Club Arnage

Just read in Car magazine about a program being shown on Sunday May 16th on BBC4 (Sorry don't know what time).

The program is called Deadliest Crash and is a film / documentary examining the 1955 Le Mans Tragedy. Apparently taken the film crew 3 years to make.

Should be worth a watch.

 This is link to bbc 4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sfptx (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sfptx)

Just looked it up on Sky. Sky  channel 116 at 9pm.

Thanks for the info Chris!

Although I must admit, part of me is intrigued to see it, part of me doesn't due to the catasrophic outcome!

So I've set it to record and I'll decide later!!

I guess it may be the French way, but you would think there would be a memoriral (not as far as I am aware) to the casulaties. Dark day.

Any chance of a copy Mark?

Dx

This is available to buy as a DVD from the Bigger Picture, plus the usual sources as well.

These are also the guys that did Lap of the Gods and Chasing the Dream, two good LM documentaries on Rollcentre.

I watched it last year, at times it is heart rending in it's sadness, but it does put to rest the question of what happened once and for all.  It does, also, give a great insight to the mindset of the competitors back then too.

Well worth watching imho.

Of course!! :-)

I think there is a plaque, on the track wall, at the point where the accident took place.

Yes there is, halfway up the start / finish straight on the wall. It's a very discreet plaque.

I've just finished reading "Go Like Hell" by AJ Baime. It brings back all my childhood memories of truly brave drivers in less than safe machines on less than safe circuits.  There's a picture of Walt Hansgen's MkII and it's impossible to believe that he lived afterwards, albeit just for a day or two. Even I got missed by a couple of feet by flying tyres and bodywork in my time.  I've also watched two drivers burn to death.  How things have changed for drivers and spectators.  I guess the '55 incident explains to a greater or lesser extent, the mindset of the organisers here who are never allowed to forget that "Motor Racing is Dangerous" (or was!)

Like JPC, I'm never sure about how I feel about this kind of film.  Are we motorsport fans or sick voyeurs? - the line can be a bit thin at times.

I heard about this years ago, but have never been able to find it.

As far as I can work out, the accident started adjacent to one of the first pits, and the casualties were in the ACO grandstand.  There was another grandstand to the left of ACO which is long gone.

Also on this weekend, Saturday 12-3 on Discovery Turbo - Road to Le Mans, following the Creation team in 2005

Picture of it herehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Le_Mans_Memorial.JPG (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Le_Mans_Memorial.JPG)

And probably the most detailed and authoritative account so far is Christopher Hilton's book "Le Mans '55: The Crash That Changed the Face of Motor Racing" - read it a while ago and it covers not just the accident in detail, but the background to how Levegh came to be driving for Mercedes, the organisers' perspective, how the aftermath was dealt with etc - not gruesome, just very interesting

MG Mark

I can't remember which book I read - it was probably before I started coming to Le Mans, but some poor German chap with an 8mm cine camera kept his finger on the button till he was hit.  Most accounts are biased, but this is genuine evidence.  I hope I'll see some of it on the BBC

On a lighter note, I think Paul Drayson must have known he's be sacked in May and hence could concentrate on his Le Mans effort.  Who else tells the boss "I'm having June off", when the boss is the PM.  The trouble is Brown was sat there thinking "So am I, and I'm not the lucky b@st@rd going to  LM"  And why isn't there a sequel about LM?

For those without access to Freeview, the documentary can be watched here:

http://motionempire.com/Watch_Deadliest_Crash_The_Le_Mans_1955_Disaster_-2009-_Documentary_Online_for_Free_99614.html

Sky+ has been set. As Im still learning about Le Mans and its history Im looking forward to watching it.

I've got to prise the wife away from Lewis on ITV

Barely remembered in time to watch it. Impressive.

 What a emotoinal documentary

Very sad, but very informative too - I knew about the crash, but didnt really know so much about the back story and national rivalries.

F

very moving, especially the last series of shots showing the devastation amongst the crowd just after the thrill of the balls out racing between Mercedes and Jaguar. Elseware on the track many probably went home thinking it was a great race until the Mercades disappeared,(especially the non French speaking) not knowing of the tragedy until reading papers maybe days after, seems like there was not much made of the seriousness's of the accident in order to keep emergency access. As for the cause of the accident, after always believing it was Hawthorne's fault, from the sequence of stills it looked very much like a racing accident triggered by Hawthorne  needing to pull in for fuel.  However the Jaguars superior brakes caught out the others hence the Healy swerving into the path of the Mercades causing the collision. The resulting pit wall barrier development immediately after was very significant.

Balls, after all that i fell asleep on the couch and forgotn to set the V+ box or record it. D'oh !

Never mind, just checked and its repeated at 12.30 am, so I get a second chance.  :)

It's on again a 00:45 and then on  Wed 19 May 2010 at 00:30.

t.

I videoed it so I can have a closer look at the footage.  I can't understand how Macklin was so close to Hawthorn, as the AH was a slower car.  Macklin appears to go on the grass and then dives out, but Leveagh doesn't aim for the gap.

Another point of interest is that Hawthorn only had 3 years to live.  Blackouts, caused by kidney failure may have caused his fatal crash in 1959

I think MH overtook Macklin, then pulled in and braked sharply in order to pull into the pits, forcing Macklin to take avoiding action, and then Macklin swung into the path of Leveghs car.

A reasonable conclusion of the cars having outgrown the circuit as the reason for the tragedy, the accident'd have happened anyway, with better circuit design / spectator protection then the crowd would have seen a much happier outcome.

Hindsight's always 20/20 I guess.

it makes you wonder what could have happened if peter dumbreck had flipped on the start/finish and not in the woods.how lucky we all were.

Agree. very moving sequence.
I  would also recommend Christopher Hilton's book, covers all the background to why they were racing so hard, and also the investigation after the accident.
As to the cause, I think the great innovation of discs on the Jaguar was a huge contributing factor, Macklin had nowhere to go, when Hawthorn braked in front of him. Levegh had no chance of avoiding him, even if he had the reaction time of a twenty year old.
The cars had certainly outgrown the circuit.  

Don't forget that the Jag had disk brakes everyone else was still using drums, if as it seems MH was due to stop, overtakes Macklin then slams the brakes on there is no way the Healey is going to be able to slow up so he did what most would do and swerved to his left. Levegh might have been looking in his mirrors at Fangio,  but in reality didn't have much time to react.  The back of the Healy was shaped like a ski ramp,  Levegh was doomed, sadly.

Repeated tonight BBC4 at 23:00 for anyone that missed it.

was awake the other night and caught this was shocking but very informative. Was thinking there is nothing there at all like a memorial but glad to see there is something!

I must admit to watching this with emotions moving from the first 30 minutes when I was wishing that today's Le Mans had the atmosphere of those days to the numb horror of watching the accident over and over again during the second half of the film.
It's difficult to imagine what the suffering must have been like if you (a) were directly involved or (b) witnessed the event at close quarters.
Afterwards I didn't move from my seat for a while in shock.

I know we moan about the catch fencing these days but that tragic accident occured almost exactly where I watch the first couple of hours of the race. There is a small memorial on the track wall. Any additional physical memorial would be too late. It wouldn't hurt any of us though to spend a few moments in reflection during our revelleries just to remember the scenes and those who suffered, including those folks interviewed during the film who clearly still carry those awful memories with them to this day.

Well said.

Repeated tonight at 10 pm on BBC4 if anybody missed the earlier showings.

 For those poor people (like me) who do not get BBC4. The powers that be in the BBC have been kind enough to show it again on "normal" TV at 2300 on Sunday 25 July. Following the MotoGP from the USA

 Simon

How do you not get BBC4?

Steve, I always spare a thought for the poor folk who died or were otherwise affected. I'd heard there was a small memorial, but have never found it. Anyone know where I should be looking?

We are not in the area so far covered, estimated 2012. We can watch online though.

There is a plaque on one of the grandstands I believe. I also think there is a small garden
of rememberance somewhere around

Andy, it's on the concrete wall in front of the tribunes about half way up the start/finish straight. Its a disccreet blue plaque.

It looks to me Like it is only visible from the Pit Lane and not the tribunes.

Wikipedia Info (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Le_Mans_Memorial.JPG)

t.

Also available on iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sfptx/The_Deadliest_Crash_the_Le_Mans_1955_Disaster/

I haven't seen it for about 20 years.  I did go looking for it a couple of years back, but never found it.  It must be somewhere between the start finish line where the accident happened, and the grandstand next to the ACO grandstand, where most of the casualties were.

I think it may be hidden as they want to forget all about it

Thanks chaps, no wonder I can't see it if it's on the other side of the wall. Not much use is it. Like you say Lorry, the ACO aren't interested.  :(

IIRC you can see it from the pitlane. Another good reason to do the friday walkabout thingy.

EDIT. Here's the plaque, not my photo, all commendations to Dr Google.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Le_Mans_Memorial.JPG)

The programme has popped up on BBC i-player again recently.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sfptx/The_Deadliest_Crash_the_Le_Mans_1955_Disaster/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sfptx/The_Deadliest_Crash_the_Le_Mans_1955_Disaster/)

That's because it was repeated on BBC 4 last night.
Tonight, a repeat of Grand Prix: The Killer Years.

the plaque is mounted 200m up from start line facing the pits on the outer wall

yes saw that a couple of years ago, very discrete or hidden?