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. 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. The Worst Accident in Motorsports History (1955 Le Mans Disaster) - YouTube 0:00 / 2:27 Sign in to confirm your age This video may be inappropriate for some users. "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. . It is one part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, including the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix. 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. NEXT: Le Mans Hypercars And What It Means For Endurance Racing, Here's What Happened At The Tragic 1955 Le Mans Disaster, These Le Mans Racers Dominated The Worlds Most Famous Race, 10 Of The Coolest Le Mans Prototypes No One Remembers, Le Mans Hypercars And What It Means For Endurance Racing, Like A Phoenix: The Pontiac Sunfire Is The Affordable, Fun, American Coupe We Need, A New Toyota Celica Concept Shows What A Pure Toyota Sports Car Could Be Without BMW, A Modern Plymouth Road Runner Like This Could Shake Up Today's Pony Car Market, 10 Used German Performance Cars We'd Buy Over An American Muscle Car Any Day, The 2024 Chevrolet Impala SS: A Way To Save The Four-Door Muscle Car, 10 Most Reliable European Luxury Cars Ever. But you quickly start to see people running towards the smoldering wreck, hoping to rescue anyone still alive. Levegh was killed outright as he was flung from the car and thrown onto the track. Hawthorn and Bueb won the race by an easy margin of five laps from Aston Martin. The announcer claims that the sand trap has "claimed another victim." Modern race cars have fuel cells which keep fuel from spreading as it did here, and they don't use magnesium like they did then, either. 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. Sign in The Worst Accident in. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. Amateur driver Kippeurth lost control of his. Browse 63 1955 le mans disaster stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. There was much debate over blame for the disaster. The Le Mans organizers did not actually stop the race. While all of this unfolded, the race continued. All he did was turn in abruptly. In the background are the pit stalls for the racers. [3], Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, watching from the pit wall, recalled, "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable.
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