1955 24 Hours of Le Mans

1955 24 Hours of Le Mans
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Index: Races | Winners

The 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 23rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 11 and 12, 1955 on Circuit de la Sarthe. It was also the fourth round of the 1955 World Sportscar Championship. This race is infamous for the disaster that killed more than 80 people.

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 After the incident, the other two Mercedes vehicles in the race were withdrawn (in leading position) as a sign of respect for the dead and injured.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 competitions in which cars race one another (but hillclimbs were still allowed), 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.

Official results

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps
1	S 5.0	6	Jaguar Cars Ltd.	Mike Hawthorn Ivor Bueb	Jaguar D-Type	Jaguar 3.4L I6	307
2	S 3.0	23	Aston Martin Ltd.	Peter Collins Paul Frère	Aston Martin DB3S	Aston Martin 2.9L I6	302
3	S 5.0	10	Ecurie Francorchamps	Johnny Claes Jacques Swaters	Jaguar D-Type	Jaguar 3.4L I6	296
4	S 1.5	37	Porsche KG	Helmut Polensky Richard von Frankenberg	Porsche 550/4 RS 1500 Spyder	Porsche 1.5L Flat-4	284
5	S 1.5	66	Equipe Nationale Belga Gustave Olivier	Wolfgang Seidel Olivier Gendebien	Porsche 550/4 RS 1500 Spyder	Porsche 1.5L Flat-4	276
6	S 1.5	62	Porsche KG	Helm Glöckler Joroslav Juhan	Porsche 550/4 RS 1500 Spyder	Porsche 1.5L Flat-4	273
7	S 2.0	34	Bristol Aeroplane Company	Peter S. Wilson Jim Mayers	Bristol 450C Open	Bristol 2.0L I6	271
8	S 2.0	33	Bristol Aeroplane Company	Mike Keen Tommy Line	Bristol 450C Open	Bristol 2.0L I6	270
9	S 2.0	32	Bristol Aeroplane Company	Tommy Wisdom Jack Fairman	Bristol 450C Open	Bristol 2.0L I6	268
10	S 2.0	35	Automobiles Frazer Nash Ltd.	Marcel Becquart Richard Stoop	Frazer Nash Sebring	Bristol 2.0L I6	260
11	S 1.5	40	Edgar Fronteras	Giulio Cabianca Giuseppe Scorbati	O.S.C.A. MT-4 1500	O.S.C.A. 1.5L I4	256
12	S 1.5	41	MG Cars Ltd.	Ken Miles Johnny Lockett	MG EX182	MG 1.5L I4	249
13	S 1.1	49	Porsche KG	Auguste Veuillet Zora Arkus-Duntov	Porsche 550/4 Spyder	Porsche 1.1L I4	245
14	S 2.0	28	Standard Triumph Ltd.	Robert Dickson Ninian Sanderson	Triumph TR2	Triumph 2.0L I4	242
15	S 2.0	29	Standard Triumph Ltd.	Ken Richardson Bert Hadley	Triumph TR2	Triumph 2.0L I4	242
16	S 750	63	Ecurie Jeudy-Bonnet	Louis Cornet Robert Mougin	DB HBR	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	236
17	S 1.5	64	MG Cars Ltd.	Ted Lund Hans Waeffler	MG EX182	MG 1.5L I4	234
18	S 1.5	65	Gustave Olivier	Gustave Olivier Josef Jeser	Porsche 550/4 Spyder	Porsche 1.5L Flat-4	234
19	S 2.0	68	Standard Triumph Ltd.	Leslie Brooke Mortimer Morris-Goodall	Triumph TR2	Triumph 2.0L I4	214
20	S 750	59	Ecurie Jeudy-Bonnet	Georges Trouis Louis Héry	DB HBR	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	209
21	S 1.1	47	Cooper Car Company	Edgar Wadsworth John Brown	Cooper T39	Coventry Climax 1.1L I4	207

Did Not Finish

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps
22	S 3.0	16	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Luigi Musso Luigi Valenzano	Maserati 300S	Maserati 3.0L I6	239
23	S 3.0	22	Briggs Cunningham	Briggs Cunningham Sherwood Johnston	Cunningham C6-R	Offenhauser 2.9L I4	196
24	S 5.0	7	Jaguar Cars Ltd.	Tony Rolt Duncan Hamilton	Jaguar D-Type	Jaguar 3.4L I6	186
25	S 750	52	Société Monopole	Jean Hémard Pierre Flahaut	Monopole X88	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	145
26	S 2.0	30	Automobiles Gordini	Jacques Pollet Hernando da Silva Ramos	Gordini T15S	Gordini 2.0L I8	145
27	S 750	60	Automobili Stanguellini	René Philippe Faure Pierre Duval	Stanguellini 750 Bialbero	Fiat 0.7L I4	136
28	S 3.0	19	Daimler-Benz A.G.	Juan Manuel Fangio Stirling Moss	Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR	Mercedes-Benz 3.0L I8	134
29	S 3.0	21	Daimler-Benz A.G.	Karl Kling André Simon	Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR	Mercedes-Benz 3.0L I8	130
30	S 1.1	51	Automobiles Panhard et Levassor	René Cotton André Beaulieux	Panhard VM5	Panhard 0.9L Flat-2	108
31	S 5.0	5	Scuderia Ferrari	Maurice Trintignant Harry Schell	Ferrari 121LM	Ferrari 4.4L I6	107
32	S 5.0	8	Jaguar Cars Ltd.	Don Beauman Norman Dewis	Jaguar D-Type	Jaguar 3.4L I6	106
33	S 3.0	24	Aston Martin Ltd.	Roy Salvadori Peter Walker	Aston Martin DB3S	Aston Martin 2.9L I6	105
34	S 3.0	12	"Heldé"	Pierre-Louis Dreyfus Jean Lucas	Ferrari 750 Monza	Ferrari 3.0L I4	104
35	S 750	58	Ecurie Jeudy-Bonnet	Paul Armagnac Gérard Laureau	DB HBR	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	101
36	S 1.1	48	Lotus Engineering	Colin Chapman Ron Flockhart	Lotus Mk9	Coventry Climax 1.1L I4	99
37	S 1.1	50	Automobiles Panhard et Levassor	Pierre Chancel Robert Chancel	Panhard VM5	Panhard 0.9L Flat-2	94
38	S 2.0	31	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Carlo Tomasi Francesco Giardini	Maserati 200S	Maserati 2.0L I4	96
39	S 5.0	1	Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.	Reg Parnell Dennis Poore	Lagonda DP166	Lagonda 4.5L V12	93
40	S 3.0	25	Aston Martin Ltd.	Tony Brooks John Riseley-Pritchard	Aston Martin DB3S	Aston Martin 2.9L I6	83
41	S 3.0	27	Jean-Paul Colas	Jean-Paul Colas Jacques Dewez	Salmson 2300S Spyder	Salmson 2.3L I4	82
42	S 5.0	3	Scuderia Ferrari	Umberto Maglioli Phil Hill	Ferrari 121LM	Ferrari 4.4L I6	76
43	S 1.5	38	Walter Ringgenberg	Walter Ringgenberg Hans-Jörg Gilomen	Porsche 550/4 Spyder	Porsche 1.5L Flat-4	65
44	S 1.5	43	Connaught Engineering	Kenneth McAlpine Eric Thompson	Connaught AL/SR	Lea-Francis 1.5L I4	60
45	S 2.0	69	Alexandre Constantin	Jacques Savoye Jacques Poch	Constantin C Barquette	Peugeot 2.0L I4	52
46	S 5.0	4	Scuderia Ferrari	Eugenio Castellotti Count Paolo Marzotto	Ferrari 121LM	Ferrari 4.4L I6	52
47	S 1.1	46	Kieft Cars Ltd.	Alan Rippon Bill Merrick	Kieft	Coventry Climax 1.1L I4	47
48	S 5.0	9	Briggs Cunningham	William Spear Phil Walters	Jaguar D-Type	Jaguar 3.4L I6	43
49	S 750	57	Ecurie Jeudy-Bonnet	René Bonnet Claude Storez	DB HBR	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	44
50	S 5.0	11	Cooper Car Company	Peter Whitehead Graham Whitehead	Cooper T38	Jaguar 3.4L I6	38
51	S 3.0	20	Daimler-Benz A.G.	Pierre Levegh John Fitch	Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR	Mercedes-Benz 3.0L I8	34
52	S 2.0	36	Automobiles Frazer Nash Ltd.	Cecil Vard Dick Odlum	Frazer Nash Sebring	Bristol 2.0L I6	33
53	S 750	53	Société Monopole	Francis Navarro Jean de Montrémy	Monopole Sport X88	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	30
54	S 3.0	26	Lance Macklin	Lance Macklin Les Leston	Austin-Healey 100S	BMC 2.7L I4	28
55	S 1.5	42	MG Cars Ltd.	Dick Jacobs Joe Flynn	MG EX182	MG 1.5L I4	27
56	S 750	56	Automobiles VP	Yves Giraud-Cabantous Yves Lesur	VP 166R	Renault 0.7L I4	26
57	S 3.0	15	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Roberto Mières Cesare Perdisa	Maserati 300S	Maserati 3.0L I6	24
58	S 3.0	14	Mike Sparken	Mike Sparken Masten Gregory	Ferrari 750 Monza	Ferrari 3.0L I4	23
59	S 750	61	Nardi Automobili	Dr. Mario Damonte Roger Crovetto	Nardi 750LM	Giannini 0.7L I4	5
60	S 1.5	39	Kieft Cars Ltd.	Berwyn Baxter John Deeley	Kieft	Coventry Climax 1.5L I4	4

Statistics

• Fastest Lap – #6 Jaguar Cars Ltd. – 4:06.6
• Distance – 4,135.38 km (2,569.61 mi)
• Average Speed – 172.308 km/h (107.067 mph)

Trophy Winners

• 21st Biennial Cup – #37 Porsche KG
• Index of Performance – #37 Porsche KG

External links

• Le Mans 1955 from The Mike Hawthorn Tribute Site – Extensive 1955 Le Mans coverage – reports, analysis, photos/video of race + crash
• Video of accident and aftermath