By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser. However, an inopportune press photograph showed Hawthorn smiling on the podium swigging from the victors bottle of champagne. [25] In the end the enquiry ruled that no specific driver was responsible for the crash, and that it was merely a terrible racing incident. 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. [14] Half an hour after the crash Fitch realised that news was probably being broadcast on the radio, and he needed to telephone his family to reassure them that he was not the driver of the crashed car. He invented traffic safety devices currently in use on highways, including the sand-and-air-filled Fitch barrels. Eighty-four. At the time, it took over six hours for the team to withdraw its cars. 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. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. One newsreel, minutes after describing the crash, goes on to talk about a car getting stuck in a sandy embankment. It's not long before you see bodies piled up. 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 Hawthorn and Bueb won the race by an easy margin of five laps from Aston Martin. [Warning: graphic content]. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. As his, Woolfe had purchased one of the new and high-powered Porsche 917s, and Porsche's own, RD140 (between Mulsanne and Indianapolis). Macklin also decided to retire after being involved in another fatal crash, during the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod Circuit. Pierre Eugne Alfred Bouillin (22 December 1905 - 11 June 1955) was a French sportsman and racing driver. Additional details emerged when the stills reviewed by Frre were converted to video form. 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 [43] It was then restored to its original condition.[44]. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. [14] Levegh's lifeless body, severely burned, lay in full view on the pavement until a gendarme hauled down a banner to cover it. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. In 1955 Mercedes offered Levegh the opportunity to race with John Fitch in their 300SLR sports car. Supposedly they were concerned that crowds of people leaving the track would keep ambulances from getting to those in need. 'The hood decapitated tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine': Le Mans '55 and the worst disaster in motorsports history, Palhinha stunner helps Fulham into FA Cup quarter final, Division Two moving weekend affords Cork chance to right wrongs of recent Clare record, Longstaff bids to fulfil final dream with Magpies after lost years, Ukraine ally Kallas fights for re-election in Estonia vote, Thai cave boys ashes arrive home from UK for final farewell, Chinese defence spending boost to meet complex security challenges, Injuries opening door to Irish team for O'Brien, Cork farmer given less than three weeks to sell 80 animals left in 'chronic neglect', Cork woman Margaret Buttimer jailed for abusing Ukrainian refugees at Bandon hotel, Cork soccer club says CCTV footage shows discrepancies with referee abuse claims. [40], Macklin's Austin-Healey 100 was sold to several private buyers before appearing on the public auction block. The official government inquiry into the accident called officials, drivers, and team personnel to be questioned and give evidence. It turned friends into enemies, fans into critics, and winners into losers. John Fitch, Levegh's American co-driver, had suited up and was ready to take over the car at the upcoming pit stop, and was standing with Levegh's wife Denise Bouillin. The crash happened only a few hours into the race, just as the leaders started making their first pit stops. Filmmaker Quentin Baillieux paints a picture of sport and tragedy at Circuit de la Sarthe. Extricating the Dead and Dying. Cole was thrown from the car and died at the scene. The action was still unresolved when Hawthorn was killed in a non-racing crash on the Guildford bypass in 1959, ironically while overtaking a Mercedes-Benz in his Jaguar. 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. We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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]. It commemorates the deadliest accident in motorsport history, which took place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race on June 11, 1955. Catastrophe aux 24 heures du Mans en 1955 (France 3 Ouest, 2008), Apokalypse in Le Mans Das Rennen in den Tod (2010), Deadliest Crash: the Le Mans 1955 Disaster (Programme Website), "Crash and carnage at 150 mph This is how the worst racing accident happened", "1955 24 Hours of Le Mans - History, Profile, Information and Photos", "Mike Hawthorn & the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans: The Cause and the Effect", "BBC Four - The Deadliest Crash: the Le Mans 1955 Disaster", "1956 Sebring 12 Hours Grand Prix - Race Photos, History, Profile", "Switzerland Officially Lifts 67-Year Ban On Circuit Racing", "Sir Jackie Stewart and Halo: No stranger to F1 safety ridicule", "Historic Austin-Healey car in Le Mans disaster to fetch '1m at auction", "1953 Austin-Healey has been restored to its former glory", Le Mans 1955 from The Mike Hawthorn Tribute Site, Newsreel footage of the 1955 race and crash, Life Magazine report of the 1955 Le Mans Disaster, 1955 Le Mans Disaster depicted and analyzed in depth by a witness (currently available only in French), Deadliest Crash: The Le Mans 1955 Disaster, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1955_Le_Mans_disaster&oldid=1142738568, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Wikipedia articles needing clarification from March 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, that if the huge crowd of spectators had tried to leave, that firms participating in the race could have sued the race organizers for huge sums of money, that "the rough law of sport dictates that the race shall go on"; Faroux specifically pointing to the, that he did not, in fact, have the authority to stop the race at all, and that, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 02:57. RELATED: 10 Of The Coolest Le Mans Prototypes No One Remembers. The engine and front axle cut a swath like an artillery barrage. "He pulled across in front of me, and then I remember being surprised to see his brake lights come on. Mike-Hawthorn.org.uk hosts right here a 1993 report on the race, and includes a comment from 'Lofty' England, the Jaguar team boss. 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. He recalled: "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. 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. 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. [19][20] Team manager Alfred Neubauer had already reached the same conclusion, but did not have the authority to make such a decision. [36], The official government inquiry into the accident called officials, drivers, and team personnel to be questioned and give evidence. Innocence - along with a tragic human toll - was lost forever. 2023 Getty Images. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. I should say that the 'pits' were completely undivided from the racetrack back then. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Entering the straight, his Matra veered off the inside of the track and exploded into flames. Neubauer limited himself to suggesting improvements to the pit straight and making pit-stops safer. 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. 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. Here he is, still in his car after crossing the finish line, reaching up for a kiss from a local girl. Amateur driver Kippeurth lost control of his. 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. . At first you can see people running from the fire. 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. Levegh and competitor Mike Hawthorn were running near each other at the beginning of the pit lane when Hawthorn slowed for a pit stop. Even for the 50's I am surprised they kept on racing. Dewis ventured the opinions that Macklin's move around Hawthorn was careless and that Levegh was not competent to meet the demands of driving at the speeds the 300SLR was capable of. Macklin swerved out from behind the slowing Jaguar into the path of Levegh, who was passing on the left in his much faster Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. The main aim of the competition is basically to test the endurance of sports 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. There is no question that racing cars today are almost infinitely safer than those of 1955. Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 23:30, "Historic Motor Racing - historicracing.com", "Lucien Bianchi Profile - Drivers - GP Encyclopedia - F1 History on Grandprix.com", "Race Car Driver Deaths: The Medical Causes of Racing Deaths w Examples", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans_fatalities&oldid=1140404005, Guilbert was making his way to the circuit during the morning of the race in his Ravel, a car designed by. The death toll led to an immediate temporary ban on motorsports in France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and other nations, until the racetracks could be brought to a higher safety standard. He took the racing name Pierre Levegh [lvk] in memory of his uncle, a pioneering driver who died in 1904. [42] The car retained the original engine SPL 261-BN,[41] but was reported to be in 'barn find' condition. Levegh's Mercedes flipped into the air and struck the sandbank at the side of the track. The French press, who knew better than most how awful the crash had been, scorned Hawthorn, blamed him for the crash, and in disgust carried pictures of him celebrating after the race, as the BBC reports. Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, watching from the pit wall, recalled, The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. "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. At the time of his mistake, the Mercedes were running 2 and 3 twenty-five miles behind the Talbot! Although Marchal was taken to the hospital, he died the following day. It decided that auto racing detracted from its primary goals, and the United States Automobile Club was formed to take over the race sanctioning and officiating. So what are we, in 2014, left with? 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. French magazin L'Auto-Journal published the image with the sarcastic laden caption, votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn. ("To your health, Mr Hawthorn."). 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. 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. Neubauer got the French authorities to test residual fuel left in the wrecks fuel injection and the result vindicated the company. In terms of human toll, it is the most catastrophic accident in motorsports history. My instant reaction when he did it was, 'Bloody Mike Hawthorn, he must be out of his mind!' The car split into three pieces. Sign in The Worst Accident in. (AP Photo/Jimmy Prickett), A man holds a child in the left background while a woman bends over a lifeless body following the racing car crash and explosion during the 24 hour endurance race at Le Mans, France, June 11, 1955. During trials the veteran. This put him into the path of Levegh's Mercedes, closing in at over 200km/h (120mph), intent on doing another lap and in front of Fangio, who was patiently waiting to pass. However, a press photograph showed Hawthorn smiling on the podium drinking from the victor's bottle of champagne. 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. Le design Getty Images est une marque de Getty Images. From the pits, they couldn't get across to the wreck, and it was hard to tell how bad everything was. The French magazine L'Auto-Journal published it with the sarcastic caption, " votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn!" Here is a full view of the crash site from the nearby stands. 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. [25] Additional details emerged when the stills reviewed by Frre were converted to video form. The healthy carry bodies away from the wreckage. France kept the ban until they they made safety improvements to the tracks, such as breaking down the grandstands at the crash site. 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. [34] The ban was lifted in May 2022.[35]. It decided that auto racing detracted from its primary goals, and the United States Automobile Club was formed to take over the race sanctioning and officiating. Search instead in. The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly 12 months after the catastrophe. 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. [3], Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, watching from the pit wall, recalled, "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly twelve months after the catastrophe. Dveloppez votre marque de manire authentique en partageant son contenu avec tous les crateurs Internet. Levegh would die before sunset. At 125 miles an hour, "he had no chance to do so himself.". [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. But widen the scope of the camera, and you get a real feel that this victory had been tainted with something utterly terrible. Racing fuel exploded. then went back and tried to rescue others.". Hawthorn and his co-driver Ivor Bueb won the race the next afternoon. Police managed to drag the Austin-Healey to the other side of the track. It became part of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 after previous stints in the Sportscar Championship and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. . One British race report praised the variety of the field representing "a United Nations of motor racing." Profitez de millions dimages, de vidos et morceaux de musique de qualit. 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. With the Mercedes team withdrawn and the Ferraris all out of commission, Jaguar's main competition had gone. died when he crashed into an insufficiently protected tree, crashed and nearly careened over a low wall into a large row of photographers. The rear of Leveghs car landed on the berm and exploded into flames. 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. Mike Hawthorne, the leader in the Jaguar, was getting close to the pit area as he approached driver Lance Macklin who he would lap. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. In his biography, Hawthorn said he was "momentarily mesmerized by the legend of the Mercedes superiority Then I came to my senses and thought Damn it, why should a German car beat a British car. 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. It shows you not only how the crash happened, but how little stood between those watching and the flying wreckage. - Browse 311 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. One marshal tried to douse the burning wreckage with water and sent huge bursts of white hot fire into the crowd, killing more as this recent history explains. The disaster at Le Mans heralded a new era for motorsports with more technological innovations to improve sports cars and driver's safety. "Mike could have been mistaken about how fast my car was going," Macklin would tell Sports Illustrated in a 1986 interview. A further 120 people were injured. Last year, Aston Martin GT driver Allan Simonsen died when he crashed into an insufficiently protected tree. It ended with the usual champagne, as well. Cole was killed when his Ferrari left the road, impacting one of several farm houses lining the road at Maison Blanche. The Mercedes' body was partially made of a magnesium alloy. Years later Fitch claimed, based on his own recollection and from what he heard from others, that Hawthorn had caused it. This is another in the series made by US soldier Jimmy Prickett of Electra, Texas. Hawthorn and Bueb won the race by a margin of five laps from Aston Martin. Visible at left is the fire from burning Mercedes racer which careened crazily down the course, crashing into an earth barrier back of the picket fence. Fangio and Moss were the lead pairing for the German company who had pinned their hopes on a new 300 SLR which boasted an ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy body. Browse 305 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. The crash was right in front of a densely packed crowd and grandstands, protected by nothing more than a few hay bales. Stewart's campaign gained momentum after the deaths of Lorenzo Bandini and Jim Clark. The accident happened at 6:26 pm, at the end of lap 35, when the first pit stops for the leading cars were starting. Modern race cars have fuel cells which keep fuel from spreading as it did here, and they don't use magnesium like they did then, either. Levegh's car skipped over a protective earthen berm at 200km/h (125mph) and made at least two impacts within the spectator area, the last of which caused the car to disintegrate, throwing him onto the track where he was instantly killed. In total, two drivers died in the 1920s, another two in the 1930s, one in the 1940s, five in the 1950s, six in the 1960s, two in the 1970s, two in the 1980s, one in the 1990s, none in the 2000s, and one in the 2010s. 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. The announcer claims that the sand trap has "claimed another victim." The shadow of World War Two crept over the race. In 1957, D-Types were placed 1-2-3-4-6, with only a solitary Ferrari in 5th spoiling the parade. However, there was a return to the sport in the '90s. In the end the enquiry ruled that no specific driver was responsible for the crash, and that it was merely a terrible racing incident. Show more. 58 men, 15 women, and 6 children were reported dead at the time, but there was a further casualty of 5 people after later findings, with 170 (approximate figure) people suffering injuries of varying degrees. The cars touched, Bonnier's was launched over the barriers and ended up in the trees. The official inquiry cleared all drivers of any fault. 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. The images may be black and white but even the faded frames of a tragedy 65 years ago still pack a powerful punch. 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. I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think. 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. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. Below is that interview in full. These were the days of patriots racing Red, Blue, Green, White and Silver cars for the national glory of their country. Mike Hawthorn celebrating the 1955 Le Mans victory despite causing the deadliest accident in history of racing. [36] Tertre Rouge was moved about 200m and new tyre barriers were installed at the exit in 2014. The Mercedes crashed into the embankment that bordered the track, killing Levegh instantly. They saw the whole catastrophe unfold. But I am not fully convinced that everyone was as cold to the crash then as they are now. 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. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. 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.