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. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh died and 120 more were injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history. Entering the straight, his Matra veered off the inside of the track and exploded into flames. . Registered in Ireland: 523712. Tap into Getty Images global-scale, data-driven insights and network of over 340,000creators to create content exclusively for your brand. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, and it prompted Mercedes-Benz to retire from motor racing until 1989. 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. 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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. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . Police managed to drag the Austin-Healey to the other side of the track. One of the major news stories after the 1955 Le Mans disaster was the retirement of Mercedes-Benz from future races. They use them to cover one of the bodies in the road. 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. Despite expectations for the race to be red-flagged and stopped entirely, race officials, led by race director Charles Faroux, kept the race running. The discussion focused on traffic policy and environmental questions rather than on safety. The Mercedes trucks were packed up and gone by morning. Cole was thrown from the car and died at the scene. . Neubauer limited himself to suggesting improvements to the pit straight and making pit-stops safer. 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. Dveloppez votre marque de manire authentique en partageant son contenu avec tous les crateurs Internet. One newsreel, minutes after describing the crash, goes on to talk about a car getting stuck in a sandy embankment. [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. "I felt the heat of his exhaust as he went by me, no more than three feet over my shoulder. An initial news report claims 82 spectators killed, some decapitated by a flying hood "like a guillotine." 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. Hawthorn and his co-driver Ivor Bueb won the race the next afternoon. At a gathering for his 92nd birthday, Mercedes driver John Fitch explained just how little the drivers knew. 0. Fangio and Moss were the lead pairing for the German company who had pinned their hopes on a new 300 SLR which boasted an ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy body. "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. During the closing period of the preliminary practice session, Weber took an unscheduled lap of the circuit. The rear of Levegh's car landed on the berm and exploded into flames. 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. 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. 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. Exiting the Tertre Rouge corner, Larivire lost control of his car and launched over a sandbank along the. He was among the dead. 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. Large pieces of debris flew into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Levegh, and injuring nearly 180 more. Neubauer limited himself to suggesting improvements to the pit straight and making pit-stops safer. The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly twelve months after the catastrophe. During a downpour of rain at dusk, Brussin entered the Dunlop Curve too fast and rolled after hitting an earth bank. Even for the 50's I am surprised they kept on racing. 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. [2] Marius Mestivier was the first race fatality, occurring only a few hours after Guilbert's death. The Mercedes crashed into the embankment that bordered the track, killing Levegh instantly. The next round of the World Sportscar Championship at the Nrburgring was cancelled, as was the non-championship Carrera Panamericana. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of . He recalled: "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. [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. 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. Once it was extinguished, there was nothing left but the frame. [42] The car retained the original engine SPL 261-BN,[41] but was reported to be in 'barn find' condition. Your email address will not be published. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is safer, much safer, than it was in 1955, but it is still a deadly track. A photographer captured Hawthorn slugging from the customary bottle of champagne presented to the victory - just over 20 hours after the tragedy. Two hours later, photographers captured priests performing last rites. 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 rear of Leveghs car landed on the berm and exploded into flames. But it's wrong to try and point fingers. 1955 - the Le Mans Crash in 90+ pictures from the Mike Hawthorn Tribute Site. Extricating the Dead and Dying. The weather had closed in on Sunday morning and there was no victory celebration. 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. But I am not fully convinced that everyone was as cold to the crash then as they are now. Browse 312 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Extricating the Dead and Dying. [30], Most countries lifted their racing bans within a year after the disaster. The film cuts short as the recorder dives for cover. Levegh rear-ended Macklin at high speed, overriding Macklins car and launching his own car through the air. Vintage Everyday In the current world of social distancing, it is hard to imagine the crowd of. Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, watching from the pit wall, recalled, The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. While all of this unfolded, the race continued. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies . The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. 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. [25], Opinions differed widely amongst the other drivers as to who was directly to blame for the crash, and such differences remain even today. The car rolled over during the incident. [Warning: graphic content]. That being said, while the Audi successfully protected its driver, it hit an unprotected, hard wall. 2023 Getty Images. 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. 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. [3][25][27], Hawthorn and the Jaguar team kept racing. There was the inevitable finger-pointing as to whose fault this event was, but everyone was absolved of blame after a thorough investigation. "The hood decapitated tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. It commemorates the deadliest accident in motorsport history, which took place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race on June 11, 1955. This became the semi-official pronouncement of the Mercedes-Benz team and Macklins story. One spectator actually recorded the crash head-on. Waiting until 1:45 am, when many spectators had left, he stepped onto the track and quietly called his cars into the pits, at the time running first and third. [14] Half an hour after the crash Fitch realised that news was probably being broadcast on the radio, and he needed to telephone his family to reassure them that he was not the driver of the crashed car. 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. A police officer helps carry out an injured man, dazed. outstanding team of sports writers. Newsreels show the crash itself, and police rushing to tear down advertising banners by the wreck. [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. Five days after his accident, Hansgen died in the American military hospital of Orlans, France, where he had been admitted. All of this was from one car cutting through the crowd alone. 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. 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. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Filmmaker Quentin Baillieux paints a picture of sport and tragedy at Circuit de la Sarthe. 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. The official government inquiry into the accident called officials, drivers, and team personnel to be questioned and give evidence. Even at the scene, it doesn't look like anyone knows what's going on. The French police files have never been opened, and one long time Le Mans racing chief later estimated the death toll at 130. Three years ago, another Audi crashed and nearly careened over a low wall into a large row of photographers. 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. 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 When the rest of Levegh's car landed on the embankment, the rear-mounted fuel tank exploded. 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. (AP Photo/Jimmy Prickett). On that date, the Ministry of the Interior released new regulations for racing events and codified the approval process that future racing events would need to follow. 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. So abruptly that he ended up missing his garage space and was ordered to do another lap to make it back around since backing up wasn't allowed. He tried to avoid a collision with Macklin but he was too close and too fast. . [14][3][18], Hawthorn had overshot his pits and stopped. 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. It exploded like a grenade spewing debris through the grandstand, killing anyone within the blast radius. Macklin moves over to the right to let him pass. ". [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. However, a press photograph showed Hawthorn smiling on the podium drinking from the victor's bottle of champagne. 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. The circuit at Le Mans is incredibly long, and information was even more sparse away from the immediate vicinity of the crash. Fangio never raced at Le Mans again. 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. Parcourez 176photos et images disponibles de. [25][16][29][3] It has remained the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. Profitez de millions dimages, de vidos et morceaux de musique de qualit. The disaster at Le Mans heralded a new era for motorsports with more technological innovations to improve sports cars and driver's safety. Indeed, the German company withdrew from all motor racing at the end of that season and did not return until 1987. Tirez parti du rseau mondial GettyImages, avec plus de 340 000 crateurs, pour dvelopper un contenu exclusif, cr spcialement pour votre marque. The importance of the crash is not how two cars crashed into each other. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Levegh and competitor Mike Hawthorn were running near each other at the beginning of the pit lane when Hawthorn slowed for a pit stop. Being 98 years old, it is the oldest endurance racing event. Fast forward two hours and 26 minutes later, and disaster struck. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Bodies were strewn throughout the stands The majority of the dead were French, with the numbers injured running into the hundreds. 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. [3], Both Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz issued official statements, mainly in self-defense against the accusations leveled against them and their drivers. There was also the criticism of the winner Mike Hawthorne for celebrating excessively, but he pushed back, saying it was no fault of his. 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. You can read a recent interpretation from a lawyer right here for a deeper look into what it would take to assign definitive blame. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. 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. When Mercedes pulled out, they approached the Jaguar team. From the pits, they couldn't get across to the wreck, and it was hard to tell how bad everything was. The greatest carmakers in the world were competing, as were the best drivers. Both Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz issued official statements, mainly in self-defense against the accusations leveled against them and their drivers. During late night practice, a week before the race, Michelot went out to test one of the cars during the night following a meal at the Hunaudires restaurant. 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). [40], Macklin's Austin-Healey 100 was sold to several private buyers before appearing on the public auction block. 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. Pierre Eugne Alfred Bouillin (22 December 1905 - 11 June 1955) was a French sportsman and racing driver. 24 Hours du Mans (in French), held at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Northern France, is a 24 hours' endurance-focused sports car race that started in 1923. Just behind Hawthorn was a much slower Austin-Healey, actually a lap down on Hawthorn. Search instead in Creative? "He pulled across in front of me, and then I remember being surprised to see his brake lights come on. - The Lola was completely destroyed, debris from the car were all around the forest, Bonnier had been killed upon impact. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. 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. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . Rassembler, slectionner et commenter vos fichiers. Other bodies are scattered near the picket fence where the Mercedes racer crashed. France in particular, as the host of Le Mans, lifted their complete ban on 14 September 1955. He took the racing name Pierre Levegh [lvk] in memory of his uncle, a pioneering driver who died in 1904. 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. Pierre Levegh, in a Mercedes Benz, was next on the scene. [43] It was then restored to its original condition.[44]. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Bueb in particular was very reluctant, but given Hawthorn's condition had no choice, as Dewis firmly pointed out to him.[3]. By year [ edit] References [ edit] ^ a b 24 FACTS ABOUT LE MANS' 24 HOURS Organisez, contrlez, distribuez et mesurez tous vos contenus digitaux. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. [2] Sixteen during the race itself, five during pre-race practice and testing sessions, and one en route to the race. "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. He wrote a book saying so, and Macklin then sued Hawthorn for libel. The Austin-Healey spun into the wall, killing one spectator but leaving its driver unharmed. 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. "Mike could have been mistaken about how fast my car was going," Macklin would tell Sports Illustrated in a 1986 interview. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Jaguar team manager "Lofty" England declined. Accdez au meilleur de Getty Images avec un simple abonnement. 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. Hawthorn retired from motorsport soon after but was ironically killed when overtaking a Mercedes on a slippery road near his Surrey home in 1959. 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. 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. [14] The bonnet lid scythed through the air, "decapitating tightly jammed spectators like a guillotine. 776 60 60 comments Best Add a Comment [19][20] Team manager Alfred Neubauer had already reached the same conclusion, but did not have the authority to make such a decision. In 1955 Mercedes offered Levegh the opportunity to race with John Fitch in their 300SLR sports car. 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. Everything started when Hawthorn in his Jaguar cut in for the pits. 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]. The car landed on the earthen embankment between the spectators and the track, bounced, then slammed into a concrete stairwell structure and disintegrated. However, there was a return to the sport in the '90s. 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. [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. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. The grandstand was demolished and rebuilt with new spectator terraces and a wide ditch between them and the racetrack. The Le Mans organizers did not actually stop the race. Extricating the Dead and Dying. 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. The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly 12 months after the catastrophe. . Collect, curate and comment on your files. Flying metal following the explosion killed some 80 and injured many spectators. 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. Levegh's wife was inconsolable and Fitch stayed with her until she could be comforted. It's easy to find reports of the crash today that talk about how desensitized the public was to the crash. The French magazine LAuto-Journal published it with the sarcastic caption, votre sant, Monsieur Hawthorn! (In English, To your health (Cheers), Mr. Hawthorn!). I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think. 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. These big wigs included Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes Benz, who were past winners of the competition. It was a sort of victory for motorsports somehow, a pyrrhic victory, albeit. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options await you. 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. "He came alongside me, and I gave him the thumbs-up sign as he overtook me to wish him luck.