdraw its cars. Switzerland's motorsports ban still stands today. The car overturned and exploded in flames following impact, killing Enjolras instantly. He recalled: "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. Search instead in Creative? [2] Sixteen during the race itself, five during pre-race practice and testing sessions, and one en route to the race. The official government inquiry into the accident called officials, drivers, and team personnel to be questioned and give evidence. Fangio never raced at Le Mans again. (AP Photo), Spectators flee the searing flames of a smashed Mercedes racing car after an accident at Le Mans, France, endurance race which killed more than 80 persons, June 11, 1955. In the United States, the American Automobile Association (AAA) dissolved their Contest Board that had been the primary sanctioning body for motorsport in the U.S. (including the Indianapolis 500) since 1904. It's not long before you see bodies piled up. Levegh had no time to evade, and with possibly his last action, raised his hand, warning Fangio, thereby probably saving Fangio's life. [citation needed], Over the next year, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) set about making extensive track improvements and infrastructure changes at the Circuit de la Sarthethe pit straight was redesigned and widened to remove the kink just before the start-finish line, and to give room for a deceleration lane. This forced Swiss racing promoters to organize circuit events in foreign countries including France, Italy, and West Germany. [34] The ban was lifted in May 2022.[35]. His Mercedes Benz clipped the edge of the Austin Healey and was launched skywards. The importance of the crash is not how two cars crashed into each other. The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race, when a crash caused large parts of racing car debris to fly into the crowd. The significant chunk of the car slammed into a concrete structure and disintegrated, causing the fuel tank to explode. Levegh rear-ended Macklin at high speed, overriding Macklin's car and launching his own car through the air. The accident caused, Just ten minutes into the race, Simonsen spun off the kerbs and into the Armco barrier on the exit of Tertre Rouge where it joined RD 338 (, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 23:30. Other pictures show them dragging his body to the pits. Hawthorn and Bueb won the race by a margin of five laps from Aston Martin. This became the semi-official pronouncement of the Mercedes team and Macklin's story. 1955 Le Mans Disaster killed 84 people plus nearly 180 injuries when a driver slowed to make a pit stop causing the cars around him to serve. On the one hand: worst accident in autoracing so far, with one dead pilot and about 80 dead spectators. [37][15][38] Track safety technology and practices evolved slowly until F1 driver Jackie Stewart organized a campaign to advocate for better safety measures ten years later. Macklin, who also braked hard, ran off the right-hand edge of the track, throwing up dust. "The hood decapitated tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh perished at the scene with 120 more injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history [25][16][29][3] It has remained the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. At Le Mans 1955, 83 race fans were killed after debris from the highly-flammable magnesium-alloy bodied Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR went flying into the bleachers after it crashed on the track. During preliminary tests on a wet track on Saturday morning, April 2, 1966 he lost control and drove down an escape road. He had just lapped Levegh (running sixth) after Arnage (one of the corners of the race track) and was determined to keep Fangio at bay as long as possible. Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. But after Hawthorne makes the move, he suddenly decides to cut right and breaks very hard to enter his pit area. Within hours of the crash, the local police reported sixty five dead, as one racer remembered, and now the death toll is usually reported as something in the 80s. [3], The 1955 race began at 4pm on Saturday, and, as predicted, the lead cars of Eugenio Castellotti (Ferrari), Hawthorn (Jaguar), and Fangio (Mercedes-Benz) were at the head of the field in the first hour. The images may be black and white but even the faded frames of a tragedy 65 years ago still pack a powerful punch. Mike-Hawthorn.org.uk hosts right here a 1993 report on the race, and includes a comment from 'Lofty' England, the Jaguar team boss. The French magazine L'Auto-Journal published it with the sarcastic caption, " votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn!" The official inquiry cleared all drivers of any fault. CC Video: The 1955 Le Mans Disaster | Curbside Classic The driver (Pierre Levegh) was killed, as were 83 spectators. 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 occurred during the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France on June 11, 1955. . "It's a most extraordinary sensation," Macklin said when recalling an incident that spun his car around and sent it skittling down the track backward. 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.
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