Here is a full view of the crash site from the nearby stands. In picture, shown on Finishing Straight, car numbered '25' (Jaguar Works, XKD 605, 'long-nose') was 6th at Le Mans in 1956. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. 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. Most spectators at the race were still oblivious to the accident that just happened. 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. (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 24 Hours of Le Mans is safer, much safer, than it was in 1955, but it is still a deadly track. At the time of his mistake, the Mercedes were running 2 and 3 twenty-five miles behind the Talbot! With his eyes shut, Fangio with his own quick reflexes squeezed through the carnage and brushed Hawthorn's then-stationary Jaguar in the pits, allowing him to pass unscathed. 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. Tony Rolt and other drivers had been raising concerns about the pit straight since 1953. 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. Fast forward two hours and 26 minutes later, and disaster struck. Mike Hawthorn celebrating the 1955 Le Mans victory despite causing the deadliest accident in history of racing. D-Type Jaguars won the Le Mans 24hr endurance race in 1955, 1956 and 1957. 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 the time, it took over six hours for the team to withdraw its cars. An initial news report claims 82 spectators killed, some decapitated by a flying hood "like a guillotine." Here he is, still in his car after crossing the finish line, reaching up for a kiss from a local girl. The Le Mans endurance race is organized by France's Automobile Club de L'Ouest and has been held . At 125 miles an hour, "he had no chance to do so himself.". 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 crash happened only a few hours into the race, just as the leaders started making their first pit stops. . 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. A further 120 people were injured. 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). 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. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, and Mike Hawthorn were household names in the fifties with the marquee manufacturers of Ferrari, Jaguar along with Mercedes Benz all throwing resources at claiming the crown. Search instead in. Racing fuel exploded. 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. Three years ago, another Audi crashed and nearly careened over a low wall into a large row of photographers. 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. It remains the worst disaster in motorsports history. ". Search instead in Creative? [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. 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. 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. [14] Levegh's lifeless body, severely burned, lay in full view on the pavement until a gendarme hauled down a banner to cover it. 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. 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 They saw the whole catastrophe unfold. Bueb in particular was very reluctant, but given Hawthorn's condition had no choice, as Dewis firmly pointed out to him.[3]. The shadow of World War Two crept over the race. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, and it prompted Mercedes-Benz to withdraw from motor racing until 1989. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . It's not long before you see bodies piled up. The other team cars were being kept on tighter leashes to conserve the cars, but still racing in the top ten. 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. This race report shows the crash, though the video is curiously backwards. His Monopole flipped at Maison Blanche, trapping and killing the driver. Two hours after the start, 77 were killed and another 77 injured when Pierre Le Veghs Mercedes somersaulted into the crowd. A photographer captured Hawthorn slugging from the customary bottle of champagne presented to the victory - just over 20 hours after the tragedy. He was among the dead. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, and it prompted Mercedes-Benz to retire from motor racing until 1989. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. Drivers run to their cars for the start of the Le Mans 24 hour race in Le Mans, France on June 11, 1955. By 1955, top speeds for the leading cars were over 270km/h (170mph). Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. In terms of human toll, it is the most catastrophic accident in motorsports history. Rassembler, slectionner et commenter vos fichiers. 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. French magazin L'Auto-Journal published the image with the sarcastic laden caption, votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn. ("To your health, Mr Hawthorn."). The behemoths of sports racing all featured their sports cars with their respective drivers for another car racing festival. Fangio never raced at Le Mans again. [40], Macklin's Austin-Healey 100 was sold to several private buyers before appearing on the public auction block. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. During preliminary tests on a wet track on Saturday morning, April 2, 1966 he lost control and drove down an escape road. In the end the enquiry ruled that no specific driver was responsible for the crash, and that it was merely a terrible racing incident. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. The pieces of the Mercedes ripped through the crowd, crushing and decapitating. Lance Macklin, who had just been lapped in his slower Austin-Healey moved across to avoid Hawthorn and Levegh ran into the back of his car. 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. I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think."[17][18]. Once it was extinguished, there was nothing left but the frame. Going into the second hour, Castellotti started dropping back, but Hawthorn and Fangio continued the duel, swapping the lead and dropping the lap record further and further, lapping most of the field.[4][5]. Look at how dense the crowd was. The Austin-Healey spun into the wall, killing one spectator but leaving its driver unharmed. At a gathering for his 92nd birthday, Mercedes driver John Fitch explained just how little the drivers knew. 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. 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. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of . Profitez de millions dimages, de vidos et morceaux de musique de qualit. ", 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. Other pictures show them dragging his body to the pits. Browse 63 1955 le mans disaster stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. The deadliest crash ever in motor sports history happened in Le Mans, France, on June 12, 1955. "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. 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. Extricating the Dead and Dying. As callous as that might sound, there was a justifiable reason. The AP reports that they were trying to beat out the flames on Levegh. 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. But widen the scope of the camera, and you get a real feel that this victory had been tainted with something utterly terrible. At first you can see people running from the fire. "The hood decapitated tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine. The AP states that it's unclear how this body ended up as it lay. Neubauer got the French authorities to test residual fuel left in the wreck's fuel injection and the result vindicated the company. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Search instead in Creative? NOJ393 after its restoration by Steve Pike and before its sale at auction by Bonhams. France in particular, as the host of Le Mans, lifted their complete ban on 14 September 1955. Neubauer limited himself to suggesting improvements to the pit straight and making pit-stops safer. 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. The cars had no seat belts; the drivers reasoned that it was preferable to be thrown clear in a collision rather than be crushed or trapped in a burning car. RELATED: 10 Of The Coolest Le Mans Prototypes No One Remembers. Le Mans 11th June 1955. 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. 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 official inquiry cleared all drivers of any fault. [9][14], The critical kink in the road put the car on a direct trajectory toward the packed terraces and grandstand. Instead it pointed the finger of blame at the track layout which was deemed unsuitable for such high- speed racing. 0. The accident happened at 6:26 pm, at the end of lap 35, when the first pit stops for the leading cars were starting. '"[6][7] The lap before, Hawthorn's pit crew had signalled for him to come in the next lap. It was Hawthorn's Jaguar that started the whole incident, after all. "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. Supposedly they were concerned that crowds of people leaving the track would keep ambulances from getting to those in need. After his victory, Hawthorn celebrated with champagne. 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. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh perished at the scene with 120 more injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh died and 120 more were injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history. Le design Getty Images est une marque de Getty Images. The protagonists were Pierre Levegh representing Mercedes, Mike Hawthorn driving for Jaguar, and Lance Macklin of the Austin-Healey team. outstanding team of sports writers. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. [14][3][18], Hawthorn had overshot his pits and stopped. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [15][8] The Jaguar team in turn questioned the fitness and competence of Macklin and Levegh as drivers. The circuit goes through a dedicated section of the racing track too. Vintage Everyday Fitch said that in light of "recent unpleasantness," Mercedes "should not win this race over the bodies of however many.. French people." The accident reportedly occurred in heavy fog. A special Mass was held in the morning in the Le Mans Cathedral for the first funerals of the victims. With the Mercedes team withdrawn and the Ferraris all out of commission, Jaguar's main competition had gone. Select from premium Le Mans Disaster of the highest quality. "[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. Extricating the Dead and Dying. An explosion followed, sending metal into the crowd of spectators. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think. (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. 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. Organise, control, distribute, and measure all of your digital content. Bodies were strewn throughout the stands The majority of the dead were French, with the numbers injured running into the hundreds. 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. [2] Sixteen during the race itself, five during pre-race practice and testing sessions, and one en route to the race. 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. On lap 35, Hawthorn and Fangio were racing as hard as ever. The Ferraris, current champions at the time, were very fast but fragile and prone to mechanical failure. One spectator actually recorded the crash head-on. . 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. 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. Cole was killed when his Ferrari left the road, impacting one of several farm houses lining the road at Maison Blanche. They use them to cover one of the bodies in the road. 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. [15][8], Macklin, on reading Hawthorn's 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 behemoths of sports racing all featured their sports cars with their respective drivers for another car racing festival. Fourteen people were decapitated with the death toll in the crowd recorded at 83 - though more were believed to have succumbed to their injuries in the weeks and months afterward. The disaster at Le Mans heralded a new era for motorsports with more technological innovations to improve sports cars and driver's safety. Stewart's campaign gained momentum after the deaths of Lorenzo Bandini and Jim Clark. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. Ivor Bueb and Norman Dewis, both Le Mans debutants, had to step into their respective cars for their first driver stints. But after Hawthorne makes the move, he suddenly decides to cut right and breaks very hard to enter his pit area. 'The hood decapitated tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine': Le Mans '55 and the worst disaster in motorsports history, Palhinha stunner helps Fulham into FA Cup quarter final, Division Two moving weekend affords Cork chance to right wrongs of recent Clare record, Longstaff bids to fulfil final dream with Magpies after lost years, Ukraine ally Kallas fights for re-election in Estonia vote, Thai cave boys ashes arrive home from UK for final farewell, Chinese defence spending boost to meet complex security challenges, Injuries opening door to Irish team for O'Brien, Cork farmer given less than three weeks to sell 80 animals left in 'chronic neglect', Cork woman Margaret Buttimer jailed for abusing Ukrainian refugees at Bandon hotel, Cork soccer club says CCTV footage shows discrepancies with referee abuse claims. [41] In December 2011, the car, estimated to raise 800,000 before the auction,[41] was sold for 843,000. [25], Opinions differed widely amongst the other drivers as to who was directly to blame for the crash, and such differences remain even today. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. 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. It was a sort of victory for motorsports somehow, a pyrrhic victory, albeit. The 300 SLR featured a body made of an ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy called Elektron. Pierre Eugne Alfred Bouillin (22 December 1905 - 11 June 1955) was a French sportsman and racing driver. The Mercedes' body was partially made of a magnesium alloy. One of the major news stories after the 1955 Le Mans disaster was the retirement of Mercedes-Benz from future races. 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. 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. This would be unbelievably flippant today. Extricating the Dead and Dying. While all of this unfolded, the race continued. Now it's recorded that Mercedes pulled out of the race following the crash. Mike Hawthorne, the leader in the Jaguar, was getting close to the pit area as he approached driver Lance Macklin who he would lap. 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. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . Newsreels show the crash itself, and police rushing to tear down advertising banners by the wreck. Large pieces of debris flew into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Levegh, and injuring nearly 180 more. Levegh and competitor Mike Hawthorn were running near each other at the beginning of the pit lane when Hawthorn slowed for a pit stop. But it's wrong to try and point fingers. France and Switzerland both banned motor racing after Le Mans. It turned friends into enemies, fans into critics, and winners into losers. 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. All he did was turn in abruptly. The engine and front axle cut a swath like an artillery barrage. Norman Dewis ventured the opinions that Macklins 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. Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. The scene in the aftermath was hellish. The car overturned and exploded in flames following impact, killing Enjolras instantly. Levegh rear-ended Macklin at high speed, overriding Macklin's car and launching his own car through the air. Here, a man holds the body of a child. 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. "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 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. 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. Large. This forced Swiss racing promoters to organize circuit events in foreign countries including France, Italy, and West Germany. Switzerland's motorsports ban still stands today. The car landed on the earthen embankment between the spectators and the track, bounced, then slammed into a concrete stairwell structure and disintegrated. Tap into Getty Images global-scale, data-driven insights and network of over 340,000creators to create content exclusively for your brand. The weather had closed in on Sunday morning and there was no victory celebration. 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. Meanwhile, Macklin's car, heavily damaged, rammed the left-side barrier, then veered to the right of the track into the pit lane, narrowly missing Kling's Mercedes-Benz, Roberto Mieres's Maserati, and Don Beauman's Jaguar, all of which were already in the pits refuelling before the accident. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. The investigation zeroed in on Hawthorns attempt to overtake British driver Lance Macklins Austin Healey and a sudden catastrophic decision to pit. Macklin, who also braked hard, ran off the right-hand edge of the track, throwing up dust. So what are we, in 2014, left with? That said, many contemporary race reports treat the crash unbelievably mildly. The fuel fire raised the temperature of the remaining Elektron bodywork past its ignition temperature, which was lower than that of other metal alloys due to its high magnesium content. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. [14][9] As a result, the car burned for several hours. 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. Footage of the 1955 Le Mans Disaster. 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. When he pit stopped during the next lap, he staggered out of the car completely distraught, adamant that he had caused the catastrophe. Even then, it took hours for that Mercedes boss to reach his superiors and get their approval to withdraw their cars. The weather had closed in on Sunday morning and there was no victory celebration. (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. On 10 June 2009, the Stnderat (upper house of the Swiss parliament) defeated a proposal to lift the ban for the second time. June 11, 2020 Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. 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. The healthy carry bodies away from the wreckage. "As I was rolling along backward I saw Levegh's car following me in the air, with Levegh sort of hunched over in the cockpit. 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. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. 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). This was indeed one of the most terrible accidents in the early decades of motorsports. Extricating the Dead and Dying. 2023 Getty Images. 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.