France and Switzerland both banned motor racing after Le Mans. The driver (Pierre Levegh) was killed, as were 83 spectators. Shortly after midnight Mercedes retired its cars from racing were running first and third. 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. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. The circuit goes through a dedicated section of the racing track too. Thirty-five laps in the worst disaster in motorsports history unfolded. He tried to avoid a collision with Macklin but he was too close and too fast. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. 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 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 picture, shown on Finishing Straight, car numbered '25' (Jaguar Works, XKD 605, 'long-nose') was 6th at Le Mans in 1956. The Austin-Healey driver had to swerve out of the way as Hawthorn darted into the pits. 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. 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. 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 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. It shows you not only how the crash happened, but how little stood between those watching and the flying wreckage. As a contemporary issue of LIFE states, it was to signal to Fangio behind him to slow down. It remains the worst disaster in motorsports history. That said, many contemporary race reports treat the crash unbelievably mildly. 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. The disaster at Le Mans heralded a new era for motorsports with more technological innovations to improve sports cars and driver's safety. Entering the straight, his Matra veered off the inside of the track and exploded into flames. This was indeed one of the most terrible accidents in the early decades of motorsports. 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. Shortly before he died, he wrote of the race: "It was as though we were at the point where a great rock had been hurled into a pond, sending out waves of shock and horror and indignation which would later flow back, bringing consequences which no one could foresee. ". The wreckage was examined and tested and, finally, returned to Mercedes-Benz nearly twelve months after the catastrophe. The death toll led to an immediate temporary ban on motorsports in France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and other nations, until the racetracks could be brought to a higher safety standard. [36] Tertre Rouge was moved about 200m and new tyre barriers were installed at the exit in 2014. This forced Swiss racing promoters to organize circuit events in foreign countries including France, Italy, and West Germany. I am including all of his pictures preserved by the AP, as well as all of the photographs taken by the AP itself. I've seen many shots of the '55 disaster, but never all of them in one place outside of the AP archives. They argued that if the accident was announced, panic might sweep through the spectators and flood the streets, and that will make crowd control extreme and might have made rescue efforts very difficult. 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. 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. Noticing that Hawthorn was slowing down, Macklin swerved left to avoid Hawthorn, whether it was an instinctive reaction, a loss of control from going onto the change of road-surface, or his car's disc brakes operating unevenly. 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. 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. Pierre Levegh, aged 49, had been hired by Mercedes-Benz . The only people on and around the podium that day who had mixed emotions at the race end were either race officials who were trying (and failing) to put on a faade for the camera and were grateful for an end to a disastrous race or other workers at the Le Mans circuit who had no stake in the race. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for the track design. "Mike could have been mistaken about how fast my car was going," Macklin would tell Sports Illustrated in a 1986 interview. Le Mans, France: Rescue workers pursue the grim task of extricating . Fifty-nine years ago, the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race started like any other. There was much debate over blame for the disaster. At the time, it took over six hours for the team to withdraw its cars. This was only a few hours after the crash. . Collect, curate and comment on your files. [41] In December 2011, the car, estimated to raise 800,000 before the auction,[41] was sold for 843,000. At first you can see people running from the fire. It exploded like a grenade spewing debris through the grandstand, killing anyone within the blast radius. The importance of the crash is not how two cars crashed into each other. 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. On the one hand: worst accident in autoracing so far, with one dead pilot and about 80 dead spectators. 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][3][18], Hawthorn had overshot his pits and stopped. 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. Instead it pointed the finger of blame at the track layout which was deemed unsuitable for such high- speed racing. [25][26] Their retirement was briefly announced over the public address system. Parcourez 176photos et images disponibles de. As his, Woolfe had purchased one of the new and high-powered Porsche 917s, and Porsche's own, RD140 (between Mulsanne and Indianapolis). 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. 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. [2] Marius Mestivier was the first race fatality, occurring only a few hours after Guilbert's death. Here you can see the damage it took and how it could've acted like a ramp. 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 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. A special Mass was held in the morning in the Le Mans Cathedral for the first funerals of the victims. [14] Levegh's lifeless body, severely burned, lay in full view on the pavement until a gendarme hauled down a banner to cover it. The pieces of the Mercedes ripped through the crowd, crushing and decapitating. 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. Hawthorn!")[28][3]. The car split into three pieces. That being said, while the Audi successfully protected its driver, it hit an unprotected, hard wall. The accident reportedly occurred in heavy fog. 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 race authorities never called the race off. During a downpour of rain at dusk, Brussin entered the Dunlop Curve too fast and rolled after hitting an earth bank. 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. Drivers run to their cars for the start of the Le Mans 24 hour race in Le Mans, France on June 11, 1955. In the days after the disaster, several explanations were offered by Faroux for this course of action. The shadow of World War Two crept over the race. Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, watching from the pit wall, recalled, The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. The car overturned and exploded in flames following impact, killing Enjolras instantly. The images may be black and white but even the faded frames of a tragedy 65 years ago still pack a powerful punch. I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think. On Sunday morning, Bonnier approached the Indianapolis bend before Arnage and tried to avoid the slowly driven Ferrari 365GTB4 #35 of Florian Vetsch. D-Type Jaguars won the Le Mans 24hr endurance race in 1955, 1956 and 1957. Rassembler, slectionner et commenter vos fichiers. The Mercedes trucks were packed up and gone by morning. The weather had closed in on Sunday morning and there was no victory celebration. Macklin moves over to the right to let him pass. 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. Racing fuel exploded. With the Mercedes team withdrawn and the Ferraris all out of commission, Jaguar's main competition had gone. At the 24 Hueres Du Mans in July 1955, the inevitable finally happened. This is another in the series made by US soldier Jimmy Prickett of Electra, Texas. (AP Photo/Jimmy Prickett). The Mercedes crashed into the embankment that bordered the track, killing Levegh instantly. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. 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. 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. This would be unbelievably flippant today. Everything slows right down as if you were watching a slow-motion film. 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. [25] Additional details emerged when the stills reviewed by Frre were converted to video form. Browse 305 le mans 1955 stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Your email address will not be published. Ivor Bueb and Norman Dewis, both Le Mans debutants, had to step into their respective cars for their first driver stints. 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. It was an appalling tragedy that shocked the world and changed the face of motorsports forever. 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 NOJ393 after its restoration by Steve Pike and before its sale at auction by Bonhams. 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. 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. The discussion focused on traffic policy and environmental questions rather than on safety. 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). 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. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. 82 people were killed during a crash at Le Mans 24-hour race in 1955 Pierre Levegh's Mercedes ricocheted into the pit-lane grandstand The race between leaders Mike Hawthorn (Jaguar) and Juan. 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). . Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. The other team cars were being kept on tighter leashes to conserve the cars, but still racing in the top ten. Switzerland's motorsports ban still stands today. 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. Stewart's campaign gained momentum after the deaths of Lorenzo Bandini and Jim Clark. The Le Mans organizers did not actually stop the race. [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. Bueb in particular was very reluctant, but given Hawthorn's condition had no choice, as Dewis firmly pointed out to him.[3]. Indeed, the German company withdrew from all motor racing at the end of that season and did not return until 1987. 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. [25][16][29][3] It has remained the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. 1955 - the Le Mans Crash in 90+ pictures from the Mike Hawthorn Tribute Site. [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). Large. 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. "I believe he wanted to turn the car over at his stop, still in the lead. Levegh was killed outright as he was flung from the car and thrown onto the track. Hawthorn and Bueb won the race by a margin of five laps from Aston Martin. Other observers estimated the toll to be much higher. 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. A police officer helps carry out an injured man, dazed. [30], Most countries lifted their racing bans within a year after the disaster. His car skidded off the road on a wet British highway in 1959. Only two cars were involved in the disaster. 776 60 60 comments Best Add a Comment As callous as that might sound, there was a justifiable reason. In the middle as many as 130 died in the most horrific disaster in. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. Innocence - along with a tragic human toll - was lost forever. 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. Pierre Eugne Alfred Bouillin (22 December 1905 - 11 June 1955) was a French sportsman and racing driver. France kept the ban until they they made safety improvements to the tracks, such as breaking down the grandstands at the crash site. 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.