| 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans | |
| Previous: 1954 | Next: 1956 |
| 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. It was also the fourth round of the World Sportscar Championship.
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. After the incident, the other two Mercedes vehicles in the race were withdrawn (in leading position). 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 simultaneous competition between cars (i.e. except for hillclimbs), a ban which was only lifted in June 2007.[1]
The Jaguar driven by Mike Hawthorn 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 - 4135.38 km
- Average Speed - 172.308 km/h
Trophy Winners[]
- 21st Biennial Cup - #37 Porsche KG
- Index of Performance - #37 Porsche KG
| 24 Hours of Le Mans seasons | ||
|
1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929 • 1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • | ||
References[]
- ↑ "Switzerland lifts ban on motor racing". GrandPrix.com & DueMotori.com. 6 June 2007. http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Switzerland_lifts_ban_on_motor_racing. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
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
|
This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Autopedia, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |