April 6, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode of 'History's a Disaster,' Andrew delves into the tragic events of the 1955 24 Hours of LeMans racing event in France, where a catastrophic accident led to the deaths of 84 people, making it the worst disaster in motorsport history. The episode recounts the sequence of events, starting from the race's inception, highlighting the poor track design, lack of safety measures, and a fateful chain of decisions that resulted in the horrific crash. The aftermath of the tragedy led to significant changes in racing safety regulations and a temporary ban on motorsports in several countries. The episode concludes by discussing the legacy of the disaster and its impact on future races.
00:00 The Worst Accident in Motor Sports History
00:37 Introduction to the 24 Hours of Le Mans
01:56 The Teams and Their Cars
05:21 The Race Begins
07:06 The Tragic Crash
11:05 The Aftermath and Reactions
14:09 Long-Term Consequences
17:02 Changes in Racing Safety
19:49 Conclusion and Reflections
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Andrew (00:00):
In June of 1955, during France's 24 hours of Lamont's
(00:05):
race event, one driver's poorchoice combined with poor track
design and lack of safetyprecautions would combine to set
up a chain of events which wouldlead to the deaths of 84 people
in what would become the worstaccident in motor sports
history.
So what happened?
(00:27):
I'm Andrew.
This is History's a disaster.
Tonight we are taking a diveinto the tragedy that occurred
during the 24 hours of LeMansracing event in 1955.
It was the worst crash in mortarsport history that would end up
(00:50):
getting racing banned inmultiple countries.
The 24 hours of Lamont is a racefocused on endurance, meaning
it's not about who has the besttimes, but who can go the
furthest in 24 hours.
It is considered one of the mostprestigious races along with the
(01:11):
Monaco Grand Prix in the Indy500.
The race is organized byFrance's largest car group, the
a CO.
It is held on the Circuit de la,which is a combination of public
roads and dedicated racetrackslocated in Lamonts, France.
(01:33):
The race obviously last for 24hours, and the winner is whoever
goes further.
Car makers and their race teamshad to find a balance between
speed and the ability of the carto run for 24 hours without
failing.
Too much time in the pit couldbe the difference between
(01:54):
winning and losing.
In 1955, the three mostanticipated teams were Ferrari,
Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz.
All three teams were pastchampions, and all three had new
and improved cars in the race.
Mercedes had just unveiled theirnew 300 SLR, which featured an
(02:18):
ultra lightweight body made froma magnesium alloy.
However, instead of using themore effective disc brakes like
Jaguar used, they opted to gowith a drum brake and an air
brake, which could be raised orlowered to slow the car down by
increasing drag.
(02:39):
That just sounds like a reallystupid idea.
Air brakes are typically used inaircraft to slow the speed of
the craft down by the increasingdrag doesn't really sound like
something you'd want in avehicle where you need to slow
down or stop right now, but whatthe fuck do I know?
(02:59):
I don't even change my own oil.
Other than two small changes tothe trek to make it shorter and
the streets wider.
The trek was largely unchangedsince the race began in 1923,
which sounds great.
You race it enough, you know theroads right.
Which that's all fine and good.
(03:20):
However, the average speed ofthe race in 1923 was 60 miles
per hour.
The average speed in 1955 wasone 70.
Roads made when cars were slowerare not exactly ideal for
speeds, almost tripled for whatthey were made to handle.
(03:41):
The most major changes were madewhen the grand stands and pits
had been rebuilt, but they didnot put up any kind of
barricades between the track andthe pits and just a four foot
Earthed bank between thespectators and the racetrack.
So basically the people watchinghad a pile of dirt between them
(04:06):
and the speeding cars.
Oh, and the cars had no seatbelts.
'cause apparently being thrownfrom the car was preferred to
being trapped in the car thatwas possibly burning all the
cars were open to.
So in a way it makes sense.
I mean, I could be wrong here,but in the event of a rollover,
(04:29):
being ejected might be moresurvivable than being strapped
in a convertible.
Either way, it's not gonna be agood day for the driver.
The start and finish line wasthe most exciting place to be.
It was also the most dangerous.
This was where the quarter milepit area of the track was.
(04:51):
The area was extremely narrowwith no separation from the main
track and the pit.
There was no deceleration lanegoing into the pit, so you had
to slow down on the track beforegoing into the pits, and to top
this all off, as drivers cameinto this area, they had to deal
(05:13):
with this weird right turncoming in on Saturday, June 11th
at 4:00 PM exactly.
The French flag dropped.
The drivers ran across the trackand hopped into their waiting
cars for a standing start.
Juan fang's luck failed.
(05:33):
As he hopped into his car, hisgear shift got caught on his
pant leg, causing him to startin the rear.
Eugenio Castelli took an earlylead in his Ferrari setting a
new record for his first lap.
Mike Hawthorne and his Jaguarpushed ahead to slide into
(05:54):
second place.
Juan fought through his firsttwo laps to finally take third
as he finished his third lap.
These three would set 10 new laprecords in the first two hours
of the race.
They set a fast pace, more likea Grand Prix.
(06:14):
The crowd grew excited.
They were all over standing ontables and chairs.
All to get a better view overthe dirt pile.
Half an hour into the race, theywere going so fast.
They were starting to left thescore cars on the track.
70 minutes into the race,Eugenio fucked up and nearly
(06:35):
lost control of the car.
In his struggle to regaincontrol, Mike and Juan passed
him to take the lead.
They fought each other hard totake and keep first place.
Juan would get ahead only tolose the lead.
By lap 18, he took and held thelead longer.
Mike was pissed and pushedahead, harder to take first.
(06:59):
Again, his only thought was toget ahead and stay ahead.
Nothing else mattered.
Going into LAP 33, Mike wassignaled to refuel and change
drivers.
On the upward slope leading tothe pit strait with the
grandstand approaching.
He lapped Pierre's Mercedes forthe first time and began to gain
(07:22):
rapidly on a slower car that hehad lapped three times already.
Lance Macklin's Austin Healy,Lance traveling at 135 miles per
hour, had seen him coming in hisrear view mirror and moved to
the right to let him pass by.
Mike overtook him and thensignaled he was going to pit.
(07:45):
He swung back in front of Lancesuddenly as he slammed on his
brakes for his pit entry.
This forced Lance to slam on hisbrakes, realizing he was about
to rear end the Jaguar.
He swerved left to avoid itunaware.
This would put him directly inthe path of Pierre's Mercedes
flying up at over 120 miles perhour.
(08:08):
Pierre had no time to avoid whatwas coming.
He threw off a quick hand signalto Juan who was coming up behind
him to slow down.
Pierre's Mercedes collided withthe sloping rear of the Austin
Healy at nearly 150 miles perhour and was launched into the
air.
(08:29):
Lance could feel the heat fromthe Mercedes exhaust as it
passed over his head.
The Mercedes would roll and overend for 300 feet, as Pierre was
thrown from the car dyinginstantly as his skull was
crushed between the car and thepavement.
The car bounced off.
The dirt pile meant to protectthe spectators before it crashed
(08:53):
into a concrete stairwell andexploded.
Sending shards of hot metalhurdling into an open public
enclosure next to thegrandstand.
Spectators on both sides of thetrack said that the impact
sounded like a bomb going off.
The grandstands turned intoscreaming chaos.
(09:14):
The huge impact had torn theengine and front axle from the
car and sent both of these largepieces along with the hood,
which had torn loose slicingthrough a shoulder to shoulder
crowd.
50 people were killed in aninstant.
Many of them decapitated As thehood spun through the crowd, the
(09:37):
engine and axle would travelnearly 300 feet through the
grandstand, crushing anyone inits path.
The burning chassis appears.
Mercedes sat atop theembankment, his dead body below.
Marshall sprayed water on theflames, which only made the
magnesium components in thechassis burn stronger.
(10:00):
It would be hours before theblaze would finally go out.
The collision had sent Lance'sAustin Healy spinning backwards
through the pits.
It ran down.
A cop, a photographer, and tworace officials, all four.
Seriously injured.
Surprisingly, Lance exited hisvehicle, unhurt Juan, who had
(10:24):
been coming up behind.
Pierre, had cut such a tightpath through the crashing
vehicles that a streak of greenpaint from one of the British
cars was later found on hisMercedes.
He would later say that, Pierre,by raising his arm and warning
right before the collision hadsaved his life.
(10:46):
Mike had overshot the Jaguarpits and was trying to get out
of his car distraught becausethe rules prohibited Driving
backwards, team manager LoftyEngland, ordered him back into
his car to do another lap beforehanding the car over to teammate
Iver Boob.
The entire area was in chaos aspanicked.
(11:09):
Spectators attempted to flee.
Cops and volunteers foughtagainst the crowd as they made
their way to the scene.
Advertising boards were writtendown to be used as stretchers.
Doctors on hand dealt with thedead and wounded priests went
through the crowd offering lastrights to the dead in French and
(11:33):
German.
In the Mercedes pit driver, JohnFitch was standing suited up and
ready to take over with Pierre'swife.
They watched the whole thing.
As it happened.
Pierre's severely burnt bodystill lay on the pavement in
full view.
A cop would eventually take downa banner to cover it.
(11:56):
The Mercedes team urged awithdrawal from the race.
The team manager did not havethe authority to do so.
Within a half hour of the crash,the news was reporting 48
confirmed deaths.
That number would continue torise.
Race officials let the racecontinue.
(12:19):
They would later issue multiplereasons for not canceling the
race from either not having theauthority.
To fear that the gathered crowdleaving all at the same time
would clog the roads and preventmedical personnel from reaching
the area to help the company.
(12:40):
Directors of Mercedes-Benz heldan emergency meeting and voted
for pulling out of the race justbefore midnight.
The call came into the race teamwith that approval.
Alfred Neubauer, the Mercedesteam manager waited nearly two
hours for most of the spectatorsto leave to pull his team off
(13:04):
the track and announce they'releaving.
They had currently been runningin first place.
Their trucks would be loaded upand they would be gone by
morning.
The Jaguar team had been askedif they were going to pull out
also, but they declined to doso.
Mike Hawthorne would return tothe track and the team would
(13:27):
keep racing.
With Mercedes gone and theFerrari's team outta commission,
Jaguar's main competition wasgone.
Mike and teammate Iver would endup winning the race with the
second place Aston Martin teamfinishing five laps behind them
(13:47):
while there was no victorycelebration.
A photograph would appear ofMike smiling in drinking
champagne from the Victor'sbottle.
A French auto magazine AutoJournal would later
sarcastically publish it withthe caption to your health, Mr.
(14:08):
Hawthorne.
The official death toll standsat 84 83 spectators and one
driver, Pierre.
With up to 180 sufferinginjuries from the crash, this
would lead to a temporary ban onmotor sports in most European
(14:29):
countries until racetracks couldmeet a higher safety standard.
In the United States, theAmerican Automobile Association
shut down their contest board,which had been their sanctioning
arm for auto racing since 1904.
It was felt that auto racingdistracted them from their main
(14:52):
focus, such as advocating forbetter road conditions and
running driver safety programs.
And much later.
What?
They're more commonly known forroadside assistance.
The United States AutomobileClub would end up being formed
and take over auto racing in thestates.
(15:15):
Most countries would end uplifting their bands within a
year of the crash.
France would lift DURs withinseveral months.
With France's Ministry of theInterior, releasing several new
reg, several new regulationsregarding not only racing, but
(15:36):
the approval of future raceevents.
On the other side of thespectrum, you have Switzerland
who would not even start talkingabout lifting nerve band until
2003.
In 2015, it was partially liftedfor electric cars and it would
(15:56):
be fully lifted in 2022.
The ban forced Swiss racepromoters to organize events in
foreign countries like Franceand Germany.
The next race of the 1955 WorldSports Car Championship being
held in Berg, Germany wascanceled along with another non
(16:20):
championship race.
The Carrera Pan Americana, arally race held in Mexico.
The rest of the season would becompleted, but it would be set
back a few months following thecrash.
The British RAC tourist trophyand the Italian Targa choreo
(16:42):
would be held in September andOctober.
The Mercedes team would go on towin both of these races.
The horror of the crash causedseveral drivers to retire from
racing either at the end of therace or after the season
finished.
The grand stance at the Lamontstrack by the pit would be taken
(17:07):
out for following races.
The weird right hand turn wouldbe straightened out and a
deceleration lane would be addedto the entrance of the pits.
The official government inquiryinto the crash after a lengthy
investigation and examination ofthe wreckage would rule that no
(17:30):
one was responsible and that itwas just a tragic accident.
The death of the spectators wasblamed on poor safety standards
in the tracks design.
That was the official stance atleast.
In the years following, Mikewould take a lot of shit and all
of the blame in the media forslamming on his brakes and
(17:54):
swerving, which led to thecrash.
This would become the somewhatofficial pronouncement from the
Mercedes team and LanceMacklin's story.
The Jaguar team would turnaround and blame Lance and
Pierre.
Basically calling them out asincompetent and unable to drive
(18:15):
at high speeds.
In 1958, Mike released anautobiography in which he
claimed no responsibility forthe crash and put all the blame
on Lance.
And Lance was pissed.
After he read the book, he wouldgo on to file a defamation suit
(18:36):
against Mike.
However, Mike would be killed in1959 while driving down a wet
highway before the trial wasfinished.
And ironically, the crashoccurred while he was trying to
pass a Mercedes in his Jaguar.
At the end of the 1955 raceseason, Mercedes withdrew from
(19:01):
racing.
This was planned well ahead ofthe accident, so was not caused
from it.
They would return in the mideighties as an engine supplier
and would not have another raceteam until the nineties before
quitting again for a final timein 99.
In addition to safer tracksafter the accident, safety
(19:24):
standards for cars wereimproved, the use of fire
resistant materials was requiredalong with better structural
integrity.
In other words, the frames hadto be stronger over time with
more driver deaths duringcrashes.
Safety standards would beconstantly revisited and
(19:48):
revised.
Nobody wanted a repeat of 1955,and there was a major push to
make sure it would never happenagain, and that.
Was the 1955 Lamont's Racingdisaster, the worst accident in
mortar sports history.
(20:08):
Thanks for listening.
And if you like the show, pleaseconsider leaving a rating or
review on your Apple Choice, andyou can also reach the show at
Histories a disaster@gmail.comor on Facebook and Instagram at
the same name.
And don't forget to share theshow because sharing is caring
(20:33):
and if there was more caring inthe world, maybe history
wouldn't be a disaster.
Thanks, Anne.
Goodbye.
In June of 1955, during France's 24 hours of Lamont's
(00:05):
race event, one driver's poorchoice combined with poor track
design and lack of safetyprecautions would combine to set
up a chain of events which wouldlead to the deaths of 84 people
in what would become the worstaccident in motor sports
history.
So what happened?
(00:27):
I'm Andrew.
This is History's a disaster.
Tonight we are taking a diveinto the tragedy that occurred
during the 24 hours of LeMansracing event in 1955.
It was the worst crash in mortarsport history that would end up
(00:50):
getting racing banned inmultiple countries.
The 24 hours of Lamont is a racefocused on endurance, meaning
it's not about who has the besttimes, but who can go the
furthest in 24 hours.
It is considered one of the mostprestigious races along with the
(01:11):
Monaco Grand Prix in the Indy500.
The race is organized byFrance's largest car group, the
a CO.
It is held on the Circuit de la,which is a combination of public
roads and dedicated racetrackslocated in Lamonts, France.
(01:33):
The race obviously last for 24hours, and the winner is whoever
goes further.
Car makers and their race teamshad to find a balance between
speed and the ability of the carto run for 24 hours without
failing.
Too much time in the pit couldbe the difference between
(01:54):
winning and losing.
In 1955, the three mostanticipated teams were Ferrari,
Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz.
All three teams were pastchampions, and all three had new
and improved cars in the race.
Mercedes had just unveiled theirnew 300 SLR, which featured an
(02:18):
ultra lightweight body made froma magnesium alloy.
However, instead of using themore effective disc brakes like
Jaguar used, they opted to gowith a drum brake and an air
brake, which could be raised orlowered to slow the car down by
increasing drag.
(02:39):
That just sounds like a reallystupid idea.
Air brakes are typically used inaircraft to slow the speed of
the craft down by the increasingdrag doesn't really sound like
something you'd want in avehicle where you need to slow
down or stop right now, but whatthe fuck do I know?
(02:59):
I don't even change my own oil.
Other than two small changes tothe trek to make it shorter and
the streets wider.
The trek was largely unchangedsince the race began in 1923,
which sounds great.
You race it enough, you know theroads right.
Which that's all fine and good.
(03:20):
However, the average speed ofthe race in 1923 was 60 miles
per hour.
The average speed in 1955 wasone 70.
Roads made when cars were slowerare not exactly ideal for
speeds, almost tripled for whatthey were made to handle.
(03:41):
The most major changes were madewhen the grand stands and pits
had been rebuilt, but they didnot put up any kind of
barricades between the track andthe pits and just a four foot
Earthed bank between thespectators and the racetrack.
So basically the people watchinghad a pile of dirt between them
(04:06):
and the speeding cars.
Oh, and the cars had no seatbelts.
'cause apparently being thrownfrom the car was preferred to
being trapped in the car thatwas possibly burning all the
cars were open to.
So in a way it makes sense.
I mean, I could be wrong here,but in the event of a rollover,
(04:29):
being ejected might be moresurvivable than being strapped
in a convertible.
Either way, it's not gonna be agood day for the driver.
The start and finish line wasthe most exciting place to be.
It was also the most dangerous.
This was where the quarter milepit area of the track was.
(04:51):
The area was extremely narrowwith no separation from the main
track and the pit.
There was no deceleration lanegoing into the pit, so you had
to slow down on the track beforegoing into the pits, and to top
this all off, as drivers cameinto this area, they had to deal
(05:13):
with this weird right turncoming in on Saturday, June 11th
at 4:00 PM exactly.
The French flag dropped.
The drivers ran across the trackand hopped into their waiting
cars for a standing start.
Juan fang's luck failed.
(05:33):
As he hopped into his car, hisgear shift got caught on his
pant leg, causing him to startin the rear.
Eugenio Castelli took an earlylead in his Ferrari setting a
new record for his first lap.
Mike Hawthorne and his Jaguarpushed ahead to slide into
(05:54):
second place.
Juan fought through his firsttwo laps to finally take third
as he finished his third lap.
These three would set 10 new laprecords in the first two hours
of the race.
They set a fast pace, more likea Grand Prix.
(06:14):
The crowd grew excited.
They were all over standing ontables and chairs.
All to get a better view overthe dirt pile.
Half an hour into the race, theywere going so fast.
They were starting to left thescore cars on the track.
70 minutes into the race,Eugenio fucked up and nearly
(06:35):
lost control of the car.
In his struggle to regaincontrol, Mike and Juan passed
him to take the lead.
They fought each other hard totake and keep first place.
Juan would get ahead only tolose the lead.
By lap 18, he took and held thelead longer.
Mike was pissed and pushedahead, harder to take first.
(06:59):
Again, his only thought was toget ahead and stay ahead.
Nothing else mattered.
Going into LAP 33, Mike wassignaled to refuel and change
drivers.
On the upward slope leading tothe pit strait with the
grandstand approaching.
He lapped Pierre's Mercedes forthe first time and began to gain
(07:22):
rapidly on a slower car that hehad lapped three times already.
Lance Macklin's Austin Healy,Lance traveling at 135 miles per
hour, had seen him coming in hisrear view mirror and moved to
the right to let him pass by.
Mike overtook him and thensignaled he was going to pit.
(07:45):
He swung back in front of Lancesuddenly as he slammed on his
brakes for his pit entry.
This forced Lance to slam on hisbrakes, realizing he was about
to rear end the Jaguar.
He swerved left to avoid itunaware.
This would put him directly inthe path of Pierre's Mercedes
flying up at over 120 miles perhour.
(08:08):
Pierre had no time to avoid whatwas coming.
He threw off a quick hand signalto Juan who was coming up behind
him to slow down.
Pierre's Mercedes collided withthe sloping rear of the Austin
Healy at nearly 150 miles perhour and was launched into the
air.
(08:29):
Lance could feel the heat fromthe Mercedes exhaust as it
passed over his head.
The Mercedes would roll and overend for 300 feet, as Pierre was
thrown from the car dyinginstantly as his skull was
crushed between the car and thepavement.
The car bounced off.
The dirt pile meant to protectthe spectators before it crashed
(08:53):
into a concrete stairwell andexploded.
Sending shards of hot metalhurdling into an open public
enclosure next to thegrandstand.
Spectators on both sides of thetrack said that the impact
sounded like a bomb going off.
The grandstands turned intoscreaming chaos.
(09:14):
The huge impact had torn theengine and front axle from the
car and sent both of these largepieces along with the hood,
which had torn loose slicingthrough a shoulder to shoulder
crowd.
50 people were killed in aninstant.
Many of them decapitated As thehood spun through the crowd, the
(09:37):
engine and axle would travelnearly 300 feet through the
grandstand, crushing anyone inits path.
The burning chassis appears.
Mercedes sat atop theembankment, his dead body below.
Marshall sprayed water on theflames, which only made the
magnesium components in thechassis burn stronger.
(10:00):
It would be hours before theblaze would finally go out.
The collision had sent Lance'sAustin Healy spinning backwards
through the pits.
It ran down.
A cop, a photographer, and tworace officials, all four.
Seriously injured.
Surprisingly, Lance exited hisvehicle, unhurt Juan, who had
(10:24):
been coming up behind.
Pierre, had cut such a tightpath through the crashing
vehicles that a streak of greenpaint from one of the British
cars was later found on hisMercedes.
He would later say that, Pierre,by raising his arm and warning
right before the collision hadsaved his life.
(10:46):
Mike had overshot the Jaguarpits and was trying to get out
of his car distraught becausethe rules prohibited Driving
backwards, team manager LoftyEngland, ordered him back into
his car to do another lap beforehanding the car over to teammate
Iver Boob.
The entire area was in chaos aspanicked.
(11:09):
Spectators attempted to flee.
Cops and volunteers foughtagainst the crowd as they made
their way to the scene.
Advertising boards were writtendown to be used as stretchers.
Doctors on hand dealt with thedead and wounded priests went
through the crowd offering lastrights to the dead in French and
(11:33):
German.
In the Mercedes pit driver, JohnFitch was standing suited up and
ready to take over with Pierre'swife.
They watched the whole thing.
As it happened.
Pierre's severely burnt bodystill lay on the pavement in
full view.
A cop would eventually take downa banner to cover it.
(11:56):
The Mercedes team urged awithdrawal from the race.
The team manager did not havethe authority to do so.
Within a half hour of the crash,the news was reporting 48
confirmed deaths.
That number would continue torise.
Race officials let the racecontinue.
(12:19):
They would later issue multiplereasons for not canceling the
race from either not having theauthority.
To fear that the gathered crowdleaving all at the same time
would clog the roads and preventmedical personnel from reaching
the area to help the company.
(12:40):
Directors of Mercedes-Benz heldan emergency meeting and voted
for pulling out of the race justbefore midnight.
The call came into the race teamwith that approval.
Alfred Neubauer, the Mercedesteam manager waited nearly two
hours for most of the spectatorsto leave to pull his team off
(13:04):
the track and announce they'releaving.
They had currently been runningin first place.
Their trucks would be loaded upand they would be gone by
morning.
The Jaguar team had been askedif they were going to pull out
also, but they declined to doso.
Mike Hawthorne would return tothe track and the team would
(13:27):
keep racing.
With Mercedes gone and theFerrari's team outta commission,
Jaguar's main competition wasgone.
Mike and teammate Iver would endup winning the race with the
second place Aston Martin teamfinishing five laps behind them
(13:47):
while there was no victorycelebration.
A photograph would appear ofMike smiling in drinking
champagne from the Victor'sbottle.
A French auto magazine AutoJournal would later
sarcastically publish it withthe caption to your health, Mr.
(14:08):
Hawthorne.
The official death toll standsat 84 83 spectators and one
driver, Pierre.
With up to 180 sufferinginjuries from the crash, this
would lead to a temporary ban onmotor sports in most European
(14:29):
countries until racetracks couldmeet a higher safety standard.
In the United States, theAmerican Automobile Association
shut down their contest board,which had been their sanctioning
arm for auto racing since 1904.
It was felt that auto racingdistracted them from their main
(14:52):
focus, such as advocating forbetter road conditions and
running driver safety programs.
And much later.
What?
They're more commonly known forroadside assistance.
The United States AutomobileClub would end up being formed
and take over auto racing in thestates.
(15:15):
Most countries would end uplifting their bands within a
year of the crash.
France would lift DURs withinseveral months.
With France's Ministry of theInterior, releasing several new
reg, several new regulationsregarding not only racing, but
(15:36):
the approval of future raceevents.
On the other side of thespectrum, you have Switzerland
who would not even start talkingabout lifting nerve band until
2003.
In 2015, it was partially liftedfor electric cars and it would
(15:56):
be fully lifted in 2022.
The ban forced Swiss racepromoters to organize events in
foreign countries like Franceand Germany.
The next race of the 1955 WorldSports Car Championship being
held in Berg, Germany wascanceled along with another non
(16:20):
championship race.
The Carrera Pan Americana, arally race held in Mexico.
The rest of the season would becompleted, but it would be set
back a few months following thecrash.
The British RAC tourist trophyand the Italian Targa choreo
(16:42):
would be held in September andOctober.
The Mercedes team would go on towin both of these races.
The horror of the crash causedseveral drivers to retire from
racing either at the end of therace or after the season
finished.
The grand stance at the Lamontstrack by the pit would be taken
(17:07):
out for following races.
The weird right hand turn wouldbe straightened out and a
deceleration lane would be addedto the entrance of the pits.
The official government inquiryinto the crash after a lengthy
investigation and examination ofthe wreckage would rule that no
(17:30):
one was responsible and that itwas just a tragic accident.
The death of the spectators wasblamed on poor safety standards
in the tracks design.
That was the official stance atleast.
In the years following, Mikewould take a lot of shit and all
of the blame in the media forslamming on his brakes and
(17:54):
swerving, which led to thecrash.
This would become the somewhatofficial pronouncement from the
Mercedes team and LanceMacklin's story.
The Jaguar team would turnaround and blame Lance and
Pierre.
Basically calling them out asincompetent and unable to drive
(18:15):
at high speeds.
In 1958, Mike released anautobiography in which he
claimed no responsibility forthe crash and put all the blame
on Lance.
And Lance was pissed.
After he read the book, he wouldgo on to file a defamation suit
(18:36):
against Mike.
However, Mike would be killed in1959 while driving down a wet
highway before the trial wasfinished.
And ironically, the crashoccurred while he was trying to
pass a Mercedes in his Jaguar.
At the end of the 1955 raceseason, Mercedes withdrew from
(19:01):
racing.
This was planned well ahead ofthe accident, so was not caused
from it.
They would return in the mideighties as an engine supplier
and would not have another raceteam until the nineties before
quitting again for a final timein 99.
In addition to safer tracksafter the accident, safety
(19:24):
standards for cars wereimproved, the use of fire
resistant materials was requiredalong with better structural
integrity.
In other words, the frames hadto be stronger over time with
more driver deaths duringcrashes.
Safety standards would beconstantly revisited and
(19:48):
revised.
Nobody wanted a repeat of 1955,and there was a major push to
make sure it would never happenagain, and that.
Was the 1955 Lamont's Racingdisaster, the worst accident in
mortar sports history.
(20:08):
Thanks for listening.
And if you like the show, pleaseconsider leaving a rating or
review on your Apple Choice, andyou can also reach the show at
Histories a disaster@gmail.comor on Facebook and Instagram at
the same name.
And don't forget to share theshow because sharing is caring
(20:33):
and if there was more caring inthe world, maybe history
wouldn't be a disaster.
Thanks, Anne.
Goodbye.
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