In 1971 a movie hit the screens with Steve McQueen in the central role of Michael Delaney, who uttered the immortal words: "When youG��re racing, itG��s life. Mercedes withdrew from factory-sponsored motorsport at the end of the year, returning to Formula One in 1994 as an engine maker, while Switzerland banned races. Levegh's car hit an embankment and exploded, the debris hurled into the crowd. Le Mans also witnessed the worst disaster in motor racing history in 1955 when 84 people died, including 49-year-old French driver Pierre 'Levegh' Bouillin. "DanG��s naughty nature took over and he used the bottle like a firehose on everybody out of sheer exuberance, a relief for finally having won the race after 10 tries," his wife Evi recalled to Reuters in 2017. The familiar Formula One gesture of spraying champagne on the podium actually originated at Le Mans in 1967, when American Dan Gurney shook the bottle after winning in a Ford GT40 with compatriot AJ Foyt. It has crowned its own heroes, like six times winner Jacky Ickx of Belgium, Britain's five times winner Derek Bell or nine-times record holder Tom Kristensen of Denmark. The list of those who have taken part over the years is a roll call of greats - from pre-war stars Tazio Nuvolari and Rudolf Caracciola through to Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti and Fernando Alonso. Le Mans joins the Indianapolis 500, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing since 1911, and Monaco Grand Prix - first raced in 1929 - as the elements of the so-called 'Triple Crown of Motorsport'. The Mulsanne straight, also known as the Ligne droite des Hunaudieres, the corner at Arnage and Tertre Rouge are as familiar to global motorsport fans as Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps or Monaco's Rascasse. basketball great LeBron James is the guest starter. More than 300,000 people will pack the Circuit de la Sarthe to watch the cars race into the sunset and through the night until dawn rises over one of the world's most evocative tracks. This weekend it celebrates its centenary, and 91st edition since 1923.
The story, from the days when drivers were fuelled by cognac and champagne and a woman might race through the night wearing a fur coat, is all part of the rich tapestry of the world's greatest sportscar race. He turned 50 a month later.Īsked in later life how he had managed the toilet breaks, Hall replied 'green overalls, old boy'. British textiles heir Edward 'Eddie' Hall achieved a unique feat in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours by driving the entire race solo in 1950, remaining in his 1930s Bentley even during the pitstops.Īfter 236 laps, a distance of some 3,200 km, the privately-entered Yorkshire racer finished a remarkable eighth.
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