ISBN: 9781156336618

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters:… Plus…

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Ford Gt40, 24 Hours of le Mans, List of 24 Hours of le Mans Winners, List of 24 Hours of le Mans Fatal Accidents, le Mans, le Mans Prototype, Group 5, 1955 le Mans Disaster, Triple Crown of Motorsport, Group 4, le Mans 24 Hours Video Games, the Race, le Mans Classic, Group 3, Truth in 24, le Mans Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Ford Gt40, 24 Hours of le Mans, List of 24 Hours of le Mans Winners, List of 24 Hours of le Mans Fatal Accidents, le Mans, le Mans Prototype, Group 5, 1955 le Mans Disaster, Triple Crown of Motorsport, Group 4, le Mans 24 Hours Video Games, the Race, le Mans Classic, Group 3, Truth in 24, le Mans Legend, Norbert Singer, Michel Vaillant, 24 Heures D'amant. Excerpt: The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans when a racing car involved in an accident flew into the crowd, killing the driver (Pierre Levegh ) and between 80-120 spectators. A further 100 people were injured in the accident. In terms of human toll, it is the most catastrophic accident in motorsports history. Before the accident Pierre Levegh, aged 50, had been hired by Mercedes-Benz as a factory driver that year. Part of his appeal to Mercedes was his determination shown in the 1952 race when he had driven for 23 straight hours. He had been leading due to not having taken the time to switch drivers, even though he did have a driver who could have replaced him. He failed to win only because of a missed gear change, resulting in engine failure, in the final hour of the race. Mercedes had also debuted its new 300 SLR sportscar in the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season, with some notable success, including a win at the Mille Miglia. The 300 SLR featured a body made of an ultralightweight magnesium alloy called Elektron with a specific gravity of just 1.8 (for reference, aluminium has a S.G. of 2.7 and steel 7.8). This body lowered the overall weight of the car, improving performance. The car, however, lacked the contemporary state-of-the-art disc brakes featured on the rival Jaguar D-Type, employing instead the conventional drum brake system. The high power of the car forced Books, , 24-Hours-Of-Le-Mans~~Books-Llc, 999999999, 24 Hours Of Le Mans, Books Llc, 1156336619, General Books LLC, , , , , General Books LLC<

ISBN: 9781156336618

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters:… Plus…

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Ford Gt40, 24 Hours of le Mans, List of 24 Hours of le Mans Winners, List of 24 Hours of le Mans Fatal Accidents, le Mans, le Mans Prototype, Group 5, 1955 le Mans Disaster, Triple Crown of Motorsport, Group 4, le Mans 24 Hours Video Games, the Race, le Mans Classic, Group 3, Truth in 24, le Mans Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Ford Gt40, 24 Hours of le Mans, List of 24 Hours of le Mans Winners, List of 24 Hours of le Mans Fatal Accidents, le Mans, le Mans Prototype, Group 5, 1955 le Mans Disaster, Triple Crown of Motorsport, Group 4, le Mans 24 Hours Video Games, the Race, le Mans Classic, Group 3, Truth in 24, le Mans Legend, Norbert Singer, Michel Vaillant, 24 Heures D'amant. Excerpt: The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans when a racing car involved in an accident flew into the crowd, killing the driver (Pierre Levegh ) and between 80-120 spectators. A further 100 people were injured in the accident. In terms of human toll, it is the most catastrophic accident in motorsports history. Before the accident Pierre Levegh, aged 50, had been hired by Mercedes-Benz as a factory driver that year. Part of his appeal to Mercedes was his determination shown in the 1952 race when he had driven for 23 straight hours. He had been leading due to not having taken the time to switch drivers, even though he did have a driver who could have replaced him. He failed to win only because of a missed gear change, resulting in engine failure, in the final hour of the race. Mercedes had also debuted its new 300 SLR sportscar in the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season, with some notable success, including a win at the Mille Miglia. The 300 SLR featured a body made of an ultralightweight magnesium alloy called Elektron with a specific gravity of just 1.8 (for reference, aluminium has a S.G. of 2.7 and steel 7.8). This body lowered the overall weight of the car, improving performance. The car, however, lacked the contemporary state-of-the-art disc brakes featured on the rival Jaguar D-Type, employing instead the conventional drum brake system. The high power of the car forced Books, , 24-Hours-Of-Le-Mans~~Books-Llc, , , , , , , , , , General Books LLC<