60 years ago... the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans
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60 years ago... the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans was of course marked by tragedy with the terrible accident that occurred. Nonetheless, the race carried on till the end with victory for a Jaguar D Type.

General information

Date: 11 and 12 June 1955
Weather: hot with rain on Sunday
Number of starters: 60. This was the last time we would see 60 cars on the starting grid.
Number of abandons: 39.
Start: given by Mr le Comte Maggi, Chairman of the Mille Miglia (1,000 Miles endurance race) Organising Committee

Key facts:

As the race began, there were three car makers with an eye on the title: Jaguar, Ferrari and Mercedes.
Mercedes entered three Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, marking the return of the "Silver Arrows" to Le Mans after their 1952 victory. The no.19 car was driven by the "star" team of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss. John Fitch and Pierre Levegh took the wheel of the no.20, while the no.21 was shared by Mercedes' pivot Karl Kling, and André Simon.

Opposite, there was Jaguar, victorious in 1953 with the C Type and this time fielding three D Types: the n°6 with Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb in the cockpit, the n°7 driven by Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton, the winning pair in 1953, and Don Beauman and Norman Dewis in the n°8.

Then there was Ferrari, the titleholder, with its three Ferrari 121 LM: the no.3 for Umberto Maglioli and Phil Hill, the no. 4 for Eugenio Castellotti and Paolo Marzotto and n°5 for Maurice Trintignant, 1954 winner, and the American Harry Schell.

After a few hours of thrilling racing, the tragic accident involving Pierre' Levegh's Mercedes plunged the race into mourning. There were numerous casualties and the German manufacturer was forced to pulled out of the race in the night (after the 9th hour).
All enthusiasm was lost but the race went on with Jaguar claiming its second Le Mans win and the first for a D Type.

The winners:

Overall: Jaguar D Type driven by M. Hawthorn and I. Bueb. Distance covered 4,135.380 km at an average 172.308 km/h
Gap between 1st and 2nd place: 73.362 km
Best race lap time: M. Hawthorn in the Jaguar D Type with 4:06.6 -196.963 km/h)
"Index of Performance" prize: PORSCHE 550 Spyder driven by H. Polensky and R. von Frankenberg.
Biennial Cup winner: PORSCHE 550 Spyder driven by H. Polensky and R. von Frankenberg.

Key figures:

Distance record on this circuit (the third version of the track) for the winners with 4,135.380 km covered (at an average speed of 172.308 km/h).
1st victory of a Jaguar D Type, which won again in 1956 and 1957.
1st participation and 1st victory for Y.Bueb.
First best race lap time for Hawthorn with 4:06.6; he would again achieve the best lap times in 1956, 1957 and 1958.
Better access to the interior of the circuit with a tunnel for vehicles built at the exit of the Tertre Rouge corner.
Introduction of volume metering for refuelling (funded by Esso and BP).

 

David Bristol/ACO Translated into English by Clair Pickworth

Photo ACO (c)
Based on some very valuable information provided by the association Infos-Course

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DE LA SARTHE, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SUNDAY 11 JUNE 1955, RACE. The Jaguar Type D, winner of the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans.
 

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