"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. That said, the circuit had been resurfaced and widened after the Second World War. Le Mans 11th June 1955. 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. Its sloping back acted like a ramp for Levegh's Mercedes, however, which flew into the air. Fast forward two hours and 26 minutes later, and disaster struck. 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 investigation zeroed in on Hawthorns attempt to overtake British driver Lance Macklins Austin Healey and a sudden catastrophic decision to pit. The Ferraris, current champions at the time, were very fast but fragile and prone to mechanical failure. In its silence, you sense the horror of what's being recorded. 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. 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. By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser. Earlier this week an Audi R18 shot backwards into a wall and the driver survived with only a few friction burns. On the one hand: worst accident in autoracing so far, with one dead pilot and about 80 dead spectators. France kept the ban until they they made safety improvements to the tracks, such as breaking down the grandstands at the crash site. 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. [39], Fitch became a major safety advocate and began active development of safer road cars and racing circuits. In the middle as many as 130 died in the most horrific disaster in. Even for the 50's I am surprised they kept on racing. 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. Browse 312 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Levegh rear-ended Macklin at high speed, overriding Macklin's car and launching his own car through the air. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . [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. It was Hawthorn's Jaguar that started the whole incident, after all. The healthy carry bodies away from the wreckage. [32][33] In 2015, the ban was relaxed for electric vehicles only, such as cars involved in Formula E electric racing. Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes, 40 Amazing Photos of 17th and 18th Century Buildings in Eastern Massachusetts, Historys Oldest Color Photos Show How The World Looked Like A Century Ago, Jean Harlow in Publicity Portraits for Hells Angels, Taken Late 1929. On Sunday morning, Bonnier approached the Indianapolis bend before Arnage and tried to avoid the slowly driven Ferrari 365GTB4 #35 of Florian Vetsch. 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. At Arnage during the final hours of the race, Marchal's Aston Martin spun while attempting to pass another competitor. On the other hand: damn those Jaguar D-types look nice. That was the exact number of spectators killed during the Le Mans disaster. Even after modifications had been made to the Circuit de la Sarthe after 1955, Louis Hry was killed on his own just a year later. "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. 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. Bianchi decided to start early as organisers were speculating a wet session later in the day. After his victory, Hawthorn celebrated with champagne. 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. Fitch said that in light of "recent unpleasantness," Mercedes "should not win this race over the bodies of however many.. French people." A large tree behind the Armco has been considered to be an integral part of the impact, causing an aortal separation in the driver's chest. "The hood decapitated tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine. The alloy burst into white-hot flames, showering the track and crowd with magnesium embers, made worse by rescue workers unfamiliar with magnesium fires who poured water onto the inferno, greatly intensifying the fire. 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. France in particular, as the host of Le Mans, lifted their complete ban on 14 September 1955. RELATED: These Le Mans Racers Dominated The Worlds Most Famous Race. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. 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. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. [25][16][29][3] It has remained the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. '"[6][7] The lap before, Hawthorn's pit crew had signalled for him to come in the next lap. 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. 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. The crash was right in front of a densely packed crowd and grandstands, protected by nothing more than a few hay bales. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. The opening hours were a fast and furious affair with drivers battling for early supremacy. Organisez, contrlez, distribuez et mesurez tous vos contenus digitaux. The shadow of World War Two crept over the race. 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. 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. At a gathering for his 92nd birthday, Mercedes driver John Fitch explained just how little the drivers knew. Simplifiez votre flux de travail avec notre systme de gestion des fichiers numriques. Behind them were two Mercedes: Levegh ahead of Fangio. Hawthorn!")[28][3]. (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. However, there was a return to the sport in the '90s. The Austin-Healey spun into the wall, killing one spectator but leaving its driver unharmed. French Memorial Site. He was not aware that a barrier had been placed across the escape lane and he crashed heavily. "Then there was a hell of a bang like a bomb had hit.". Getting out, he was immediately ordered by his team to get back in and do another lap to get away from the total confusion and danger. In all, a total of 22 drivers have died in and around the Circuit de la Sarthe,[1] with more than half occurring along the circuit's Mulsanne Straight. 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. 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. Both Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz issued official statements, mainly in self-defense against the accusations leveled against them and their drivers. This race report shows the crash, though the video is curiously backwards. [15][8] The Jaguar team in turn questioned the fitness and competence of Macklin and Levegh as drivers. Andr Guilbert was the first driver to die in June 1925 during the race's third year, although this was due to a collision with a van while en route to the race,[1] but is classified by race historians and authors of the official yearbooks, Christian Moity and Jean-Marc Teissedre. The 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. The rear of Levegh's car landed on the berm and exploded into flames. In the days after the disaster, several explanations were offered by Faroux for this course of action. 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. One spectator actually recorded the crash head-on. He tried to avoid a collision with Macklin but he was too close and too fast. My instant reaction when he did it was, 'Bloody Mike Hawthorn, he must be out of his mind!' Tony Rolt and other drivers had been raising concerns about the pit straight since 1953. I am including all of his pictures preserved by the AP, as well as all of the photographs taken by the AP itself. This became the semi-official pronouncement of the Mercedes-Benz team and Macklins story. 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. 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. The Mercedes crashed into the embankment that bordered the track, killing Levegh instantly. (AP Photo/Jimmy Prickett). Extricating the Dead and Dying. [25][3] Tony Rolt and other drivers had been raising concerns about the pit straight since 1953. He recalled: "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. [3] Levegh was thrown out of his tumbling car and hit the ground, crushing his skull upon impact and killing him instantly. An initial news report claims 82 spectators killed, some decapitated by a flying hood "like a guillotine." All of this was from one car cutting through the crowd alone. The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France on June 11, 1955. Hawthorn retired from motorsport soon after but was ironically killed when overtaking a Mercedes on a slippery road near his Surrey home in 1959. [9][14], The critical kink in the road put the car on a direct trajectory toward the packed terraces and grandstand. Hawthorn and Bueb won the race by a margin of five laps from Aston Martin. 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. Opinions differed widely amongst the other drivers as to who was directly to blame for the crash, and such differences remain even today. These big wigs included Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes Benz, who were past winners of the competition. The crash happened only a few hours into the race, just as the leaders started making their first pit stops. At first you can see people running from the fire. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh perished at the scene with 120 more injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history Exiting the Tertre Rouge corner, Larivire lost control of his car and launched over a sandbank along the. The discussion focused on traffic policy and environmental questions rather than on safety. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options await you. Search instead in Creative? This would be unbelievably flippant today. This became the semi-official pronouncement of the Mercedes team and Macklin's story. Supposedly they were concerned that crowds of people leaving the track would keep ambulances from getting to those in need. ". An American soldier at the race, Jimmy Prickett, was at the scene and took pictures immediately following the crash. Find Le Mans Disaster stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Below is that interview in full. He lost control of the car three hours later in the early morning whilst approaching the Arnage esses and veered off the track on the left side and collided with an oak tree, killing the driver almost instantly with massive head and chest injuries. One British race report praised the variety of the field representing "a United Nations of motor racing." Fitch explained that he only got an idea of how bad things were when he overheard a journalist friend of his reporting news that some 65 people were reported dead. His car skidded off the road on a wet British highway in 1959. The announcer claims that the sand trap has "claimed another victim." The French police files have never been opened, and one long time Le Mans racing chief later estimated the death toll at 130. Filmmaker Quentin Baillieux paints a picture of sport and tragedy at Circuit de la Sarthe. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, and it prompted Mercedes-Benz to withdraw from motor racing until 1989. With the Mercedes team withdrawn and the Ferraris all out of commission, Jaguar's main competition had gone. 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. What stands out in these pictures is the confusion. 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. The circuit goes through a dedicated section of the racing track too. In 2003, the Federal Assembly of Switzerland started a lengthy discussion about whether this ban should be lifted. [36], The official government inquiry into the accident called officials, drivers, and team personnel to be questioned and give evidence. [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. 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 Austin-Healey driver had to swerve out of the way as Hawthorn darted into the pits. [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 car split into three pieces. Organise, control, distribute, and measure all of your digital content. died when he crashed into an insufficiently protected tree, crashed and nearly careened over a low wall into a large row of photographers. 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. Although Marchal was taken to the hospital, he died the following day. With Levegh dead, Macklin presumed that Hawthorn's implication was that he (Macklin) had been responsible, and he began a libel action. [14][3][18], Hawthorn had overshot his pits and stopped. [42] The car retained the original engine SPL 261-BN,[41] but was reported to be in 'barn find' condition. The greatest carmakers in the world were competing, as were the best drivers. From the pits, they couldn't get across to the wreck, and it was hard to tell how bad everything was. 312 Le Mans 1955 Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images 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. 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. outstanding team of sports writers. 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. 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. Pierre Levegh, in a Mercedes Benz, was next on the scene. Eighty-four. Innocence - along with a tragic human toll - was lost forever. The official inquiry cleared all drivers of any fault. [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. His Mercedes Benz clipped the edge of the Austin Healey and was launched skywards. [30], Most countries lifted their racing bans within a year after the disaster. 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. "Mike could have been mistaken about how fast my car was going," Macklin would tell Sports Illustrated in a 1986 interview. Pierre Eugne Alfred Bouillin (22 December 1905 - 11 June 1955) was a French sportsman and racing driver. The accident reportedly occurred in heavy fog. World Sports Car Championship.During the race, Pierre Levegh crashed into a crowd of spectators, killing 84 (including himself) and injuring 120 in the deadliest accident in motor racing history. 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.
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