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It's not long before you see bodies piled up. 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. It became part of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 after previous stints in the Sportscar Championship and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Find Le Mans Disaster stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. A special mass was held in the morning in the Le Mans Cathedral for the first funerals of the victims. Browse 305 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. 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. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. An explosion followed, sending metal into the crowd of spectators. [3], Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, watching from the pit wall, recalled, "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. With the Mercedes-Benz team withdrawn and the Ferraris all broken, Jaguars main competition had gone. Browse 63 1955 le mans disaster stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. RELATED: These Le Mans Racers Dominated The Worlds Most Famous Race. All he did was turn in abruptly. The Mercedes trucks were packed up and gone by morning. During trials the veteran. Mike Hawthorn celebrating the 1955 Le Mans victory despite causing the deadliest accident in history of racing. Jaguar concentrated their racing almost exclusively on Le Mans and had a very experienced driver line-up, including Formula 1 (F1) Ferrari driver Mike Hawthorn. The behemoths of sports racing all featured their sports cars with their respective drivers for another car racing festival. 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. Bodies were strewn throughout the stands The majority of the dead were French, with the numbers injured running into the hundreds. [32][33] In 2015, the ban was relaxed for electric vehicles only, such as cars involved in Formula E electric racing. 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. But it's wrong to try and point fingers. As a contemporary issue of LIFE states, it was to signal to Fangio behind him to slow down. By year [ edit] References [ edit] ^ a b 24 FACTS ABOUT LE MANS' 24 HOURS 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. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. His Monopole flipped at Maison Blanche, trapping and killing the driver. (In English, "To your health ('Cheers'), Mr. It's important to look at why so many people died that medical attention was so poor, that the Mercedes so easily split into multiple parts and sprayed out its fuel, that the crowd was so poorly protected. There was the inevitable finger-pointing as to whose fault this event was, but everyone was absolved of blame after a thorough investigation. [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. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Filmmaker Quentin Baillieux paints a picture of sport and tragedy at Circuit de la Sarthe. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. outstanding team of sports writers. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. Bianchi decided to start early as organisers were speculating a wet session later in the day. There were two key factors regarding the track layout at that time first, there was no designated deceleration lane for cars coming into the pits, and second, that just before the main straight, there was a very slight right-hand kink in the road just after which Hawthorn started braking. The body fell one way, the engine broke free and shot off, and the hood and front axle flew further. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. Mercedes-Benz won both of these events, and was able to secure the constructors championship for the season. The images may be black and white but even the faded frames of a tragedy 65 years ago still pack a powerful punch. (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 believe he wanted to turn the car over at his stop, still in the lead. Also, to a certain level to know which car makes the lowest pit stops throughout the race. Simplifiez votre flux de travail avec notre systme de gestion des fichiers numriques. Thirty-five laps in the worst disaster in motorsports history unfolded. 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. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . A photographer captured Hawthorn slugging from the customary bottle of champagne presented to the victory - just over 20 hours after the tragedy. 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. 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. In 1969, it was bought for 155 (equivalent to 2,714 in 2021). Only two cars were involved in the disaster. From the pits, they couldn't get across to the wreck, and it was hard to tell how bad everything was. ", Get the latest news from the world of sport along with the best opinion from our outstanding team of sport writers, direct to your inbox every Friday. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The official government inquiry into the accident called officials, drivers, and team personnel to be questioned and give evidence. [39], Fitch became a major safety advocate and began active development of safer road cars and racing circuits. 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. [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. Leveghs car, which was estimated to be travelling at over 150mph (240khm), flipped over and flew on before slamming into the bank by the spectator enclosure. [36] Tertre Rouge was moved about 200m and new tyre barriers were installed at the exit in 2014. He invented traffic safety devices currently in use on highways, including the sand-and-air-filled Fitch barrels. 77 deaths at Le Mans Mon 13 Jun 1955 04.33 EDT Le Mans, June 12 Le Mans is in mourning today for the 77 people killed when the blazing wreckage of a Mercedes sports car crashed through. The accident happened at 6:26 pm, at the end of lap 35, when the first pit stops for the leading cars were starting. 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. But you quickly start to see people running towards the smoldering wreck, hoping to rescue anyone still alive. Drivers run to their cars for the start of the Le Mans 24 hour race in Le Mans, France on June 11, 1955. Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. 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. In picture, car numbered '17' (Equipe Los Amigos, XKD 513, 'short-nose') was third at Le Mans in 1957. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . The car split into three pieces. "Then there was a hell of a bang like a bomb had hit.". 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. Racing fuel exploded. Hawthorn and Bueb won the race by an easy margin of five laps from Aston Martin. You can see a man here, his arms outstretched in shock. 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. This would be unbelievably flippant today. The crash was right in front of a densely packed crowd and grandstands, protected by nothing more than a few hay bales. I should say that the 'pits' were completely undivided from the racetrack back then. The weather had closed in on Sunday morning and there was no victory celebration. French Memorial Site. In 1955 Mercedes offered Levegh the opportunity to race with John Fitch in their 300SLR sports car. 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. Mike-Hawthorn.org.uk hosts right here a 1993 report on the race, and includes a comment from 'Lofty' England, the Jaguar team boss. 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. Accdez au meilleur de Getty Images avec un simple abonnement. The French magazine L'Auto-Journal published it with the sarcastic caption, " votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn!" 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. Show more. At the 24 Hueres Du Mans in July 1955, the inevitable finally happened. 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 weather had closed in on Sunday morning and there was no victory celebration. The Jaguar boss didn't have to report back to the factory, and when Mercedes came up to him to say they weren't going to finish the race, they asked if he would too. [34] The ban was lifted in May 2022.[35]. You have accepted push notifications for this content. If you had panned in your camera on Jaguar driver Mike Hawthorne drinking from the fizz of the victor's champagne bottle and ignoring the happenings at the Le Mans circuit, you would have been forgiven to think that it was another victor's dance at the podium. "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. My instant reaction when he did it was, 'Bloody Mike Hawthorn, he must be out of his mind!' The circuit goes through a dedicated section of the racing track too. Macklin swerved out from behind the slowing Jaguar into the path of Levegh, who was passing on the left in his much faster Elektron magnesium-alloy bodied Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. Levegh rear-ended Macklin at high speed, overriding Macklin's car and launching his own car through the air. Hawthorn!")[28][3]. However, there was a return to the sport in the '90s. The announcer claims that the sand trap has "claimed another victim." Your email address will not be published. Switzerland's motorsports ban still stands today. The investigations and reviews of the accident continued for a year and a half afterwards. In its silence, you sense the horror of what's being recorded. Macklin survived the incident without serious injury, jumping out of the wreck and over the bank. Five days after his accident, Hansgen died in the American military hospital of Orlans, France, where he had been admitted. Neubauer limited himself to suggesting improvements to the pit straight and making pit-stops safer. The discussion focused on traffic policy and environmental questions rather than on safety. The main aim of the competition is basically to test the endurance of sports cars. 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. Pierre Levegh, in a Mercedes Benz, was next on the scene. Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, watching from the pit wall, recalled, The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. Levegh crashed into the back of the Austin-Healey. It was Hawthorn's Jaguar that started the whole incident, after all. The Lola was completely destroyed, debris from the car were all around the forest, Bonnier had been killed upon impact. At a gathering for his 92nd birthday, Mercedes driver John Fitch explained just how little the drivers knew. Large pieces of debris flew into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Levegh, and injuring nearly 180 more. The cars continued to zoom around the massive 8.383-mile circuit as emergency morgues were set up and ambulances ferried the walking wounded to hospitals. 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. 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. It was an appalling tragedy that shocked the world and changed the face of motorsports forever. . - then went back and tried to rescue others.". 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. That was my first thought. This newsreel without sound shows the crash as it actually happened. [Warning: graphic content]. At Arnage during the final hours of the race, Marchal's Aston Martin spun while attempting to pass another competitor. The importance of the crash is not how two cars crashed into each other. Tony Rolt and other drivers had been raising concerns about the pit straight since 1953. Shortly after midnight Mercedes retired its cars from racing were running first and third. [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 cars touched, Bonnier's was launched over the barriers and ended up in the trees. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. [25][16][29][3] It has remained the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. It remains the worst disaster in motorsports history. Other observers estimated the toll to be much higher. During the first lap of Haller's stint (and his second participation) at 9 pm, his, Near the end of his driving stint and half an hour after the green flag came out, the Rondeau of Lafosse, who was lying in seventh place at 5:03 pm, was approaching the Lola T600 of, At 12:40 pm, part of the rear bodywork of Enjolras's WM came loose at Arnage, causing the car to go airborne over the safety barriers. In 1957, D-Types were placed 1-2-3-4-6, with only a solitary Ferrari in 5th spoiling the parade. France in particular, as the host of Le Mans, lifted their complete ban on 14 September 1955. The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race in Le Mans, France in June 1955, when a crash caused large fragments of debris to fly into the crowd. The most recent death is Allan Simonsen, who died in the race of 2013. Now it's recorded that Mercedes pulled out of the race following the crash. Other bodies are scattered near the picket fence where the Mercedes racer crashed. After his victory, Hawthorn celebrated with champagne. 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. Search instead in Creative? 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. [14] Levegh's lifeless body, severely burned, lay in full view on the pavement until a gendarme hauled down a banner to cover it. Tap into Getty Images global-scale, data-driven insights and network of over 340,000creators to create content exclusively for your brand. [3][25][27], Hawthorn and the Jaguar team kept racing. Levegh would die before sunset. 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. Everything started when Hawthorn in his Jaguar cut in for the pits. The Jaguar team in turn questioned the fitness and competence of Macklin and Levegh as drivers. [41] In December 2011, the car, estimated to raise 800,000 before the auction,[41] was sold for 843,000. 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. [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. On 10 June 2009, the Stnderat (upper house of the Swiss parliament) defeated a proposal to lift the ban for the second time. Le Mans 11th June 1955. Aside from two layout changes to make the circuit shorter, the Circuit de la Sarthe was largely unaltered since the inception of the race in 1923, when top speeds of cars were typically in the region of 100km/h (60mph). Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. These are all that are available to Jalopnik. It ended with the usual champagne, as well. 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. These big wigs included Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes Benz, who were past winners of the competition. 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. [25] Additional details emerged when the stills reviewed by Frre were converted to video form. The Le Mans organizers did not actually stop the race. As the Austin-Healey moved across the road, Levegh raised his hand. Life in Harlem in 1970 Photographed by Jack Garofalo, The Burning Monk: The Story Behind the Shocking and Iconic Image of Thich Quang Duc Immolating Himself on a Saigon Street, 1963. The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race, when a crash caused large parts of racing car debris to fly into the crowd. That was the exact number of spectators killed during the Le Mans disaster. Browse 312 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. 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. Irish Examiner Ltd, Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly twelve months after the catastrophe. 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. . Even at the scene, it doesn't look like anyone knows what's going on. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . 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 final verdict assigned blame to no one. 1955 June 11 Race car at Le Mans crashes into spectators, killing 82 On June 11, 1955, a racing car in Le Mans, France, goes out of control and crashes into stands filled with. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. Most spectators at the race were still oblivious to the accident that just happened. Other observers estimated the toll to be much higher. The car landed on the earthen embankment between the spectators and the track, bounced, then slammed into a concrete stairwell structure and disintegrated. "The man was not injured by the flying debris, but his son was killed. When the rest of Levegh's car landed on the embankment, the rear-mounted fuel tank exploded. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. One newsreel, minutes after describing the crash, goes on to talk about a car getting stuck in a sandy embankment. It was a sort of victory for motorsports somehow, a pyrrhic victory, albeit. Exiting the Tertre Rouge corner, Larivire lost control of his car and launched over a sandbank along the. A police officer helps carry out an injured man, dazed. '"[6][7] The lap before, Hawthorn's pit crew had signalled for him to come in the next lap. 2023 Getty Images. 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. Hawthorn and Bueb won the race by a margin of five laps from Aston Martin. "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. It's easy to find reports of the crash today that talk about how desensitized the public was to the crash. [42] The car retained the original engine SPL 261-BN,[41] but was reported to be in 'barn find' condition. French magazin L'Auto-Journal published the image with the sarcastic laden caption, votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn. ("To your health, Mr Hawthorn."). In 2003, the Federal Assembly of Switzerland started a lengthy discussion about whether this ban should be lifted. The race authorities never called the race off. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. The car lacked the more effective state-of-the-art disc brakes featured on the rival Jaguar D-Type, instead incorporating inboard drum brakes and a large air brake behind the driver that could be raised to increase drag and slow the car.[2].