1955 24 Hours of Le Mans - The Crash

The Crash

This race saw the 1955 Le Mans disaster with the death of 83 spectators and the injuring of over 100 more when Pierre Levegh's Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR was involved in an accident and flew into the crowd, killing the driver as well as 80 spectators. It is still considered the greatest loss of human life in motorsports racing, with injuries ranging from decapitation due to the Mercedes' hood flying into the crowd, to burns suffered when the fuel fire ignited the magnesium-rich autobody alloy skin. When French firefighters attempted to douse the flames with water, the fire burned even hotter due to the resultant chemical reaction. After the incident, the other two Mercedes vehicles in the race were withdrawn (in leading position) as a sign of respect for the dead and injured. This accident, the most catastrophic in motorsport history, led to great changes in the measures taken to ensure the safety of drivers and spectators. Its fallout also led to many car manufacturers pulling out of motorsport (including Mercedes), and even the temporary outlawing of circuit racing in several countries. Switzerland banned simultaneous competition between cars (i.e. except for hillclimbs), a ban which was only lifted in June 2007.

The factory entered Jaguar D-Type driven by Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb went on to win the race.