[14][3][18], Hawthorn had overshot his pits and stopped. A special Mass was held in the morning in the Le Mans Cathedral for the first funerals of the victims. On lap 35, Hawthorn and Fangio were racing as hard as ever. 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. 1955 - the Le Mans Crash in 90+ pictures from the Mike Hawthorn Tribute Site. Here is a full view of the crash site from the nearby stands. These roads are not predictable and can have so many unforeseen dangers. . The Jaguar team in turn questioned the fitness and competence of Macklin and Levegh as drivers. [14][9] As a result, the car burned for several hours. Neubauer got the French authorities to test residual fuel left in the wrecks fuel injection and the result vindicated the company. The Mercedes trucks were packed up and gone by morning. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. One spectator actually recorded the crash head-on. [25][16][29][3] It has remained the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. The engine and front axle cut a swath like an artillery barrage. 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. 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. Showing Editorial results for le mans 1955. There was much debate over blame for the disaster. However, an inopportune press photograph showed Hawthorn smiling on the podium swigging from the victors bottle of champagne. 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. [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. [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. Macklin claimed that Hawthorn's move to the pits was sudden, causing an emergency that led him to swerve into Levegh's path. 1955 Le Mans Disaster killed 84 people plus nearly 180 injuries when a driver slowed to make a pit stop causing the cars around him to serve. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. During preliminary tests on a wet track on Saturday morning, April 2, 1966 he lost control and drove down an escape road. Hawthorn!")[28][3]. [25] 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 body fell one way, the engine broke free and shot off, and the hood and front axle flew further. 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. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Its sloping back acted like a ramp for Levegh's Mercedes, however, which flew into the air. . And the car's magnesium body burst into flames like a torch, burning others to death.. Le Mans, France: The wreckage of the death car and bodies of some of the victims felled by the explosion on Saturday. "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. Pierre Levegh, in a Mercedes Benz, was next on the scene. The announcer claims that the sand trap has "claimed another victim." 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). The Mercedes crashed into the embankment that bordered the track, killing Levegh instantly. '"[6][7] The lap before, Hawthorn's pit crew had signalled for him to come in the next lap. 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. The driver (Pierre Levegh) was killed, as were 83 spectators. Neubauer limited himself to suggesting improvements to the pit straight and making pit-stops safer. Large. Here, a man holds the body of a child. 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. The French police files have never been opened, and one long time Le Mans racing chief later estimated the death toll at 130. [37][15][38] Track safety technology and practices evolved slowly until F1 driver Jackie Stewart organized a campaign to advocate for better safety measures ten years later. ". The Lola was completely destroyed, debris from the car were all around the forest, Bonnier had been killed upon impact. [15][8] The Jaguar team in turn questioned the fitness and competence of Macklin and Levegh as drivers. Opinions differed widely amongst the other drivers as to who was directly to blame for the crash, and such differences remain even today. [14] Levegh's lifeless body, severely burned, lay in full view on the pavement until a gendarme hauled down a banner to cover it. Hawthorn and his co-driver Ivor Bueb won the race the next afternoon. 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 action was still unresolved when Hawthorn was killed in a non-racing crash on the Guildford bypass in 1959, coincidentally while overtaking a Mercedes-Benz in his Jaguar. 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. "I think he misjudged the speed of my car [which would have been around 120 at this point] and its position and that he was afraid of having to go around again and run the risk of running out of petrol. Simplifiez votre flux de travail avec notre systme de gestion des fichiers numriques. Search instead in Creative? Mike Hawthorne, the leader in the Jaguar, was getting close to the pit area as he approached driver Lance Macklin who he would lap. French Memorial Site. The momentum of the heaviest components of the car the engine block, radiator, and front suspension hurtled straight on into the crowd for almost 100 metres (330ft), crushing all in their path. [15][16], Prior to the crash, the car was involved in a previous incident with partial damage to the front bodywork, as photographic evidence shows. If you would like to manage your push notification preferences, you can do so here. One British race report praised the variety of the field representing "a United Nations of motor racing." Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. After his victory, Hawthorn celebrated with champagne. At a gathering for his 92nd birthday, Mercedes driver John Fitch explained just how little the drivers knew. Extricating the Dead and Dying. It's hard to say just how many people died in the crash. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options await you. But I am not fully convinced that everyone was as cold to the crash then as they are now. 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. Browse 312 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. One newsreel, minutes after describing the crash, goes on to talk about a car getting stuck in a sandy embankment. 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. "Mike could have been mistaken about how fast my car was going," Macklin would tell Sports Illustrated in a 1986 interview. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Find Le Mans Disaster stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Also, to a certain level to know which car makes the lowest pit stops throughout the race. 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]. Levegh was thrown from the car and killed, while burning pieces of the car were flung into the crowd and caught fire, killing 83 others. 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. 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The 300 SLR featured a body made of an ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy called Elektron. 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. RELATED: These Le Mans Racers Dominated The Worlds Most Famous Race. They use them to cover one of the bodies in the road. 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. 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. Mike-Hawthorn.org.uk hosts right here a 1993 report on the race, and includes a comment from 'Lofty' England, the Jaguar team boss. Your email address will not be published. Supposedly they were concerned that crowds of people leaving the track would keep ambulances from getting to those in need. Indeed, the German company withdrew from all motor racing at the end of that season and did not return until 1987. Just behind Hawthorn was a much slower Austin-Healey, actually a lap down on Hawthorn. He was not aware that a barrier had been placed across the escape lane and he crashed heavily. That said, the circuit had been resurfaced and widened after the Second World War. 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. Two hours after the start, 77 were killed and another 77 injured when Pierre Le Veghs Mercedes somersaulted into the crowd. The most recent death is Allan Simonsen, who died in the race of 2013. Here he is, still in his car after crossing the finish line, reaching up for a kiss from a local girl. (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. 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. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . 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. [2] Marius Mestivier was the first race fatality, occurring only a few hours after Guilbert's death. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Jaguar went on to win the race. [25][26] Their retirement was briefly announced over the public address system. 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. Dveloppez votre marque de manire authentique en partageant son contenu avec tous les crateurs Internet. This would be unbelievably flippant today. 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. 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. In 1955 Mercedes offered Levegh the opportunity to race with John Fitch in their 300SLR sports car. The Austin-Healey driver had to swerve out of the way as Hawthorn darted into the pits. Neubauer limited himself to suggesting improvements to the pit straight and making pit-stops safer. Filmmaker Quentin Baillieux paints a picture of sport and tragedy at Circuit de la Sarthe. 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. "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. In 1969, it was bought for 155 (equivalent to 2,714 in 2021). Even then, it took hours for that Mercedes boss to reach his superiors and get their approval to withdraw their cars. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh perished at the scene with 120 more injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history 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. This was indeed one of the most terrible accidents in the early decades of motorsports. Another 120 were "maimed," according to current writing, though initial news stories estimated around 70. Rassembler, slectionner et commenter vos fichiers. Organisez, contrlez, distribuez et mesurez tous vos contenus digitaux. That was my first thought. But after Hawthorne makes the move, he suddenly decides to cut right and breaks very hard to enter his pit area. 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. He recalled: "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. As a contemporary issue of LIFE states, it was to signal to Fangio behind him to slow down. Even for the 50's I am surprised they kept on racing. You have accepted push notifications for this content. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of . So what are we, in 2014, left with? Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . At first you can see people running from the fire. It smacked the barrier and the road shoulder rolling at hurtling speeds through 85 yards and over a further 100 yards, the engine, radiator, and suspension already ablaze were flung through a cluster of spectators destroying everything and anything in its part. The 1955 Le Mans tragedy was deemed a terrible accident but in truth was the end of an era that would never come again. Levegh's wife was inconsolable and Fitch stayed with her until she could be comforted. The AP reports that they were trying to beat out the flames on Levegh.