Life reported that it was days before drivers put together exactly what happened and the public at large learned the gravity of the crash. [2] Sixteen during the race itself, five during pre-race practice and testing sessions, and one en route to the race. The scene in the aftermath was hellish. Shortly before he died, he wrote of the race: "It was as though we were at the point where a great rock had been hurled into a pond, sending out waves of shock and horror and indignation which would later flow back, bringing consequences which no one could foresee. During the closing period of the preliminary practice session, Weber took an unscheduled lap of the circuit. The AP states that it's unclear how this body ended up as it lay. The driver (Pierre Levegh) was killed, as were 83 spectators. 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. The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly 12 months after the catastrophe. The behemoths of sports racing all featured their sports cars with their respective drivers for another car racing festival. During preliminary tests on a wet track on Saturday morning, April 2, 1966 he lost control and drove down an escape road. RELATED: 10 Of The Coolest Le Mans Prototypes No One Remembers. It's not long before you see bodies piled up. Search instead in Creative? The media also speculated on the violent fire that engulfed the wreck, which intensified when fire marshals poured their water-based extinguishers on the flames. Years later Fitch claimed, based on his own recollection and from what he heard from others, that Hawthorn had caused it. This is a list of 24 Hours of Le Mans fatal accidents, which consists of all the drivers who have died during a 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend, or in pre-race testing or practice sessions in preparation of the event. [14] The bonnet lid scythed through the air, "decapitating tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This would be unbelievably flippant today. He recalled: "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. 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. [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. 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. All of this was from one car cutting through the crowd alone. Below is that interview in full. 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. (AP Photo/Jimmy Prickett), A few of the living come to the rescue among the dead and injured following the worst tragedy in racing history at Le mans, France, June 11, 1955. He was not aware that a barrier had been placed across the escape lane and he crashed heavily. Everything started when Hawthorn in his Jaguar cut in for the pits. (In English, "To your health ('Cheers'), Mr. 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. Profitez de millions dimages, de vidos et morceaux de musique de qualit. Leveghs car skipped over a protective earthen berm at 200 km/h (125 mph) and made at least two impacts within the spectator area, the last of which caused it to disintegrate, throwing him onto the track where he was instantly killed, and sending large pieces of debris into the packed spectator area in front of the grandstand, including the engine block, front suspension, and hood. "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. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. With the Mercedes-Benz team withdrawn and the Ferraris all broken, Jaguars main competition had gone. The other team cars were being kept on tighter leashes to conserve the cars, but still racing in the top ten. Large pieces of debris, including the Mercedes' engine block, radiator, front suspension, and bonnet (hood), were sent flying into the packed spectator area in front of the grandstand. [1], After conquering F1, Mercedes-Benz had debuted its new 300 SLR in that year's World Sportscar Championship, including a record-setting win at the Mille Miglia for Stirling Moss. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, and it prompted Mercedes-Benz to withdraw from motor racing until 1989. [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. 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. Two hours after the start, 77 were killed and another 77 injured when Pierre Le Veghs Mercedes somersaulted into the crowd. That was my first thought. Mike-Hawthorn.org.uk hosts right here a 1993 report on the race, and includes a comment from 'Lofty' England, the Jaguar team boss. Search instead in Creative? Macklin moves over to the right to let him pass. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. They argued that if the accident was announced, panic might sweep through the spectators and flood the streets, and that will make crowd control extreme and might have made rescue efforts very difficult. His car skidded off the road on a wet British highway in 1959. Bueb in particular was very reluctant, but given Hawthorn's condition had no choice, as Dewis firmly pointed out to him.[3]. The engine and front axle cut a swath like an artillery barrage. [31] In contrast, Switzerland's ban, which also extended to the running of timed motorsports such as hillclimbs, was not quickly lifted. Le Mans 11th June 1955. [40], Macklin's Austin-Healey 100 was sold to several private buyers before appearing on the public auction block. [19][20] Team manager Alfred Neubauer had already reached the same conclusion, but did not have the authority to make such a decision. There was also the criticism of the winner Mike Hawthorne for celebrating excessively, but he pushed back, saying it was no fault of his. The greatest carmakers in the world were competing, as were the best drivers. The 1955 Le Mans disaster was a major crash that occurred on 11 June 1955 during the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, Sarthe, France. The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly twelve months after the catastrophe. 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. "Mike could have been mistaken about how fast my car was going," Macklin would tell Sports Illustrated in a 1986 interview. 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. 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. Entering the straight, his Matra veered off the inside of the track and exploded into flames. He invented traffic safety devices currently in use on highways, including the sand-and-air-filled Fitch barrels. They saw the whole catastrophe unfold. 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. Indeed, the German company withdrew from all motor racing at the end of that season and did not return until 1987. 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. It does not include track marshals and spectators other race attendees, including the 1955 disaster which claimed the lives of 83 spectators. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh perished at the scene with 120 more injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history The images may be black and white but even the faded frames of a tragedy 65 years ago still pack a powerful punch. It's hard to say just how many people died in the crash. With the Mercedes team withdrawn and the Ferraris all out of commission, Jaguar's main competition had gone. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. [43] It was then restored to its original condition.[44]. It's easy to find reports of the crash today that talk about how desensitized the public was to the crash. Simplifiez votre flux de travail avec notre systme de gestion des fichiers numriques. 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. One British race report praised the variety of the field representing "a United Nations of motor racing." (AP Photo/Jimmy Prickett). 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. At the time of his mistake, the Mercedes were running 2 and 3 twenty-five miles behind the Talbot! [41] In December 2011, the car, estimated to raise 800,000 before the auction,[41] was sold for 843,000. 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. The Austin-Healey spun into the wall, killing one spectator but leaving its driver unharmed. In terms of human toll, it is the most catastrophic accident in motorsports history. Sign in The Worst Accident in. Levegh crashed into the back of the Austin-Healey. In 1957, D-Types were placed 1-2-3-4-6, with only a solitary Ferrari in 5th spoiling the parade. In the middle as many as 130 died in the most horrific disaster in motorsports history. Even for the 50's I am surprised they kept on racing. There is no question that racing cars today are almost infinitely safer than those of 1955. 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. The crash was right in front of a densely packed crowd and grandstands, protected by nothing more than a few hay bales. 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. At 125 miles an hour, "he had no chance to do so himself.". Search instead in Creative? The Mercedes' body was partially made of a magnesium alloy. Waiting until 1:45 am, when many spectators had left, he stepped onto the track and quietly called his cars into the pits, at the time running first and third. 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. Show more. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. 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. He was among the dead. [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. There was much debate over blame for the disaster. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. June 11, 2020 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. . But I am not fully convinced that everyone was as cold to the crash then as they are now. French Memorial Site. 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. The rear of Leveghs car landed on the berm and exploded into flames. By 1955, top speeds for the leading cars were over 270km/h (170mph). This became the semi-official pronouncement of the Mercedes-Benz team and Macklins story. When the rest of Levegh's car landed on the embankment, the rear-mounted fuel tank exploded. (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. The media also speculated on the violent fire that engulfed the wreck, which intensified when fire marshals poured their water-based extinguishers on the flames. NEXT: Le Mans Hypercars And What It Means For Endurance Racing, Here's What Happened At The Tragic 1955 Le Mans Disaster, These Le Mans Racers Dominated The Worlds Most Famous Race, 10 Of The Coolest Le Mans Prototypes No One Remembers, Le Mans Hypercars And What It Means For Endurance Racing, Like A Phoenix: The Pontiac Sunfire Is The Affordable, Fun, American Coupe We Need, A New Toyota Celica Concept Shows What A Pure Toyota Sports Car Could Be Without BMW, A Modern Plymouth Road Runner Like This Could Shake Up Today's Pony Car Market, 10 Used German Performance Cars We'd Buy Over An American Muscle Car Any Day, The 2024 Chevrolet Impala SS: A Way To Save The Four-Door Muscle Car, 10 Most Reliable European Luxury Cars Ever. It was Hawthorn's Jaguar that started the whole incident, after all. Three years ago, another Audi crashed and nearly careened over a low wall into a large row of photographers. "He pulled across in front of me, and then I remember being surprised to see his brake lights come on. At the 24 Hueres Du Mans in July 1955, the inevitable finally happened. Even at the scene, it doesn't look like anyone knows what's going on. The car rolled over during the incident. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. 1955 - the Le Mans Crash in 90+ pictures from the Mike Hawthorn Tribute Site. Amateur driver Kippeurth lost control of his. The final verdict assigned blame to no one. These roads are not predictable and can have so many unforeseen dangers. Chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut had gone to the Jaguar pits to ask if the Jaguar team would respond in kind, out of respect for the crash victims. Cole was thrown from the car and died at the scene. The death toll led to an immediate temporary ban on motorsports in France, Spain, Switzerland, West Germany, and other nations, until racetracks could be brought to a higher safety standard. Being 98 years old, it is the oldest endurance racing event. What stands out in these pictures is the confusion. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Bianchi decided to start early as organisers were speculating a wet session later in the day. Look at how dense the crowd was. Rassembler, slectionner et commenter vos fichiers. An estimated attendance of between 250,000 and 300,000 crammed together to witness one of the most spectacular driver line ups ever assembled to contest the venue's iconic 24-Hour race. Instead it pointed the finger of blame at the track layout which was deemed unsuitable for such high- speed racing. So abruptly that he ended up missing his garage space and was ordered to do another lap to make it back around since backing up wasn't allowed. Macklin, who also braked hard, ran off the right-hand edge of the track, throwing up dust. Cole was killed when his Ferrari left the road, impacting one of several farm houses lining the road at Maison Blanche. This became the semi-official pronouncement of the Mercedes team and Macklin's story. A single accident that caused death and destruction on an unprecedented scale. I am including all of his pictures preserved by the AP, as well as all of the photographs taken by the AP itself. 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. '"[6][7] The lap before, Hawthorn's pit crew had signalled for him to come in the next lap. His Mercedes Benz clipped the edge of the Austin Healey and was launched skywards. He tried to avoid a collision with Macklin but he was too close and too fast. The Austin-Healey driver had to swerve out of the way as Hawthorn darted into the pits. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. The only people on and around the podium that day who had mixed emotions at the race end were either race officials who were trying (and failing) to put on a faade for the camera and were grateful for an end to a disastrous race or other workers at the Le Mans circuit who had no stake in the race. 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. Mercedes-Benz won both of these events, and was able to secure the constructors championship for the season. Browse 305 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. On lap 35, Hawthorn and Fangio were racing as hard as ever. However, a press photograph showed Hawthorn smiling on the podium drinking from the victor's bottle of champagne. 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. 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. One of the major news stories after the 1955 Le Mans disaster was the retirement of Mercedes-Benz from future races. 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. By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser. 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. Pierre Levegh, aged 49, had been hired by Mercedes-Benz . At a gathering for his 92nd birthday, Mercedes driver John Fitch explained just how little the drivers knew. While all of this unfolded, the race continued. With two other drivers still in the race, Mercedes-Benz continued, but after so many calls for them to abandon the meeting and with the desire to avoid a PR disaster, they pulled out of the race in the wee hours of the morning and went home. Find Le Mans Disaster stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. 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. 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. It was an appalling tragedy that shocked the world and changed the face of motorsports forever. Browse 312 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. "Then there was a hell of a bang like a bomb had hit.". 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. I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think., Mike Hawthorn and the Jaguar team kept racing. When he finally made it into the pits again, past what was then the scene of the crash, tears were streaming down his face. The car landed on the earthen embankment between the spectators and the track, bounced, then slammed into a concrete stairwell structure and disintegrated. 2023 Getty Images. 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. The French magazine L'Auto-Journal published it with the sarcastic caption, " votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn!" Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . 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. Last year, Aston Martin GT driver Allan Simonsen died when he crashed into an insufficiently protected tree. [34] The ban was lifted in May 2022.[35]. The Le Mans organizers did not actually stop the race. Pierre Eugne Alfred Bouillin (22 December 1905 - 11 June 1955) was a French sportsman and racing driver. [36] Tertre Rouge was moved about 200m and new tyre barriers were installed at the exit in 2014. Fitch said that in light of "recent unpleasantness," Mercedes "should not win this race over the bodies of however many.. French people." Behind them were two Mercedes: Levegh ahead of Fangio. The discussion focused on traffic policy and environmental questions rather than on safety. The 1955 Le Mans tragedy was deemed a terrible accident but in truth was the end of an era that would never come again. The shadow of World War Two crept over the race. Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, and a teammate of Hawthorn, watched the tragedy unfold from the pit wall. [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. With Levegh dead, Macklin presumed that Hawthorn's implication was that he (Macklin) had been responsible, and he began a libel action. . This race report shows the crash, though the video is curiously backwards. The accident reportedly occurred in heavy fog. "I felt the heat of his exhaust as he went by me, no more than three feet over my shoulder. The circuit goes through a dedicated section of the racing track too. (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. Organisez, contrlez, distribuez et mesurez tous vos contenus digitaux. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . Levegh had no time to evade, and with possibly his last action, raised his hand, warning Fangio, thereby probably saving Fangio's life. It was only ten years after the end of WWII, and dead bodies in the French countryside was fresh in everyone's memory. Years later Fitch claimed, based on his own recollection and from what he heard from others, that Hawthorn had caused it. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. 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 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. The deadliest crash ever in motor sports history happened in Le Mans, France, on June 12, 1955. This was indeed one of the most terrible accidents in the early decades of motorsports. 63 1955 Le Mans Disaster Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 63 1955 LE MANS DISASTER Premium High Res Photos Browse 63 1955 LE MANS DISASTER stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images.