Thrills, spills, and tragedy at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The race was originally planned to be a three-year event awarded the Rudge-Whitworth Triennial Cup, with a winner being declared by the car that could go the farthest distance over three consecutive 24-hour races. This idea was abandoned in 1928. From then on, overall winners were declared for each single year depending on who covered the farthest distance by the time 24 hours were up. Pictured is the 1923 program cover.

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The inaugural 1923 24 Hours of Le Mans -

The 1923 24 Hours of Le Mans, officially the 24 Hours Grand Prix of Speed and Endurance, took place on May 26 and 27, through public roads around Le Mans, France. Pictured is the start of the race.

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Historic event -

Cars that took part in the historic first race include from left to right: The No 29 Bugatti of de Pourtalès and de la Rochefoucauld; the No 28 Bugatti of Pichard and Marie; and the No 19 Montier-Ford Special of Montier and Ouriou.

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1923 24 Hours of Le Mans -

The Chenard-Walcker of André Lagache and René Leonard at the Pontlieu turn. They pair won overall, becoming the first drivers to triumph at Le Mans.

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The inaugural winning car -

The winning Chenard-Walcker of René Léonard and André Lagache displayed in the Musée des 24 Heures du Mans. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.0)

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Circuit de la Sarthe -

The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe, is the venue for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Its present configuration is 13.626 km (8.467 mi) long, making it one of the longest circuits in the world.

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Bugatti, Bentley, and Alfa Romeo dominate -

Early races were dominated by French, British, and Italian drivers, teams, and cars, with Bugatti, Bentley, and Alfa Romeo being the top marques. Pictured is the 1926 edition taking place.

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Alfa Romeo -

In 1932, the team to beat was Alfa Romeo. Indeed, the Italians triumphed with Frenchman Raymond Sommer and Italian Luigi Chinetti taking the honors. Pictured are Alfa Romeos being wheeled onto the grid at the 1932 edition.

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The "Bentley Boys" -

The "Bentley Boys" were a group of wealthy British motorists who drove Bentley sports cars to victory in the 1920s. Bentley is noted for its four consecutive victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1927 to 1930. Pictured are two of the boys, Woolf Barnato and Australia-born Bernard Rubin, victorious at the 1928 event.

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Odette Siko -

A Bentley rival, Bugatti made headlines at Le Mans in 1930 for entering two female drivers, Odette Siko and Marguerite Mareuse. Both French, they became the first females to take the start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Siko is pictured in 1932 at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo with that year's winner, Louis Charavel (alias Jean Sabipa), and two passengers.

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1939 24 Hours of Le Mans -

The 1939 edition saw Bugatti win in a car driven by Jean-Pierre Wimille (pictured at wheel) and Pierre Veyron. By June 1939, the outbreak of World War II was less than three months away. Endurance racing would not return to Le Mans until 1949. During the war, Jean-Pierre Wimille was a member of the French Resistance.

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1949 24 Hours of Le Mans -

After a 10-year hiatus, racing resumed at Le Mans. Italian-born Luigi Chinetti, who shared driving duties with Englishman Peter Mitchell-Thomson, won the edition, his third win at Le Mans but the first time for Ferrari. He's pictured at the wheel of his Ferrari 166 MM.

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1955 Le Mans disaster -

The 1955 edition was marred by tragedy when a major crash caused large fragments of debris to fly into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Bouillin (who raced under the name Pierre Levegh). Pictured is the scene of the crash at the circuit, after Levegh's Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR spun out of control and exploded into the tightly packed crowd.

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Pierre Levegh (1905–1955) -

Pierre Levegh pictured in 1953 next to his Talbot-Lago T26GS.

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Many injured -

Around 180 spectators were injured in what is still the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. There was much debate over blame. The official inquiry held none of the drivers specifically responsible and criticized the layout of the 30-year-old track, which had not been designed for cars of this speed.

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Aftermath -

Argentinian racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR at Le Mans during the 1955 edition. The crash prompted Mercedes-Benz to retire from motor racing until 1989. Over the next year, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) set about making extensive track improvements and infrastructure changes to improve safety.

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1957 24 Hours of Le Mans -

The 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans saw the 25th running of the event (the 1936 race was cancelled due to general strikes in France). The race became a duel of the giants—Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Porsche—and over 250,000 spectators gathered for the anniversary occasion. Pictured are the drivers running to their cars for the start of the race.

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Jaguar's roar -

Britain took the honors in 1957, with the Jaguars taking the first four and sixth places. Pictured is Ron Flockhart and Ivor Bueb with their Jaguar D-Type celebrating their win.

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1959 24 Hours of Le Mans -

The winning Aston Martin DBR1/300 competing at Le Mans in 1959. Carroll Shelby, pictured at the wheel here, and Roy Salvadori were the victorious drivers. Aston Martin had first entered the Le Mans race in 1928, running every race since 1931 and had finished second three times and third twice before this victory.

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1965 24 Hours of Le Mans -

From 1960 to 1965, Ferrari dominated Le Mans, winning six straight editions in a row. Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt (pictured) took the Ferrari 250 LM over the finishing line in 1965, the last win to date for the Italian marque.

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1966 24 Hours of Le Mans -

Ford entered the event in 1964 and, after a false start, promptly won in 1966—the first overall win at Le Mans for the Ford GT40 as well as the first overall win for an American constructor. Pictured are three Ford GT40 MkIIs leading the way early in the race. Ford won the race with a 1-2-3 finish, and ultimately closed the 1960s with three more straight wins.

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'Ford v Ferrari' (2019) -

The events leading to and during Ford's victory at the 1966 edition of Le Mans were brought to the big screen in the Oscar-nominated film 'Ford v Ferrari,' which starred Matt Damon and Christian Bale.

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1970 24 Hours of Le Mans -

The Porsche 917K gave the German marque its first win at Le Mans in 1970. Race veteran Hans Herrmann and co-driver Richard 'Dickie' Attwood shared the driving duties.

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'Le Mans' (1971) -

Film star and avid racegoer Steve McQueen appeared in a 1971 film depicting a fictional 24 Hours of Le Mans. It features actual footage captured during the 1970 race held the previous June. McQueen's own Porsche 908/2 was entered in the race by the actor's Solar Productions, complete with heavy movie cameras capturing actual racing sequences.

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1972 24 Hours of Le Mans -

France wins its first Le Mans since 1950 by way of drivers Henri Pescarolo and Graham Hill in the Matra-Simca MS670. Pictured is Pescarolo ahead of teammate François Cevert.

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1979 24 Hours of Le Mans -

The winning Kremer Porsche 935 K3 driven by Klaus Ludwig, Don Whittington, and Bill Whittington. Porsche dominated Le Mans in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Paul Newman, racing driver -

Paul Newman, another Hollywood race fanatic, actually took part in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans driving with Rolf Stommelen and Richard Barbour, and finishing in overall second place.

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1989 24 Hours of Le Mans -

Mercedes returned to Le Mans in 1989, its first appearance since the terrible crash in 1955, and won in style with drivers Stanley Dickens, Jochen Mass, and Manuel Reuter taking the honors in the Sauber Mercedes C9 63.

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1999 24 Hours of Le Mans -

Team BMW Motorsport won the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans with the open cockpit BMW V12 LMR. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.0)

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2000 24 Hours of Le Mans -

The 1-2-3 finish of the Audi LMP900s at Le Mans in 2000 marked the beginning of two eras: Audi's and driver Tom Kristensen's dominance over the next decade and a half. Kristensen shared driving duties with Emanuele Pirro (pictured) and Frank Biela.

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2009 24 Hours of Le Mans -

Team Peugeot's first win since 1993 put the French marque briefly back on the Le Mans map in 2009, with Alex Wurz of Austria, David Brabham of Australia, and Marc Gene of Spain taking turns behind the wheel of the Peugeot 908.

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2018 24 Hours of Le Mans -

After 10 years of wins shared by Audi and Porsche, the 2018 edition was the time for Toyota. Pictured is the race-winning No 8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid shared by Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, and former FI champion Fernando Alonso. The same car and the same drivers won the event again the following year. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.0)

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Fatalities at Le Mans -

A total of 22 drivers have died in 24 Hours of Le Mans fatal accidents–16 during the race itself, five during pre-race practice and testing sessions, and one en route to the race. André Guilbert was the first driver to die, in 1925. The most recent death is Danish driver Allan Simonsen (pictured), who died in the race of 2013.

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Jacky Ickx -

Three drivers stand apart for their number of victories at Le Mans. Initially, Belgian Jacky Ickx held the record at six, scoring victories between 1969 and 1982.

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Derek Bell -

British driver Derek Bell, a frequent racing partner of Ickx's, has lifted the Le Mans trophy five times.

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Tom Kristensen -

The most successful participant of all time at Le Mans is Danish driver Tom Kristensen, who has nine wins (7 with Audi), the latest in 2013.

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Thrills, spills, and tragedy at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Motorsport's most grueling race is the ultimate endurance test for man and machine

27/05/20 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Racing

The 24 Hours of Le Mans, originally known as the Grand Prix de Vitesse et d’Endurance or Grand Prix of Speed and Endurance, has been run almost annually since 1923. The winner has been the car that travels the greatest distance in a 24-hour time period. It is the ultimate endurance test for man and machine, and remains one of the most famous and influential racing events in motorsport history.

Click through the following gallery and get in gear for an appreciation of what has been called the "Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency."