Additional details emerged when the stills reviewed by Frre were converted to video form. Le Mans 11th June 1955. 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. When he finally made it into the pits again, past what was then the scene of the crash, tears were streaming down his face. ". 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. Innocence - along with a tragic human toll - was lost forever. Other pictures show them dragging his body to the pits. The shadow of World War Two crept over the race. [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. Switzerland's motorsports ban still stands today. 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. Hawthorn and Bueb won the race by an easy margin of five laps from Aston Martin. There was much debate over blame for the disaster. 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. 0. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Last year, Aston Martin GT driver Allan Simonsen died when he crashed into an insufficiently protected tree. The pits complex was pulled down and rebuilt, giving more room to the teams, but thereby limiting spaces to only 52 starters rather than the previous 60. [30], Most countries lifted their racing bans within a year after the disaster. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. 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. 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. At 125 miles an hour, "he had no chance to do so himself.". 2023 Getty Images. It was a sort of victory for motorsports somehow, a pyrrhic victory, albeit. (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. The Mercedes trucks were packed up and gone by morning. 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. Both Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz issued official statements, mainly in self-defense against the accusations leveled against them and their drivers. [32][33] In 2015, the ban was relaxed for electric vehicles only, such as cars involved in Formula E electric racing. The AP states that it's unclear how this body ended up as it lay. The rest of the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season was completed, with the remaining two races at the British RAC Tourist Trophy and the Italian Targa Florio, although they were not run until September and October, several months after the catastrophe. Levegh's wife was inconsolable and Fitch stayed with her until she could be comforted. There is no question that racing cars today are almost infinitely safer than those of 1955. [14][18] When he got to the media centre to use a telephone, he got his first inkling of the sheer enormity of the disaster, overhearing a reporter filing that 48 deaths were already confirmed. Search instead in Creative? Levegh and competitor Mike Hawthorn were running near each other at the beginning of the pit lane when Hawthorn slowed for a 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. "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. 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. Neubauer got the French authorities to test residual fuel left in the wrecks fuel injection and the result vindicated the company. [2] Marius Mestivier was the first race fatality, occurring only a few hours after Guilbert's death. That was my first thought. But I am not fully convinced that everyone was as cold to the crash then as they are now. 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. Dveloppez votre marque de manire authentique en partageant son contenu avec tous les crateurs Internet. The Worst Accident in Motorsports History (1955 Le Mans Disaster) - YouTube 0:00 / 2:27 Sign in to confirm your age This video may be inappropriate for some users. The grandstand was demolished and rebuilt with new spectator terraces and a wide ditch between them and the racetrack. You have accepted push notifications for this content. 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. Collect, curate and comment on your files. The car, lying on the track, was then hit by the Ferrari of, As the car was thrown off balance over the hump on the. . 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. During the closing period of the preliminary practice session, Weber took an unscheduled lap of the circuit. "The hood decapitated tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine. [31] In contrast, Switzerland's ban, which also extended to the running of timed motorsports such as hillclimbs, was not quickly lifted. Le design Getty Images est une marque de Getty Images. On that date, the Ministry of the Interior released new regulations for racing events and codified the approval process that future racing events would need to follow. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of . Bodies were strewn throughout the stands The majority of the dead were French, with the numbers injured running into the hundreds. This was indeed one of the most terrible accidents in the early decades of motorsports. 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. 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. Jaguar went on to win the race. "[16] Spectators who had climbed onto ladders and scaffolding to get a better view of the track, and those crowding to use the underpass to get to the pits, found themselves in the path of the lethal debris. 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. "I believe he wanted to turn the car over at his stop, still in the lead. Earlier this week an Audi R18 shot backwards into a wall and the driver survived with only a few friction burns. Macklin claimed that Hawthorns move to the pits was sudden, causing an emergency that led him to swerve into Leveghs path. It ended with the usual champagne, as well. Despite expectations for the race to be red-flagged and stopped entirely, race officials, led by race director Charles Faroux, kept the race running. The accident happened at 6:26 pm, at the end of lap 35, when the first pit stops for the leading cars were starting. In 1957, D-Types were placed 1-2-3-4-6, with only a solitary Ferrari in 5th spoiling the parade. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. 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. Footage of the 1955 Le Mans Disaster. Levegh died in the 1955 Le Mans disaster which also killed 83 spectators during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans automobile race. At a gathering for his 92nd birthday, Mercedes driver John Fitch explained just how little the drivers knew. Years later Fitch claimed, based on his own recollection and from what he heard from others, that Hawthorn had caused it. It's hard to say just how many people died in the crash. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . 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. As Macklin cut towards the middle of the track, Pierre Levegh, a Mercedes-Benz driver, was approaching at a speed of close to 150 mph; Macklin's car acted as a speed ramp for Pierre catapulting the car towards the spectators. The Austin-Healey spun into the wall, killing one spectator but leaving its driver unharmed. Three years ago, another Audi crashed and nearly careened over a low wall into a large row of photographers. In 2003, the Federal Assembly of Switzerland started a lengthy discussion about whether this ban should be lifted. Profitez de millions dimages, de vidos et morceaux de musique de qualit. The French magazine L'Auto-Journal published it with the sarcastic caption, " votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn!" Large pieces of debris flew into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Levegh, and injuring nearly 180 more. Levegh's Mercedes flipped into the air and struck the sandbank at the side of the track. So what are we, in 2014, left with? The doctor laid the boy in his car. Everything slows right down as if you were watching a slow-motion film. Here you can see the damage it took and how it could've acted like a ramp. From the pits, they couldn't get across to the wreck, and it was hard to tell how bad everything was. NOJ393 after its restoration by Steve Pike and before its sale at auction by Bonhams. Mike Hawthorn celebrating the 1955 Le Mans victory despite causing the deadliest accident in history of racing. The deadliest crash ever in motor sports history happened in Le Mans, France, on June 12, 1955. A special Mass was held in the morning in the Le Mans Cathedral for the first funerals of the victims. An initial news report claims 82 spectators killed, some decapitated by a flying hood "like a guillotine." 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. A special mass was held in the morning in the Le Mans Cathedral for the first funerals of the victims. Having achieved that, Mercedes withdrew from motorsport. The disaster at Le Mans heralded a new era for motorsports with more technological innovations to improve sports cars and driver's safety. This became the semi-official pronouncement of the Mercedes-Benz team and Macklins story. When Mercedes pulled out, they approached the Jaguar team. It remains the worst disaster in motorsports history. 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. Search instead in Creative? 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. 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. Also, to a certain level to know which car makes the lowest pit stops throughout the race. 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. It was Hawthorn's Jaguar that started the whole incident, after all. With Levegh dead, Macklin presumed that Hawthorns implication was that he (Macklin) had been responsible, and he began a libel action. 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The Austin-Healey driver had to swerve out of the way as Hawthorn darted into the pits. 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. . . Mercedes-Benz won both of these events, and was able to secure the constructors championship for the season. It turned friends into enemies, fans into critics, and winners into losers. 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. 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. Extricating the Dead and Dying. Search instead in. That said, many contemporary race reports treat the crash unbelievably mildly. A further 120 people were injured. There had been claims that when Lafosse attempted to make up for lost time, either suspension or tyre failure caused the car to veer off suddenly into the barrier.[2][30][31]. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh perished at the scene with 120 more injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history Now it's recorded that Mercedes pulled out of the race following the crash. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Rassembler, slectionner et commenter vos fichiers. He invented traffic safety devices currently in use on highways, including the sand-and-air-filled Fitch barrels. I've seen many shots of the '55 disaster, but never all of them in one place outside of the AP archives. The Le Mans endurance race is organized by France's Automobile Club de L'Ouest and has been held . 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 The circuit at Le Mans is incredibly long, and information was even more sparse away from the immediate vicinity of the crash. I should say that the 'pits' were completely undivided from the racetrack back then. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, and it prompted Mercedes-Benz to retire from motor racing until 1989. As his, Woolfe had purchased one of the new and high-powered Porsche 917s, and Porsche's own, RD140 (between Mulsanne and Indianapolis). 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. 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. All of this was from one car cutting through the crowd alone. The healthy carry bodies away from the wreckage. 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. Tap into Getty Images global-scale, data-driven insights and network of over 340,000creators to create content exclusively for your brand. The scene in the aftermath was hellish. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. It was only ten years after the end of WWII, and dead bodies in the French countryside was fresh in everyone's memory. It became part of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 after previous stints in the Sportscar Championship and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. [25][26] Their retirement was briefly announced over the public address system. Registered in Ireland: 523712. 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. The protagonists were Pierre Levegh representing Mercedes, Mike Hawthorn driving for Jaguar, and Lance Macklin of the Austin-Healey team. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. Pierre Levegh, aged 49, had been hired by Mercedes-Benz . Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies . Cole was thrown from the car and died at the scene. 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. 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. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. "I felt the heat of his exhaust as he went by me, no more than three feet over my shoulder. 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. You can read a recent interpretation from a lawyer right here for a deeper look into what it would take to assign definitive blame. At exactly 4:00pm, the race began with the normal pace expected, with some of the big wigs such as Mercedes-Benz having a slow start and falling behind lesser-known names. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. Macklin, who also braked hard, ran off the right-hand edge of the track, throwing up dust. All he did was turn in abruptly. The official government inquiry into the accident called officials, drivers, and team personnel to be questioned and give evidence. In terms of human toll, it is the most catastrophic accident in motorsports history. 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 driver (Pierre Levegh) was killed, as were 83 spectators. 1955 - the Le Mans Crash in 90+ pictures from the Mike Hawthorn Tribute Site. An American soldier at the race, Jimmy Prickett, was at the scene and took pictures immediately following the crash. One newsreel, minutes after describing the crash, goes on to talk about a car getting stuck in a sandy embankment. . 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.