Tragedy at Le Mans - June 11th 1955

IN A WONDERFUL YEAR FOR SPORT that saw Manchester United’s illfated Duncan Edwards make his international debut against Scotland, and England win their first Ashes series down under for over 20 years, tragedy struck France on 11th June. This was the dark day when the 24-hour marathon at Le Mans provided the setting for motor racing’s most horrendous disaster. With four drivers roaring towards the grandstand, the vehicle to the left of England’s Mike Hawthorn swerved suddenly. French racer Pierre Levegh was close behind on the inside. At a speed of 150mph, Levegh’s Mercedes had nowhere to go and the back of the swerving car acted like a ramp. The Frenchman took off into the air, with his exploding Mercedes scattering molten metal into the crowd. The carnage was grotesque, reminiscent of a champ de bataille according to one survivor. In the final casualty count, 83 lay dead while the injured exceeded 100. The race went on in spite of the devastation, with the Mercedes team withdrawing their other drivers hours later. As a consequence of the events, Mexico, Spain and Switzerland banned motor racing. France outlawed the sport temporarily, only re-instating it at a later date after a revision of the rules.