On the 11th of June, 1955, at a motor racing event in Les Mans, France, two cars collided
at high speed, sending one vehicle careening into the air. In the ensuing crash, one driver would be
killed… but so would an almost incomprehensible number of spectators. The Le Mans motor racing
disaster would go down in history as the most deadly motor racing crash of all time.
The Circuit de la Sarthe is a semi-permanent motorsports race course in Le Mans in France.
Part of the course consists of public roads that are used throughout the
year whenever events are not taking place. The remaining portions of the circuit are private,
opened only for competitions. In total the track is about 13.6 kilometres (or 8.5 miles) long.
In 1955 the track had a number of interesting features, including
one of the longest straight sections of any motor racing track available
at the time. A 6 kilometre (or 3.7 mile) long straight allowed drivers to achieve
incredible speeds as they competed, making for particularly exciting races.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans race had been running annually since 1923, breaking only for wars
and general strikes. It was the world’s most prestigious endurance race. Cars would complete
repeated laps of the circuit over the course of 24 hours, with the top prize going to the
team of drivers who travelled the furthest distance overall within that time limit. This
meant that it wasn’t just speed that mattered, but efficiency, reliability and teamwork too.
Among the competing teams in 1955 were several well-known names: from Italy,
Ferrari, from Britain, Jaguar, and from Germany Mercedes-Benz. Anticipation for the race was
high. World War II had ended just a decade ago, and this was one of the first times that nations
which had previously been at war would compete in a more civilised competition. Because of this,
some media outlets took to referring to the race as “World War Two on the tracks”.
Excitement levels were high, and many spectators turned out to throng the
length of the course. As many as 300,000 people were present, watching cars zip by at speeds of
up to 270 kilometres (or 168 miles) per hour. It’s important to note that the course was not
designed for cars that could achieve such speeds. The layout had been set in the 1920s. Since then,
automotive technology had developed, and the top speed of the average race car had almost doubled.
Despite these changes, few new safety features had been introduced in the same period. Most drivers,
for example, did not wear seatbelts – with some taking the view that in the event of a crash it
was safer to be thrown clear of the vehicle. Spectators, meanwhile, were in many places
separated from the track only by a ditch, a low mound of earth, or a flimsy wooden or wire fence.
The accident took place just as Mike Hawthorn – driving for Jaguar – was just about to complete
his 35th circuit. On his previous lap his team had signalled that he should come in for a pit stop
the next time around. This he now did, signalling with his hand that he was about to pull over,
and then braking to lower his speed. His car was equipped with disc brakes (a brand new
technology at the time), which allowed him to reduce his speed extraordinarily quickly.
Just behind Mike Hawthorn at this point was Lance Macklin, driving an Austin Healey.
Surprised by Mike Hawthorn’s sudden braking, Lance swerved, clipping the edge of the track
and throwing up a small cloud of dust. The manoeuvre appeared to make him lose control.
As Lance Macklin veered across the track, fighting to regain control of his vehicle, he was clipped
by Pierre Levegh – a Mercedes Benz driver. Lance Macklin’s car acted like a ramp, sending Pierre
Levegh hurtling into the air and towards the nearby grandstand packed with spectators.
The Mercedes Benz landed between the spectators and the track, bounced,
then slammed into a concrete pillar, disintegrating into a mass of debris.
Such was the momentum of the vehicle that its heaviest parts hurtled onward through
the crowd for almost 100 metres (or 328 feet) cartwheeling over and over, causing hundreds of
traumatic injuries. Many spectators were instantly killed by the flying debris.
To make matters worse, the car’s rear fuel tank then exploded, and the subsequent fire ignited
the remaining bodywork. This bodywork was made of an experimental magnesium alloy. Magnesium is
flammable, and burns with a white hot flame that is difficult to extinguish. Indeed,
dousing a magnesium fire with water will only cause it to intensify and spread. Because of this,
it took several hours to extinguish the fire which resulted from the crash.
While all this was happening, the race continued, with the remaining cars roaring through the
devastation, still piling up the laps even as bodies were removed from the stands. Organisers
would later face criticism for not calling a halt to proceedings, but they defended their
decision. If they stopped the race, spectators from all along the course - not just from the
area immediately surrounding the affected grandstand - would leave all at once, jamming
nearby roads and preventing rescue vehicles from gaining access. By allowing the race to carry on,
officials hoped that they would prevent a panic, and facilitate the rescue effort for survivors.
Pierre Levegh, whose disintegrating Mercedes-Benz caused the majority of the
carnage, did not survive the accident. He was thrown from his vehicle shortly after impact,
and died instantly when he hit the ground. Lance Macklin, the Austin Healey driver who
swerved to avoid the car in front of him, and whose own car had acted like a ramp to catapult
Pierre Levegh into the stand, survived. As he wrestled his swerving car to a halt he
ran down and seriously injured several race officials, but he himself emerged unscathed.
Finally, Mike Hawthorn, whose sudden braking as he pulled into the pit had started the
chain of events that lead to the disaster, survived. Not only did he survive, in fact,
but he carried on with the race, completing circuit after circuit for several more hours.
As night fell and other teams quietly pulled out of the race, Jaguar refused to surrender.
Mike Hawthorn finished the 24-hour race early on Sunday morning, and was crowned the victor.
While he was distraught at what had happened, he was also nonetheless pictured swigging champagne
and smiling broadly as he received his prize. This image of Hawthorn as the victor of the
race was the subject of considerable anger. One French magazine republished it with the sarcastic
caption, “To your health, Mr Hawthorn”. In total, around 80 people had been killed,
and many more seriously injured in the crash – a death toll that was felt the world over.
The disaster resulted in an immediate ban on motorsports in many European countries.
This lasted at least a year in most cases, and was lifted only once tracks had been modified
extensively to offer a greater degree of safety to spectators. Several drivers who
were present were so horrified by what they had seen that they retired permanently from racing.
Mercedes-Benz finished the season and then ceased its participation in motorsports altogether.
The question of who was to blame for the crash was a contentious one. The various
teams involved blamed one another, but an official government inquiry determined that
no one driver had been responsible for the disaster. Instead the design of the track and
spectator areas at Le Mans was the real cause. In the years which followed, many changes were
made to the Circuit de la Sarthe, and to other racetracks around the world. Spectators were
generally placed further away from the action, with protective fences and barricades installed
in some cases. Pit areas were separated from the track, and more thought was given to track
design to prevent excessive speeds, or to make fast sections of the track safer and simpler.
The vehicles used in motorsports also became steadily safer over time. Helmets and seatbelts
are now mandatory, and cars are designed with the safety of drivers and spectators in mind.
A small memorial to the dead is in place at the Circuit de la Sarthe – a plaque featuring
a simple cross and the date of the disaster. The 24 Hours of Le Mans race continues to
be held year on year, and though there are occasional accidents, it is rare for a race
to be marred by even a single fatality. Motor racing remains a somewhat risky
sport… but thanks to advancements in technology and changes in track design,
it is unlikely that there will ever be a crash more deadly than the 1955 disaster at Le Mans.