24 Hours of Le Mans, the deadliest crash in motor race history

Le Monde shares unseen archive footage shot by amateur filmmakers at the 1955 Le Mans circuit, a near-lost story of motor racing’s biggest tragedy. ✅ Click on the link below to subscribe to our YouTube channel (and ring the bell for notifications 🔔) For more of our coverage on French and international new, culture and opinion, visit our website: At the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race, on June 11 1955, a race car broke apart in the grandstands, going at 240km/h. 82 died, and more than 120 people were injured. 70 years after the tragedy, Le Monde accessed previously unseen archival footage. The amateur footage, shot as close to the circuit as possible, gives a better understanding of how the world’s most famous race turned into a disaster. The footage was entrusted to the Normandy Cinémathèque, a non-profit organization that preserves and digitizes amateur films from many different places. To mark the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Le Monde sheds new light on the history of the most famous motor race circuit to date.