On This Day: June 11th, 1955 - Le Mans, France

The worst auto racing accident in history happened on June 11th, 1955, during the Le Mans 24-hour race. The BBC recalls:

Seventy-seven people have been killed and 77 others injured when two cars collided on the race track and crashed into the spectators' stand at Le Mans in north-west France.

The Mercedes-Benz being driven by Pierre Levegh hit the bank by the grandstand and immediately exploded. Parts of the wreckage were blown into the enclosure, killing scores of mostly-French spectators.




The accident happened about two hours after the 24-hour race began at the Le Mans circuit. There was no official announcement of the disaster and the race was allowed to continue.

Pierre Levegh was speeding down the straight in front of the pits when he clipped the Austin-Healey driven by British driver Lance Macklin.

The Mercedes, which was travelling at over 150mph (240khm), flipped over and flew through the air and hit the bank by the spectator enclosure.

Levegh was killed outright. Macklin's car spun wildly before coming to rest in the middle of the track, but he was unhurt.

There's more at the link. The video clip below shows the incident.

The final death toll was 82 dead and 76 injured, some maimed for life. Lessons learned from this accident would see new safety measures introduced to protect spectators and racers alike.

May the souls of those who died rest in peace.

Peter