On This Date In History (2)

 Le Mans 1955 - The world's deadliest motorsports accident.

The 1955 Le Mans disaster is, and likely will always be, the deadliest event in motorsport history. It totaled 84 deaths and upwards of 170 injuries from a single crash. This resulted in the transformation of the sport in an effort to make it more safe for everyone.
The 24 Hour of Le Mans is one of the-most popular races in the world, used to showcase the most advanced technology when it comes to endurance and efficiency in racing. It is the oldest active sports car race, with the track having been built in 1923. While it is a much safer place to race now, in 1955 it had barely changed since its original construction and was not equipped to accommodate the newer, faster cars.
Race cars in the 20's when the track was constructed reached top speeds of approximately 60 mph. By the time the 50's came around they were getting upwards of 170 mph, and while the track had been widened slightly to compensate, it was not nearly enough. This combined with a bad track layout at the point of the crash and grandstands that were only 4 ft. from the pit lane with nothing but hay bales to protect them led to tragedy.
Photos #1, 2, & 3 show the start of the race.

The race was going as expected through the first laps. Mercedes, Jaguar and Ferrari were far ahead of the pack, and since it was such a long race they began to lap other competitors. Eventually the driver of the Ferrari dropped back leaving the Mercedes and Jaguar to race by themselves. The heated race between these two is what led to the event. Mike Hawthorn (6) was the driver of the Jaguar and was the initial cause of the entire chain reaction.
The unfortunate driver who was in the vehicle that caused the carnage in the spectator area was Pierre Levegh (20).
#4 - Pierre Levegh (20)

 

While he was not in the lead pack, the endurance nature of the race allowed for Hawthorn to lap him. Hawthorn was determined to keep in front of the pack and kept speeding along to pass the next driver down the line. He sped along the left side of the track past Lance Macklin (26) who had seen him coming and was hugging the right wall to let him pass.
It was at this point they came to the pits, and because his crew had signaled for him to come in the lap before Hawthorn cut his wheel sharply to the right in order to make a pit stop. Unfortunately for Macklin and Levegh his car was outfitted with new disk brakes that worked much better than the air brakes installed on most of the other vehicles.
The crash occurred when Hawthorn cut across the lane to refuel in the pit and was braking very hard. Macklin adjusted to this by swerving to the left to avoid collision. This would normally be no cause for concern, however at this exact moment Levegh was attempting to pass on the left to finish another lap before making a pit stop. The back left end of Macklin's car struck Levegh and sent his car into the side of the track.
#5 - Diagram of the cars during the accident setup.

 

#6 - A ‘drawing’ of Levegh’s (20) as it jumped the dirt barrier.
Were this to happen on any other stretch of track his car would have skidded along the wall, likely only injuring the driver, however at this spot in the track there was a slight knee just before the pit stops. The bend was just enough to position his car at the perfect angle for this tragedy to occur.
His car was sent at 120 mph into a dirt embankment which sent the vehicle skipping across the crowd and through the stands. Levegh was jettisoned from the car and killed when his skull was crushed upon impact. The car itself broke apart, sending shrapnel at hundreds of mile per hour through the spectators.

 #7 - Still blazing fiercely, minutes after the crash, Levegh’s (20) sits on top of the barrier and the spectator it hit, lays dead nearby.
The heaviest components of the car (engine, radiator, suspension) went hurtling through the crowd with unstoppable force for 330 ft. before coming to rest. The bonnet lid of the car came off and was said to have "decapitated tightly packed spectators like a guillotine". Other smaller fragments went flying off with violent force as rest of the car tumbled through the air.
Upon landing the fuel tank of the car ignited, and since few precautions were put in place to stop the spread of the flame it quickly engulfed the whole car. It had been designed with a magnesium body to reduce overall weight, but little was known about its combustion properties.

 

#8 - The initial fire.
When the fuel fire finally reached temperatures hot enough for the magnesium to ignite it exploded and showered spectators with molten shrapnel. To make matters worse workers didn't realize pouring water on a magnesium fire causes an aggressive chemical reaction which led to the fire burning for hours after the wreck.

#9 - The explosion.

 

#10 - The path of destruction of the car in the moments after the accident.
Moments after the crash were pure chaos. Because the stands were so close to the track and so jam packed with people, the damage was devastating. Heads and various other body parts were strewn across the giant ditch the car had carved into the crowd. Several doctors that happened to be attending did what they could, but it was described as a war zone. A jaguar driver, Duncan Hamilton, said "the scene was indescribable. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe."
Macklin's car wound up bouncing back into the pits, narrowly avoiding other drivers, and was sent careening through a minimal protective wall. His car struck three who were critically injured, he however survived unscathed.

 

#11 - Macklin’s car.
Unfortunately for the rest of drivers the race officials decided the only course of action was for the race to continue. They realized if they stopped it and sent everyone away that the mass exodus of the crowd would block most roads in the area making it impossible for emergency vehicles to navigate. Mike Hawthorn wound up "winning" the race in the end.

 

#12 - The race continues with the fire still burning in the background.

 

#13 - This photo was taken from the top of the stands just above where Levegh's car hit. The large area between the crowd and the retaining wall is what the vehicle decimated. Hundreds of spectators were crammed elbow to elbow in that space. Up until this point most race tracks were constructed in such haphazard fashion where the crowd could practically reach out and touch the cars as they went by. This event led to major changes in the racing world over the next decades.

 

#14 - One of many victims.
Immediately following the event many nations put a temporary ban on all motorsports until tracks were brought to higher safety standard. It also led to new safety regulations in racing such as seat belts. Up until this point most drivers preferred to go without.

 

Many of the drivers looking back debate whether it was Hawthorn's quick cut to the right, or Macklin's bad reaction to it that caused the accident. Hawthorn blamed the entire even on Macklin in his autobiography, and was quickly sued for libel. The case was never resolved because hawthorn was ironically killed only 4 years later in a car accident while trying to pass a Mercedes in his Jaguar.

Regardless of who caused the accident it still goes down as the deadliest motorsports accident in history.
If any of these links do not work, please notify me.
Here is a YouTube video of the accident that I found recently. This video is basically the accident playing over and over from different viewpoints, some in normal speed and some in slow motion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7zxZILW0mc

This is the first video I saw of the accident. It’s odd that the accident portion of the video is backwards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMoh5hZAaZk&t=107s

This video shows the correct view of the accident portion, but there is no sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFQ2CwA1NCM&t=52s