Start of the 1955 race. Both Levegh's #20 and Macklin's #26 can be seen near one another. The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans when a racing car involved in an accident flew into the crowd of spectators, killing the driver and over 80 spectators. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 799 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (3597 × 2699 pixel, file size: 4. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 799 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (3597 × 2699 pixel, file size: 4. ...
The 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 23rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 11 and 12, 1955. ...
Prior to the accident Pierre Levegh had been hired by Mercedes-Benz as a factory driver in 1955. Part of his appeal to Mercedes was his determination shown in 1952. Levegh had driven 23 straight hours of the race and was leading due to not having to take the time to switch drivers, even though he did have a driver who could replace him. He failed to win only because of an engine failure in the final hour of the race. Pierre Levegh (December 22, 1905 - June 11, 1955) was a French sportsman, mainly remembered for a disaster that killed him and around 80 spectators during the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1955. ...
This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ...
The 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 20th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15, 1952. ...
Mercedes had also debuted its new Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR sportscar in the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season, with some notable success, including a win at the Mille Miglia. The 300 SLR featured a body made of an ultralightweight magnesium alloy called Elektron with a specific gravity of just 1.8 (for reference, aluminium has an S.G. of 2.7 and iron 7.8). This body lowered the overall weight of the car, improving performance. However, the car lacked the contemporary state-of-the-art disc brakes featured on the rival Jaguar D-Type, forcing Mercedes' engineers to incorporate a large air brake behind the driver's compartment that could be raised to increase drag and slow the car down sufficiently rapidly. The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR was a sports racing car in 1955. ...
The 1955 World Sportscar Championship season was the 3rd season of the FIA World Sportscar Championship. ...
The Mille Miglia (Thousand Miles - pronounced [mi:lle mi:lja]) was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before the war, eleven from 1947). ...
General Name, symbol, number magnesium, Mg, 12 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, period, block 2, 3, s Appearance silvery white solid at room temp Standard atomic weight 24. ...
Elektron is the trademark of a set of magnesium alloys produced by Magnesium Elektron Corporation. ...
Relative density (also known as specific gravity) is a measure of the density of a material. ...
“Aluminum†redirects here. ...
For other uses, see Iron (disambiguation). ...
On automobiles, disc brakes are located within the wheel The disc brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel. ...
Wikimedia Commons has more media related to: Jaguar D-type The Jaguar D-type, like its predecessor, is a factory-built race-car. ...
In aeronautics air brakes are a type of flight control used on aircraft to reduce speed during landing. ...
Accident The 24 Hours of Le Mans began on June 11, 1955, with Pierre Levegh behind the wheel of the #20 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR run by Daimler-Benz. American John Fitch was Levegh's assigned partner in the car, and would take over driving duties later. Competition among Mercedes, Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Maserati was close, with all the marques fighting for the top positions early on. After just over two hours of racing and approximately 6:26 pm local time, Levegh was following Mike Hawthorn's leading Jaguar D-type along the pit straight at the end of Lap 35. Hawthorn had just passed Lance Macklin's slower Austin-Healey 100 when Hawthorn began slowing to make a pit stop. Hawthorn, whose Jaguar had disc brakes, slowed much more quickly than other competitors using drum brakes, such as Levegh's Mercedes. The sudden braking by Hawthorn caused the recently passed Austin-Healey to swerve to the centre of the track, attempting to repass the slowing Jaguar. Unfortunately, Lance Macklin had not noticed both Pierre Levegh and Juan Manuel Fangio, in another 300 SLR, approaching quickly from behind. Fangio was in second place at the time and attempting to lap Levegh. The 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 Heures du Mans) is the worlds most famous sports car endurance race, held annually at Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France, in the French Sarthe département. ...
is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ...
Pierre Levegh (December 22, 1905 - June 11, 1955) was a French sportsman, mainly remembered for a disaster that killed him and around 80 spectators during the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1955. ...
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR was a sports racing car in 1955. ...
Daimler-Benz AG was founded on May 1, 1924 by the merger of Benz & Cie. ...
John Fitch also invented many safety innovations for the race track and the highway. ...
Jaguar Cars Limited is a luxury car manufacturer, originally with headquarters in Browns Lane, Coventry, England but now at Whitley, Coventry. ...
For other uses, see Ferrari (disambiguation). ...
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. ...
A 1957 Maserati 200SI at the Scarsdale Concours Maserati Birdcage 1959 Maserati 5000 GT Coupe Maserati Sebring This article is about the automobile manufacturer. ...
A marque (French for brand and pronounced as mark) is a brand name, most commonly used for automobile brands. ...
John Michael Hawthorn (April 10, 1929 - January 22, 1959) was a race car driver, born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, England. ...
Wikimedia Commons has more media related to: Jaguar D-type The Jaguar D-type, like its predecessor, is a factory-built race-car. ...
Lance Macklin was a Formula One driver from Britain. ...
The Austin-Healey 100 was a sports car built between 1953 and 1956 by the British Motor Corporation. ...
On automobiles, disc brakes are located within the wheel The disc brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel. ...
A drum brake is a brake in which the friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against the inner surface of a rotating drum. ...
Juan Manuel Fangio driving a Mercedes-Benz W196 in the 1986 Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring Juan Manuel Fangio (June 24, 1911 - July 17, 1995) was a legendary race car driver. ...
Levegh, being ahead of Fangio on the track, did not have time to react. Levegh made contact with left rear of Macklin as he came quickly upon the slowed car. The aerodynamic design of the Austin-Healey featured a long, ramp-like rear bodywork. When Levegh hit the Austin-Healey from behind, his car became airborne, soaring towards the left side of the track, where it impacted an earthen mound set on the side of the track to protect spectators.
The 300 SLR struck the mound at such speed and angle that it was launched into a somersault, the centrifugal force of which caused parts of the car which were loosened or damaged in the impact to be flung free of the car. This included the hood and front axle, both of which separated from the frame and landed in the crowd. With the front of the spaceframe chassis - and thus crucial engine mounts - destroyed, the car's heavy engine block also broke free and slammed into the crowd. Levegh was also thrown free of the somersaulting car, fatally crushing his skull when he landed.
As the remains of the 300 SLR slowed its somersault the fuel tank, situated behind Levegh's seat, ruptured. The ensuing fuel fire raised the temperature of the remaining Elektron bodywork past its flashpoint, which due to its high magnesium content was already very low. Magnesium's properties mean that a combustion in oxgyen is possible at relatively low temperatures, allowing the alloy to burst into white hot flames, sending searing embers onto the track and into the crowd. Rescue workers attempting to put out the burning wreckage were initially unsuccessful, as they unknowingly used water on the magnesium fire, which only intensified the inferno. As a result, the car burned for several hours. In total, 82 spectators were killed either by flying parts or from the fire.
Fangio, driving behind Levegh, narrowly escaped the heavily damaged Austin-Healey which was now skidding to the right of the track, in his path. Macklin then hit the pit wall and bounced back to the left, crossing the track again. He impacted the barrier near the location of the now burning 300 SLR, leading to the death of another single spectator, although Macklin survived the incident. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, the future publisher of The New York Times, was just beginning his career with the paper when he was in the stands during the crash. He did not phone in the story.-1...
Arthur Ochs Punch Sulzberger (b. ...
The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ...
Aftermath
Remains of the crashed car The race was continued, officially in order to prevent departing spectators from crowding the roads and slowing down ambulances. Mike Hawthorn, who had just pulled into the pits, continued on although he was shaken by what he saw going on at the other side of the front straight. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3544x2124, 3333 KB) Le Mans, 1955 - The chassis of the 300 SLR in which Pierre Levegh had a fatal accident DaimlerChrysler media services This is a copyrighted image that has been released by a company or organization to promote their work...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3544x2124, 3333 KB) Le Mans, 1955 - The chassis of the 300 SLR in which Pierre Levegh had a fatal accident DaimlerChrysler media services This is a copyrighted image that has been released by a company or organization to promote their work...
John Michael Hawthorn (April 10, 1929 - January 22, 1959) was a race car driver, born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, England. ...
During the night, after reports of the number of spectators killed began to be confirmed and relayed back to Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart, the official order came for the two remaining Mercedes cars, driven by Juan Manuel Fangio/Stirling Moss and Karl Kling/André Simon, to immediately withdraw from the race as a sign of respect to the victims. At the time, Mercedes was leading the race by a lap over Jaguar. This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ...
For other uses, see Stuttgart (disambiguation). ...
Juan Manuel Fangio driving a Mercedes-Benz W196 in the 1986 Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring Juan Manuel Fangio (June 24, 1911 - July 17, 1995) was a legendary race car driver. ...
Sir Stirling Moss OBE (born September 17, 1929 in London) is a British former racing driver from England. ...
Karl Kling (born September 16, 1910–died March 18, 2003) was a Formula One driver from Germany. ...
André Simon (b. ...
Mike Hawthorn and the Jaguar team, led by motorsport manager Lofty England, kept racing, believing they were not responsible for the crash. Hawthorn won the race with teammate Ivor Bueb, although they did not celebrate out of respect. Funeral services for the dead were held the next day at the cathedral in Le Mans. Frank Raymond Wilton Lofty England (b. ...
Ivor Bueb was a Formula One driver from Britain. ...
Le Mans is a city in France, located at the Sarthe River. ...
After the race, an official inquiry into the accident ruled that Jaguar was not responsible for the crash, and that it was merely a racing incident. The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for track design, leading to a ban on motorsports in France, Switzerland, Germany, and other nations until the tracks could be brought to a higher safety standard. Switzerland's ban allowed for the running of timed motorsports such as hillclimbs, yet banned sport which allowed two cars to compete alongside one another. In June 2007 the Swiss government began measures to finally eliminate this ban after 52 years, although the legislation was voted down by the senior house (the Senat) and it is now highly unlikely that the ban will be rescinded.[1] Hillclimbing (sometimes known as speed hillclimbing) is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. ...
The rest of the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season was completed, with two more races at the British Tourist Trophy and the Italian Targa Florio, although they were not run until September and October, several months after the accident. Mercedes-Benz won both of these events, and were able to secure the constructors championship for the season. The 1955 World Sportscar Championship season was the 3rd season of the FIA World Sportscar Championship. ...
The Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy), or Manx TT, is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man. ...
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held near Palermo, Sicily. ...
This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ...
After winning also the last major race of the 1955 season, the Targa Florio, Mercedes-Benz announced that they would no longer participate in factory sponsored motorsport in order to concentrate on development of regular cars. The self-imposed ban on circuit racing lasted until the 1980s. The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held near Palermo, Sicily. ...
See also The 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 23rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 11 and 12, 1955. ...
References - Le Mans 1965 in Automobile Historique n°48 May 2005 (in French)
- 24 heures du Mans 1973 in Automobile Historique n°49 June/July 2005 (in French)
External links Coordinates: 47°56′59.5″N, 0°12′26″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...
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