[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. 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. Entering the straight, his Matra veered off the inside of the track and exploded into flames. "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. D-Type Jaguars won the Le Mans 24hr endurance race in 1955, 1956 and 1957. Five days after his accident, Hansgen died in the American military hospital of Orlans, France, where he had been admitted. "He came alongside me, and I gave him the thumbs-up sign as he overtook me to wish him luck. 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. This race report shows the crash, though the video is curiously backwards. 2023 Getty Images. [25][26] Their retirement was briefly announced over the public address system. He tried to avoid a collision with Macklin but he was too close and too fast. A further 120 people were injured. In the days after the disaster, several explanations were offered by Faroux for this course of action. In the middle as many as 130 died in the most horrific disaster in. These are all that are available to Jalopnik. 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. Other pictures show them dragging his body to the pits. These roads are not predictable and can have so many unforeseen dangers. During preliminary tests on a wet track on Saturday morning, April 2, 1966 he lost control and drove down an escape road. It's easy to find reports of the crash today that talk about how desensitized the public was to the crash. 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. Newsreels show the crash itself, and police rushing to tear down advertising banners by the wreck. NOJ393 after its restoration by Steve Pike and before its sale at auction by Bonhams. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, and it prompted Mercedes-Benz to withdraw from motor racing until 1989. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. The importance of the crash is not how two cars crashed into each other. The Mercedes crashed into the embankment that bordered the track, killing Levegh instantly. The rear of Levegh's car landed on the berm and exploded into flames. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh died and 120 more were injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history. In 1957, D-Types were placed 1-2-3-4-6, with only a solitary Ferrari in 5th spoiling the parade. This forced Swiss racing promoters to organize circuit events in foreign countries including France, Italy, and West Germany. Only two cars were involved in the disaster. "I believe he wanted to turn the car over at his stop, still in the lead. [3][25][27], Hawthorn and the Jaguar team kept racing. Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. Le design Getty Images est une marque de Getty Images. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser. . 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 car overturned and exploded in flames following impact, killing Enjolras instantly. died when he crashed into an insufficiently protected tree, crashed and nearly careened over a low wall into a large row of photographers. This is another in the series made by US soldier Jimmy Prickett of Electra, Texas. The greatest carmakers in the world were competing, as were the best drivers. . 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. (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. I am including all of his pictures preserved by the AP, as well as all of the photographs taken by the AP itself. The official inquiry held none of the drivers specifically responsible and criticised the layout of the 30-year-old track, which had not been designed for cars as fast as those involved in the crash. At the time of his mistake, the Mercedes were running 2 and 3 twenty-five miles behind the Talbot! The Lola was completely destroyed, debris from the car were all around the forest, Bonnier had been killed upon impact. That was the exact number of spectators killed during the Le Mans disaster. 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. Le Mans 11th June 1955. France and Switzerland both banned motor racing after Le Mans. The grandstand was demolished and rebuilt with new spectator terraces and a wide ditch between them and the racetrack. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. Mike Hawthorn celebrating the 1955 Le Mans victory despite causing the deadliest accident in history of racing. The Ferraris, current champions at the time, were very fast but fragile and prone to mechanical failure. With Levegh dead, Macklin presumed that Hawthorns implication was that he (Macklin) had been responsible, and he began a libel action. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. 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. [14][15], Levegh's front-right wheel rode up onto the rear-left corner of Macklin's car, which acted as a ramp and launched Levegh's car into the air, flying over spectators and rolling end over end for 80 metres (260ft). The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. French magazin L'Auto-Journal published the image with the sarcastic laden caption, votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn. ("To your health, Mr Hawthorn."). At 125 miles an hour, "he had no chance to do so himself.". If you would like to manage your push notification preferences, you can do so here. Mercedes-Benz won both of these events, and was able to secure the constructors championship for the season. 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. Eighty-four. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. Last year, Aston Martin GT driver Allan Simonsen died when he crashed into an insufficiently protected tree. 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. The scene in the aftermath was hellish. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. 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. 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. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. 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. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. Pierre Levegh, in a Mercedes Benz, was next on the scene. . Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. His Monopole flipped at Maison Blanche, trapping and killing the driver. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. 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. [15] The initial 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. In 1957, D-Types were placed 1-2-3-4-6, with only a solitary Ferrari in 5th spoiling the parade. 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. It was the turning point in the industry as considerable changes were made towards improving the safety of drivers and spectators. At Arnage during the final hours of the race, Marchal's Aston Martin spun while attempting to pass another competitor. 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). Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. "Mike could have been mistaken about how fast my car was going," Macklin would tell Sports Illustrated in a 1986 interview. He took the racing name Pierre Levegh [lvk] in memory of his uncle, a pioneering driver who died in 1904. The discussion focused on traffic policy and environmental questions rather than on safety. It remains the worst disaster in motorsports history. . Large. Stewart's campaign gained momentum after the deaths of Lorenzo Bandini and Jim Clark. The other team cars were being kept on tighter leashes to conserve the cars, but still racing in the top ten. It does not include track marshals and spectators other race attendees, including the 1955 disaster which claimed the lives of 83 spectators. 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 AP states that it's unclear how this body ended up as it lay. 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. My instant reaction when he did it was, 'Bloody Mike Hawthorn, he must be out of his mind!' Profitez de millions dimages, de vidos et morceaux de musique de qualit. Fangio never raced at Le Mans again. Select from premium Le Mans Disaster of the highest quality. 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. Jaguar went on to win the race. Three years ago, another Audi crashed and nearly careened over a low wall into a large row of photographers. Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, and a teammate of Hawthorn, watched the tragedy unfold from the pit wall. 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. 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. Tony Rolt and other drivers had been raising concerns about the pit straight since 1953. In 1955 Mercedes offered Levegh the opportunity to race with John Fitch in their 300SLR sports car. 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. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . Despite expectations for the race to be red-flagged and stopped entirely, race officials, led by race director Charles Faroux, kept the race running. It was a sort of victory for motorsports somehow, a pyrrhic victory, albeit. Here you can see the damage it took and how it could've acted like a ramp. Collect, curate and comment on your files. When the rest of Levegh's car landed on the embankment, the rear-mounted fuel tank exploded. The film cuts short as the recorder dives for cover.