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The official inquiry cleared all drivers of any fault. [3], Both Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz issued official statements, mainly in self-defense against the accusations leveled against them and their drivers. Police managed to drag the Austin-Healey to the other side of the track. [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. Everything slows right down as if you were watching a slow-motion film. [3][25][27], Hawthorn and the Jaguar team kept racing. On Sunday morning, Bonnier approached the Indianapolis bend before Arnage and tried to avoid the slowly driven Ferrari 365GTB4 #35 of Florian Vetsch. Fast forward two hours and 26 minutes later, and disaster struck. "Mike could have been mistaken about how fast my car was going," Macklin would tell Sports Illustrated in a 1986 interview. 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]. 0. Five days after his accident, Hansgen died in the American military hospital of Orlans, France, where he had been admitted. Here, a man holds the body of a child. 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. He invented traffic safety devices currently in use on highways, including the sand-and-air-filled Fitch barrels. Le Mans 1955 horror crash that killed 82 people will always be motor There was the inevitable finger-pointing as to whose fault this event was, but everyone was absolved of blame after a thorough investigation. Other bodies are scattered near the picket fence where the Mercedes racer crashed. 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. Innocence - along with a tragic human toll - was lost forever. Even for the 50's I am surprised they kept on racing. Vintage Everyday Maybe that's what makes these pictures still so very chilling. - The 1955 Le Mans Disaster Via: Youtube 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. 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. The Mercedes trucks were packed up and gone by morning. 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. (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. 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans - Wikipedia By year [ edit] References [ edit] ^ a b 24 FACTS ABOUT LE MANS' 24 HOURS The Worst Accident in Motorsports History (1955 Le Mans Disaster In the middle as many as 130 died in the most horrific disaster in motorsports history. There was much debate over blame for the disaster. The crash happened only a few hours into the race, just as the leaders started making their first pit stops. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. 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. Its sloping back acted like a ramp for Levegh's Mercedes, however, which flew into the air. In total, two drivers died in the 1920s, another two in the 1930s, one in the 1940s, five in the 1950s, six in the 1960s, two in the 1970s, two in the 1980s, one in the 1990s, none in the 2000s, and one in the 2010s. The accident reportedly occurred in heavy fog. Now it's recorded that Mercedes pulled out of the race following the crash. And the car's magnesium body burst into flames like a torch, burning others to death.. These are all that are available to Jalopnik. An initial news report claims 82 spectators killed, some decapitated by a flying hood "like a guillotine." In the current world of social distancing, it is hard to imagine the crowd of spectators who had squeezed into Le Mans on the afternoon of June 11, 1955. You have accepted push notifications for this content. "The man was not injured by the flying debris, but his son was killed. Browse 305 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Footage of the 1955 Le Mans Disaster. : r/WTF - reddit Le Mans 1955 Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think., Mike Hawthorn and the Jaguar team kept racing. 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. The cars touched, Bonnier's was launched over the barriers and ended up in the trees. Fitch said that in light of "recent unpleasantness," Mercedes "should not win this race over the bodies of however many.. French people." The weather had closed in on Sunday morning and there was no victory celebration. That said, many contemporary race reports treat the crash unbelievably mildly. The doctor laid the boy in his car. 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] The bonnet lid scythed through the air, "decapitating tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine. In picture, car numbered '17' (Equipe Los Amigos, XKD 513, 'short-nose') was third at Le Mans in 1957. In the days after the disaster, several explanations were offered by Faroux for this course of action. 1955 le mans hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy 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. 1955 Le Mans Disaster killed 84 people plus nearly 180 - reddit In the current world of social distancing, it is hard to imagine the crowd of. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . 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 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 24 Hours of Le Mans is safer, much safer, than it was in 1955, but it is still a deadly track. 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 Mike Hawthorn celebrating the 1955 Le Mans victory despite causing the deadliest accident in history of racing. At 125 miles an hour, "he had no chance to do so himself.". 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. Years later Fitch claimed, based on his own recollection and from what he heard from others, that Hawthorn had caused it. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. 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. It does not include track marshals and spectators other race attendees, including the 1955 disaster which claimed the lives of 83 spectators. Drivers run to their cars for the start of the Le Mans 24 hour race in Le Mans, France on June 11, 1955. 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. 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. 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. Here is a full view of the crash site from the nearby stands. They saw the whole catastrophe unfold. Below is that interview in full. 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. With Levegh dead, Macklin presumed that Hawthorn's implication was that he (Macklin) had been responsible, and he began a libel action. 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. What stands out in these pictures is the confusion. The French police files have never been opened, and one long time Le Mans racing chief later estimated the death toll at 130. Le Mans Disaster 11th June 1955 - 84 Killed | Belfast Child Levegh crashed into the back of the Austin-Healey. The greatest carmakers in the world were competing, as were the best drivers. [25], Opinions differed widely amongst the other drivers as to who was directly to blame for the crash, and such differences remain even today. Find Le Mans Disaster stock photos and editorial news pictures from 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. [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). It shows you not only how the crash happened, but how little stood between those watching and the flying wreckage. Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, and a teammate of Hawthorn, watched the tragedy unfold from the pit wall.