The Amazing Summer Of '55 by Eoin Young

Author:Eoin Young
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2017-06-19T15:20:05.598779+00:00

Chapter 13

Disaster at Le Mans

REUTERS, LE MANS JUNE 12:

Le Mans lowered its shutters and drew its blinds in

mourning today for the eighty-four people killed when

the blazing wreckage of a Mercedes sports car sliced

through the crowd two hours after the start of the twenty-

four hour endurance race.

About seventy-seven people were injured. Some are

so desperately ill it is feared the death toll will rise

still further. Today weeping relatives filed through

the hospitals, clinics and morgue at the little French

provincial town in a grisly identification parade of the

unnamed victims.

Some of the men, women and children killed were so

terribly mutilated that they may never be recognised.

Messages of sympathy poured in, led by two from

the West german President (Professor Theodor Heuss)

and the Chancellor (Dr Konrad Adenauer). The French

Prime Minister (Mr Edgar Fame) is in close touch with

the local authorities.

The record crowd packed around the rails were in gay

carnival mood when the crash occurred - the worst in

motor racing history.

Eye-witnesses said that Mike Hawthorn, of Britain,

who went on to win the race, was signalled into the

Jaguar pits to refuel.

Lance Macklin, in an Austin-Healey, swerved hard

with screaming tyres to avoid the (other) British car.

No Escape

The veteran French driver, Pierre Levegh, chasing the

leaders at 125 miles an hour, could not avoid Macklin’s

car.

His silver Mercedes glanced off the side of it and,

with an earth-shaking roar, exploded like a fire-bomb,

showering white-hot sparks into the air.

its engine and other parts slashed like a scythe

through the packed crowd. in the split second it took to

happen, few people in the packed enclosure had time to

duck. Most were cut down where they stood.

Hundreds of spectators dashed up to help the

rescue teams, police and firemen. A black-robed priest

moved slowly among the dying, administering the Last

Sacraments.

Levegh, killed instantly, was dragged from the blazing

tangle that had been his car.

other bodies were carried away on stretchers and

ladders. Most of the killed were French.

‘Worse Than War’

Most of the injuries in hospital had skull injuries, a doctor

said. one of the injured, Mr Jacques Lelong, said: “it was

worse than the war. i saw a little girl trampled on in the

panic and stricken spectators lying in pools of blood.

i saw a headless man beside me collapse like a rag

doll.”

on the other side of the track it was several hours

before many people knew of the crash as they danced in

the open air and rode the fun fair roundabouts.

They first heard of it when the Mercedes team

withdrew at two o’clock in the morning as a mark of

respect for the victims.

Saved Life

The winner, Mike Hawthorn, said after the race that it

was the ‘toughest grind’ of his career.

The World Champion, Juan Fangio, of Argentina,

said that Levegh saved his (Fangio’s) life just before

crashing.

‘ i was doing 260 kilometres an hour (162 miles an

hour) when Levegh suddenly raised his hand. He was

warning me of some danger i could not see.

‘i braked, but at that speed there was no question

of pulling up in a few metres. How i got through and

missed Macklin, i don’t know.”

Fangio was so close to the blazing car that his

windscreen cracked.

The Le Mans disaster completely dominated

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