Despite Tragedy, Le Mans Always Goes On

Despite Tragedy, Le Mans Always Goes On

…in part because racing at Le Mans has always been (more) dangerous:

Cars were made out of exotic materials, like they are today, except instead of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and kevlar, they were built out of magnesium. Magnesium is light, which is great for racing, but it also burns, and it burns hot. Spectators, too, received little protection, with nothing like a catch fence to protect them. This was tragically shown in 1955.

The 1955 Le Mans Disaster remains the worst tragedy ever to befall motorsport. 87 spectators were killed, along with driver Pierre Levegh, and 120 more were injured when Levegh’s Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR crashed into the grandstand. Pieces of the car went flying into the crowd, and the car’s magnesium bodywork quickly caught fire.

Michael Ballabon’s piece is a must read for anyone in need of perspective, though the fact remains that auto racing is a sport that can claim your life in an instant.