#Levegh

[crownedstoat]

The Talbot-Lago T26 GS driven by Pierre Levegh and Rene Marchand at the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans.

[frenchcurious]

Pierre Levegh (Talbot-Lago T26GS #110056) 24 Heures du Mans 1952. - source Carros e Pilotos.

[christiangeistdorfer]

Little facts about Wolfgang Von Trips which I have picked up reading The Limit by Michael Cannell. Dot point style inspired by @cazzyf1

^^ btw picture of all time for me. i love it.

Wolfgang was known as Wölfchen [little wolf] by his parents.

As a child, he hated going to social outings due to the leggings & ruffled shirts his parents forced him to wear.

If left on his own as a child, he would run through the apple orchard or paddle along the moats around his house. He also had a secret treehouse in his favourite tree.

Wolfgang as a baby. Does it surprise anyone that he was like the cutest baby??

His first car crush was the family's Opel Super 6.

During WW2, when he was 16 he was drafted to search through air raid debris. He said he "saw the whole of human suffering firsthand."

He learned English from the African Americans living in his house and apparently could speak nearly flawless Americanized English.

He had a tendency to faint when he went through without eating. It is likely believed he had diabetes but it was never diagnosed.

His first motorsports obsession was motorbikes

Look how excited he is to be riding his motorbike oh my wordddd

At his first Mille Miglia, he won his class and came thirty-third overall!

Like many drivers starting out, he had to hide from his parents about his racing obsession. They viewed Wolfgang as the last hope for their family as he was their only child.

So when his parents went out for dinner after the Mille Miglia, the waiter asked if they were related to the Von Trips who had a class win - "I'm sorry no, my son is studying in West Germany." They didn't know until they saw the newspaper.

He raced under the pseudonym Axel Linther, a man he borrowed from a dead-end branch of the family tree.

He was actually supposed to race in the 1955 Le Mans however he was replaced by Pierre Levegh as Levegh had more experience. Von Trips was actually in the crowd and witnessed the accident.

He got the nickname Crash Von Trips due to crashing out within the first lap.

E*zo Ferrari said Wolfgang had "a noble spirit."

He used to call Phil Hill "Philee Hillee".

He always got called 'The Count' or 'Taffy', though no one knows how he got the latter nickname. It is believed another driver said he looked like a Taffy, which means Welshman or a beloved friend.

He appeared in a video encouraging people to get into motorsports for the "mastery of technical structure".

He would always carry cameras at the races to record his events, friends, girlfriends, etc and then when home he would tape-record himself talking about what was in the film.

At the 1957 German Grand Prix, he didn't race due to a broken leg. His Ferrari teammates Mike Hawthorn & Peter Collins gave him a set of yellow, blue, and white flags so he could signal the location of Fangio.

I C O N I C A L L Y When Fangio was kidnapped in Cuba, Wolfgang was lending a group of drivers on a tour of Havana's seedy clubs.

"He knew where every sex club was... including the gay bars." 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

If he came first, he had a habit of pulling his teammates underneath the victory wreath with him <3

Fat mood Stirling

He had to get to a post-race interview but had no way of getting to the meeting point so he borrowed a bicycle from a teenager and rode with the teen sitting on the handlebar LMAO.

He was a big hope for Germany, especially after WW2, and became a national symbol. If he had won the 1961 championship, he would have been the first German to do so. That didn't come until 1994 with Michael Schumacher.

Speaking of Schumi, Wolfgang was very passionate about karting and established a go-kart racetrack near Kerpen which Michael would later take his first-ever lap on!

[cazzyf1]

Mon Ami Mate - The Tragic life of Britain's First Formula One World Champion Mike Hawthorn - Essay

If you haven't read my published dissertation on Mike Hawthorn already, check it out with this link. This essay examines what I have written about in-depth, discusses the context, and lists my sources.

Word Count: 3.8k

Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

Context: Over a year ago, I needed to come up with an idea about what I wanted to do for my dissertation. I knew that I wanted to write about a classic f1 driver because the history had been my passion for a long time. Still, I knew I couldn't write about Niki Lauda or James Hunt because I already knew so much about them, and I wanted to start not knowing anything so that all the research was a part of my dissertation. I recently brought the book 'Life at the Limit' about Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, but it features Mike Hawthorn. I decided to look more into him, curious to learn about Britain's first world champion. After learning about how tragic his life was, I knew I wanted to know more about him and write it for my dissertation. As I study creative & professional writing, I decided to write my actual dissertation as if it were a story to make use of my creative writing skills. This makes it easier for the audience to read - but I decided to write this essay as well, giving context to what I have written and some more information for those wanting to know more about Mike.

The dissertation starts directly after the Le Mans 55 incident took place. As Mike Hawthorn was in front of it, he only glimpsed what had happened, and it would still be a while after the accident that it was known just how many people had been injured and killed. I wanted to show Mike's confusion and panic, knowing something bad had happened that he had been involved in but not knowing how bad, by starting off directly in the chaos. In terms of the actual crash, my views are that the main fault was down to the Le Man's layout, which did not accommodate space for the drivers, especially when they needed to come into the pits; however, Mike did make the mistake in trying to get ahead of Fangio and come into the pits early, and Lance Macklin made the mistake of only starting to break last minute and not checking to swerve out into the path of Levegh. However, all of this could have been prevented if there had been more consideration and care for public safety alongside the tracks, which sadly would not have become a priority for a long time in the racing industry.

'Wasn't this the jaguar pit? No. Where was he?' - When Mike first came into the pits, he didn't pull into his section in the panic, though he had left the car. Therefore, he was made to complete another lap for his team not to be disqualified, meaning he would have had to drive past the accident again. 'He tasted bitter in his mouth as he remembered last night when they had a drink.'- in the book 'Mon Ami Mate' it says that the drivers, including Mike and Levegh, had been drinking the night before together and that Levegh had complained about the track not being wide enough to support the cars.

'Lofty glanced around and saw Duncan Hamilton approaching, who had swapped with his teammate a few laps before.' - Duncan Hamilton was one of Mike Hawthorn's closest friends, and they both raced for the Jaguar team at Le Mans, though not as teammates. Duncan had been waving to some people across the track in the pits as he waited to switch with his teammate when the crash happened. Mike was in a state of panic, traumatised, and so Duncan pulled Mike to the side and, as Mike says, 'spoke to him like a father' to try and calm Mike down. There has been some confusion about exactly who Mike had spoken to as accounts ranged from Duncan to Rob Walker, so when I contacted an expert on Mike, Nigel Webb, I was able to find out that Mike spoke to Duncan first, then found Lance Macklin and apologised to him crying (this I cut from my dissertation) before then walking around to the back of the pits to hide in Rob Walker caravan.

Parts I cut out from my dissertation that happened was that mechanics from other teams, including the Mercedes team, went and found Mike and told him it wasn't his fault. Even drivers, such as Stirling Moss, went and found Mike to talk to him and tell him it wasn't his fault (the newspapers said Stirling softly reassured Mike). After Mike had apologised to Lance Macklin and ended up in Rob Walker's caravan, it's alleged in a newspaper report I read that a commentator on the loudspeaker was saying it was all Mike's fault and blaming him, which Mike would have been able to hear from the caravan.

Context - the race was not stopped because it was believed that if the race stopped, the ambulances wouldn't be able to reach the patients with all the crowds leaving the tracks, so the race carried on as usual while the ambulances treated people and took the bodies away.

“Now, would you truly do that to your father, Mike? He gave everything for you to be a racing driver. He may not be around to see you win, but you would make him proud. You can’t give up now.” - A year and a few days before the 1955 crash, in 1954, Mike's dad had died in a car crash coming back from Goodwood. Mike was in Paris travelling to race in Le Mans. This would have been his first race in a while as he had been in hospital recovering from severe burns to his legs. However, while he was travelling to Le Mans, he got news of the crash and desperately tried to get back home to his dad, but his dad died before Mike could get back. This might explain why it was important for Mike to do well in this race after what happened last year.

“I’m not going to drive again, Lofty,” Mike said, avoiding eye contact. Nevertheless, Lofty’s eyebrows furrowed, and his jaw clenched. - After Mike's father had died, Lofty England became a father figure to Mike. Lofty said himself that he viewed Mike like a son. They were very close, so Mike would naturally listen to what Lofty told him. And Lofty's opinion was that Mike needed to continue racing to distract his mind. So Mike listened to him and continued racing, although he had said before that he wouldn't continue.

'Mike looked over to the BBC TV interviewer, Rudolf Whlenhaunt and nodded.' - In the book mon ami mate, it is mentioned that Mike Hawthorn had an interview with the BBC and this interviewer about the Le Mans incident. However, no record of this interview is out on the Internet so I had to imagine what might have been said for this scene.

“You’ve been quite controversial in the newspapers as of late, Mike; many of our British civilians aren’t happy at you avoiding your national service. What do you have to say about that?” - Mike had been under scrutiny by the public, press and even the House of Commons the last few years because he had not done his national service. National service was completing a certain amount of time in the forces as part of your duty. The press had discovered Mike hadn't done this yet and felt that Mike was trying to get out of it and so lead a big campaign against him. Mike Hawthorn had filled out an application to apply for the RAF, but when his chronic kidney issues were discovered, and one had to be taken out, he was disqualified from national service. If his chronic illness was made public, Mike risked not being allowed to race anymore. So he made sure it wasn't public knowledge, which meant he had to bear the burden of the public, thinking he was skipping his national service instead of knowing the actual reason.

“It’s true that a policeman came to your door on the day of your father’s funeral, isn’t it?” - Mike Hawthorn often had a habit of speeding when driving around on normal roads and would get fines that he paid off. On the day of his father's funeral, there was a big fuss in the newspaper about his national service, and a police officer came knocking at Mike's door about paying speeding fines. To which Mike slammed the door in his face.

“The Germans and French want to blame me!" - In the aftermath of Le Mans there was a lot of blame placed on Mike, especially from Germany and France. Germany because it was a Mercedes driver that had been killed and then subsequently Mercedes pulled out of motorsports, and France because it's where Le Mans is.

“If I was to die in an accident, would you identify my body?” he asked quietly, glancing at Duncan.' - This was an actual pact that Mike and Duncan made. Mike's mother hated anything to do with motorsports especially after his dad had died so Mike wanted to make sure she didn't have to identity his body if he did die racing, and Duncan had similar views with his own mother.

'Next to Peter, sulking in his seat with crossed arms, was Luigi Musso, the only Italian Ferrari driver currently on the team.' - I originally also had Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips involved in this meeting, but in the end cut it down to Peter and Luigi just being there. I wanted to address Mike's issues with Germans and how that ultimately lead to his death, and use his friendship with Wolfgang von Trips as a key point in it, but unfortunately I didn't have enough of a word count to go into this so I had to cut them out. I had to include Luigi though but unfortunately I couldn't write as much about him as I wanted to because of the word count so he only has a really small part in the dissertation.

“Do wish your mother well on mine and Louise’s behalf, won’t you? We have meant to come down to visit her and the garage.” - Some fans of Mike and Peter try to claim that they weren't as close as people make them out to be simply because there was no record of Peter ever visiting Mike's garage. But personally, I see that simply as they were both busy people who didn't have lots of time outside of f1 and with time, Peter definitely would have visited and spent time with Mike if they had lived.

“She’ll be happy with that, yet frankly, I think she finds running the garage tough without father, even with Bill’s help. Though I’ve been considering moving to a cottage nearby with Jean when I propose to her.” - Bill was one of the main workers of the garage who helped run it after Mike's father died and then after Mike had died. Throughout Mike's adulthood, he still lived at home with his mum at their cottage. He had viewed a cottage he planned to buy near his mum's place and the garage, which was a place for him to settle with his fiance. Sadly, they would never get this place, much like Peter and Louise, with the house they planned to buy.

“Not all of us can charm him into accepting us as family,” Luigi added, his eyes fixated on Peter, who frowned.' - Peter Collins became good friends with Enzo Ferrari's dying son, Dino Ferrari. When Dino passed away, Enzo started focusing his fatherly affections on Peter. However, when Peter quickly married Louise, it was said Enzo wasn't happy, seeing it as distracting Peter.

'Louise Collins was an American actress comparable to Marilyn Monroe.' - Louise did actually meet Marilyn Monroe.

“I’ve just run him a bath; he’ll be getting in in a few minutes,” Louise said, watching Mike with surprise as he walked past her and into the bathroom.' This didn't happen in 1958, but in 1957, there was another friend in the bathroom as well as Mike and Peter, but I included this part in 1958 between just Mike and Peter to build up their friendship.

'Farnham was Mike’s home, and his favourite pub in the area was ‘The Barley Mow’.' - This pub I have visited before, and it has photographs of Mike Hawthorn up on its walls. My dissertation tutor suggested that I write about Mike being confronted by a member of the public to show the general attitude, which is where this scene comes from.

'Yet Mike felt frozen as he stared at the now blood-tinted urinal.' - As Mike’s chronic illness got worse, so did his symptoms. Blood in urine would have started becoming common for Mike, along with a large stabbing pain where his kidney is. Some days were worse than others for Mike Hawthorn. During the 1958 British GP, they weren't sure if Mike could race as he was in much pain. Occasionally, his housekeeper would find Mike lying on the floor in pain, unable to move. He also started developing a moon face condition where his cheeks swell up. His doctor predicted that at the time of Mike's death, he only had four years of life left and, near the end, would have been wheelchair-bound.

“I can’t; she might bring him around here again. She did last year,” Mike muttered.' - a few years previously, in 1953, Mike had a one-night stand with a lady after he had won the French GP. He didn't think of anything till later when he got a letter from her saying that she was pregnant with his child. Mike found it hard to believe as it was one time and felt that it was someone trying to scam him. However, in 1957, at the French GP, he suddenly spotted a child dressed in white trousers and a green jacket with bright blonde hair just like his. She had dressed the kid up just like him so Mike would see. Mike met up with her and the boy and agreed to help pay child support for him, but Mike wasn't heavily involved with the boy. In the 90s, Chris Nixon, the author of Mon Ami Mate, was able to track down Mike's son, Arnaud Michael Delaunay, and talk to him. For a little while, Arnaud had some involvement in the scene, turning up to events, but eventually, he decided he didn't want to anymore, and other fans of Mike have tried to get in contact with him but haven't been successful.

“Of course, mon ami mate. You don’t need to ask. It’s our deal, and it will stay our deal,” - Mike and Peter did have a deal at some races to put their money together to share. People claim that Luigi Musso felt quite alienated from the team, as he wasn't involved in this.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t. We need the money as much as you do,” Mike told Luigi, with Peter slowly nodding.' - Luigi had asked them to help with money because he owed a lot of money in debt and had been rumored if he didn't get the money from this race he would be in trouble, but Mike also needed the money to put towards the child support. The French GP had one of the highest money prizes for first place so lots of drivers wanted that spot.

'When they reached the hospital, Ferrari team leader Romolo Tavoni was outside. His eyes were red and puffy, and in a flat voice, he told them that Luigi Musso had died.' - It was actually a friend who told them Luigi had died because when Romolo found out, he fainted and so was put in a hospital bed. I didn't have the word count to include this next bit, but Afterwards, Mike and Peter went back to the hotel, and eventually, someone suggested they go out and celebrate Mike's win instead of sitting around feeling depressed about Luigi, though they were all affected by his death. Luigi's girlfriend got back from the hospital and saw Mike and Peter kicking a can around like a football; she felt lots of rage, thinking they didn't care, and spat curses at them. This, therefore, created an impression that Mike and Peter never cared for Luigi, which wasn't the case; they just weren't as close to him as they were to each other, and sometimes their British humour in teasing could come off as rude.

'Mike, Peter, and Louise were relaxing in a hotel room.' - Mike often would wander into Peter and Louise’s hotel room and spend the day with them at the races. His partner Jean was often away modelling, and his mother never went to the races, so unless his friends from home were visiting, he'd either be with Peter and Louise or hanging out with other friends from the track, usually at a pub or nightclub.

‘He is the one that won’t die,’ Mike thought as he observed Peter's peaceful appearance.' - Mike wrote in his autobiography that on the day Peter had passed away, Mike had gone into Peter's room, looked at him, then thought that, then accidentally woke Peter up.

'A few other drivers came in and out, offering help to Peter on his puzzle, but he turned them all down. He was determined to finish this himself.' - Mike says in his book Peter was working on the puzzle all morning, and Mike remarks that he was happy Peter was able to finish it before he passed away.

'Mike ran over to the marshalls desperately' - It took a while for the news to come through, in that time, some german offered Mike some orange juice and tried to calm him down. There was a lot of confusion about what had happened.

'Travoni was doing his best to comfort Louise' - When Louise arrived at the hospital, a phone call from her dad was waiting for her. With his connections, he could find out first that Peter had died, and he wanted to be the one to break the news to Louise. Louise went to see the body but all she could manage was seeing the feet sticking out from under the sheet before she had to leave.

'Mike was vaguely aware Tavoni was watching him.' - Mon Ami Mate reveals that Tavoni saw Mike collapse on the wall and slide to the ground after seeing Peter.

'But the journalists had been waiting for a moment to pounce' - The interview with Mike talking about the crash and Peter is from this moment, where he had to give an interview at the airport before taking Louise to Peter's parents. I used parts of that interview and made up some of my own parts as the full interview is not available on the internet.

'"Dam silly of me" He muttered' - In the book, mon ami mate, it states that Mike said this and started breaking down as he spoke, having to use a handkerchief to rub the tears away.

'Like Peter, Stirling was a gentleman' - At one point, Mike had spun out and tried to push the car back onto the track but was pushing it the wrong way. As Stirling was driving past, he saw and shouted at Mike to go the other way so he could get back on track. Later on, Mike was called in by the stewards and was going to be disqualified because they thought he had left the track and cheated by going a different route to get back on, but Stirling went to the meeting and explained that Mike had done the right thing. If Stirling hadn't done this, he would have been the world champion, but Stirling never regretted this because he saw it was the sportsman thing to do to explain Mike was in the right.

'A telegram to Miss Louise Collins' - By this point Louise was in America performing in a play. She needed to do something to distract herself from what had happened. When I went around the Peter Collins exhibit, I saw Mike's telegram and knew I had to include it in my dissertation.

'Mike felt awful. He had woken up in a sweat' - His housekeeper said on the day of his death, Mike had been lying on the floor in pain from his kidney. It was one of his bad days.

'He had told Louise he would drive up to London to see her' - This wasn't the only reason he was going to London that day. He had plans to meet Louise and chat with her, but he was also going to London to sort out financial support for his son as he had plans to marry his fiance and needed to sort out arrangements for his illegitimate son.

'Mike stopped into one of his main pub's and found Duncan Hamilton sitting at a bar' - Mike didn't actually see Duncan in the morning but he had plans to see Duncan later on in the day. But Duncan was in a pub nearby where the crash happened. So he found out quickly, got to the site just after Mike's body had left. He grabbed a few belongings, such as Mike's flat cap from the crash and then went to the hospital to identify Mike's body as he had promised Mike. He described it as one of the hardest days of his life. Duncan Hamilton retired from racing right after.

'I will show him the Jaguar, which is clearly the better car' - When Mike's death was first reported, Rob Walker denied they were racing. He had to go to court and say they were not racing. There was a lot of speculation on why Mike crashed for a long time. To this day, Mike's fiance believes he had a blackout, and so does Mike Hawthorn expert Nigel Webb. There were other theories put out that the rain caused him to spin or even that someone had assassinated him with a rifle. A long time later, Rob Walker did come out and say that they had been racing, but he had been told to deny it to protect himself. A worker who saw Mike leave a pub right before the crash says Mike was running out to race Rob when he saw the Mercedes. So I chose to mix the two most believable theories for his crash, that he was racing Rob Walker but had a blackout during it, which caused Mike to crash.

Books I read for information:

Challenge me the race - Mike Hawthorn

Champion Year - Mike Hawthorn

The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit - Michael Cannell

One Glorious Hour - Don Shaw

Mike Hawthorn: Golden Boy - Paul Skilleter & Tony Bailey

Mon Ami Mate - Chris Nixon

Touch Wood - The Autobiography of the 1953 Le Mans Winner - Duncan Hamilton & Chris Evans

Peter Collins: All about the boy - Ed McDonough

Also, see the Mike Hawthorn tribute website for lots of information

If you have questions about Mike Hawthorn, my dissertation or just want to know more, send me an ask, and I'll get back to you! <3

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

The Worst Car Crash in History! The 1955 Le Mans Disaster

Between 250,000 and 300,000 people packed into Le Mans on 11 June 1955 to witness one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the motor racing calendar. The opening stages of the race did not disappoint. Traditionally an endurance event, both Jaguar and Mercedes appeared to be treating it more like a sprint and things were heating up, until lap 35 and the third hour of the race. Blame and counter-blame have continued to swirl around the few seconds that led to motor racing’s worst disaster, but the indisputable facts are these. Hawthorn, engaged in a ferocious battle with Fangio, overtook British driver Lance Macklin’s Austin Healey, before realising that he was being called into the pits. He veered across towards the pits, braking sharply. Macklin took evasive action, drifting off the track to the right before coming back across it and into the path of Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh. The Frenchman, doing 150mph, had no time to react and his right front wheel rode up on the back of Macklin’s car. Levegh’s Mercedes was launched into the air and catapulted off the track. It collided with an embankment and disintegrated. Levegh himself was thrown back on to the track, where he died instantly. Debris, including his car’s engine block, flew into the crowd. His bonnet lid scythed through the spectators for 100m, decapitating those in its path like a terrible automotive guillotine. The rear of the car burst into flames, the magnesium alloy adding to the intensity of the flames. As well as Levegh, 83 spectators were killed and hundreds were injured. Hawthorn, who had overshot the pits, came in a lap later, with tears streaming down his face. In the stands, people used advertising banners to carry the injured and the dead, while others frantically searched for loved ones and priests performed last rites. Yet, inexplicably, perhaps unforgivably, the race continued. Inevitably, the days and weeks that followed saw a search for blame that stretched into months and years. The official inquiry cleared all drivers of any fault and instead pointed out that the track was woefully unprepared for a race of such speed. The course had been built in 1923, when cars had a top speed of 60mph. It had had only minor adjustments since then, in spite of the fact that the cars could now reach speeds three times as fast. But absolution at the hands of the inquiry did not stop some in the sport from assigning blame. Many suggested that Hawthorn had cut in front of Macklin and braked too hard, including Macklin himself. There were reports that, immediately after the incident, Hawthorn had been weeping and admitting culpability. If that was the case, he changed his tune and denied the fault was his. Supporters of Hawthorn and Jaguar counter-claimed that both Macklin and Levegh (who had been a veteran of 50 when he died) lacked the competence for such high-speed racing. It all became rather messy and unedifying. In 1958, Hawthorn’s autobiography reasserted his claim that he was not to blame. Macklin, suggesting that this was directly implicating him, sued for libel. The claim was still unresolved one wet January day in 1959 when Hawthorn was killed driving his Jaguar on the Guilford bypass, ironically enough overtaking a Mercedes at the time. The real legacy of the disaster was that the lives of 84 people were brutally cut short. People who had simply set out one sunny June morning to enjoy the sport they loved.

[lesharl-eclair]

F1: a colorised history 1/10 - text and graphics mine with thanks to Wikipedia and Reddit

text in photo below the cut :) if you spot any mistakes please let me know!

The first-ever World Championship for Drivers was concluded in just seven Grand Prix races in 1950, one of the shortest official calendars to date. Points were awarded to the top five finishers in each race on an 8–6–4–3–2 basis, and 1 point was awarded for the fastest lap of each race.  The 1950-1957 era was marked by the dominance of factory Italian and German cars, seeing the rise and fall of Alfa Romeo, the invincibility of Ferrari, and the technical genius of Mercedes, then known as Daimler-Benz. Giuseppe Farina would claim his first and only victory in a blood-red Alfa Romeo 158 in 1950, but the Alfettas struggled and eventually withdrew, making Ferrari practically invincible from 1952. The FIA (being the FIA) could not do anything about this and was in an embarrassing position as it had already announced that current regulations would last until 1954. Major manufacturers were already working to develop cars for the future regulation so there was a lack of serious competition. FIA eventually adopted Formula Two regulations for the 1952-53 seasons in an attempt to curb Ferrari dominance but this did not work very well, as Alberto Ascari won 11 of 16 races and thus the championships over these two years, remaining the last Italian driver to do so.  Daimler-Benz came to the formula in 1954, bringing with it the first desmodromic valves and direct fuel injection - their technological superiority was proven as they swept the next two seasons. This was sadly marred by a catastrophic crash at Le Mans in June, which killed driver Pierre Levegh and 82 other spectators, and prompted the constructor's exit from motorsport until 1994. The 1955 season was curtailed by tragedy, seeing the deaths of four drivers including Ascari, who crashed at Monaco before crashing again, this time fatally, during testing at Monza four days later. Following Daimler-Benz’s departure, Juan-Manuel Fangio, affectionately known as El Maestro, won two more titles with Ferrari and Maserati in 1956 and 1957, totalling five titles in this period with four different teams, and holding the highest winning percentage in F1 at 47.06% to this day.

[personal-reporter]

La 24 ore di Le Mans 2023

Il Centenario della 24 ore di Le Mans, previsto per il 10 e 11 giugno, vede  la categoria regina tornare ai fasti di un tempo, con ben 16 Hypercar di 7 costruttori diversi presenti nella entry list e le due Ferrari 499P #50 e #51 che sfidano le Toyota #7 e #8 e di riportare il Cavallino Rampante sul podio della 24 ore di Le Mans. Infatti le Hyperpole del 8 giugno hanno visto qualificate, tra le Hypercar, le Ferrari #50 e #51, le Toyota #7 e #8, le Porsche #5 e #75 e le Cadillac #3 e #2. Dopo le polemiche successive agli incidenti e alle difficoltà riscontrate  nel portare in temperatura le gomme nella 6 ore di Spa è arrivata in via eccezionale la deroga per poter scaldare le coperture attraverso armadi riscaldanti nella 24 ore di Le Mans, in modo da salvaguardare la sicurezza di tutti i piloti chiamati a guidare anche di notte con temperature molto basse. Oltre alle 16 Hypercar prenderanno il via 24 LMP2 e 21 GTE, con una Nascar infiltrata dato che è tornata la wild card per le auto innovative, riservata alla Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 della nuova generazione e a condurla sarà un trio composto da Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller e Jenson Button. Costruito nel 1965 attorno al tracciato già esistente della 24 ore, il Bugatti Grand Prix Circuit si trova a 5 km a sud della città di Le Mans e 200 km a sud-ovest di Parigi e ha ospitato il Gran Premio dalla fine degli anni Sessanta, ma un grave incidente che vide protagonista il  pilota spagnolo Alberto Puig nel 1995 lo vide cancellato dal calendario fino al 2000, dopo una serie di miglioramenti alla sicurezza. Le Mans è una pista stretta dominata dalle curve della prima marcia, basate sulla frenata in ritardo e sull’accelerazione brusca, e può ospitare comodamente fino a 100.000 spettatori. La città francese e il circuito di Le Mans sono il simbolo di sport motoristico, avendo ospitato per anni gare su due e quattro ruote ed eventi di resistenza. Di incidenti e tragedie alla 24 ore di Le Mans ce ne sono stati molti, il più famoso è sicuramente quello del 1955, dove la Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR di Pierre Levegh fini tra la folla dopo un contatto con Lance Macklin e  Levegh e 83 persone morirono, mentre altre 120 rimasero ferite. Dopo quell’episodio Mercedes decise di ritirarsi dalle corse sino al 1987 e la Svizzera  decise addirittura eventi motoristici, divieto è ancora oggi in vigore. Fino al 1969 erano solo due piloti ad alterarsi per 24 ore, dal 1970 fu introdotto il terzo pilota e all’inizio del decennio successivo ci fu il trionfo di Porsche, il primo di una lunga serie,  infatti la casa tedesca ha il record di successi della Le Mans, ben 18. Una di queste, quella del 1997, fu vinta con al volante  Tom Kristensen, nato ad Hobro ormai quasi 50 anni fa, detiene la maggior parte dei record di questa corsa, infatti ne ha vinte ben nove, di cui sei di fila. Insieme ad Emanuele Pirro, ma soprattutto con l’amico Dindo Capello, Kristensen ha stabilito record su record, trionfando per l’ultima volta nel 2013, dove vinse anche il neonato mondiale WEC. Furono ben sette i successi con la casa dei Quattro Anelli, gli altri due erano con Porsche e con Bentley, tutti marchi parte del Gruppo Volkswagen. A fine 2014 Tom decise di chiudere la carriera, dopo aver vinto 58 gare ed essere salito sul podio ben 145 volte su 349 corse disputate in carriera. Il secondo grande vincitore di Le Mans è il leggendario Jacky Ickx, che ne ha portate a casa ben 6. Read the full article

[gonzalo-obes]

IMAGENES Y DATOS INTERESANTES DEL DIA 11 DE JUNIO DE 2024

Día Internacional del Juego, Día Mundial del Cáncer de Próstata, Día Internacional del Síndrome KBG, Semana Internacional de la Salud Masculina, Año Internacional de los Camélidos.

Santa Alicia y San Bernabé.

Tal día como hoy en el año 2009

27 años después de haberlo hecho por el SIDA, la Organización Mundial de la Salud eleva al máximo el nivel de alerta y declara la pandemia por el virus de la gripe A (H1N1), tras comprobar que existe una transmisión estable del virus en algunos países fuera de la primera región afectada, Norteamérica. El 10 de agosto de 2010 la OMS anunciará el fin de la pandemia que habrá tenido una mortalidad baja en comparación con la gran alarma social que ha provocado además de enormes beneficios para las industrias farmaceúticas. (Hace 15 años)

1955

En Francia, en el circuito de la Sarthe, cercano a la población de Le Mans, durante la celebración de la mítica carrera automovilística de las "24 horas de Le Mans", tiene lugar un terrorífico accidente al salir volando el Mercedes de Levegh, contra las tribunas repletas de público, tras haber chocado previamente contra el Austin de Macklin, a más de 230 kilómetros por hora, ocasionando un trágico balance de 83 víctimas mortales, incluido el propio piloto. También deja cientos de heridos. (Hace 69 años)

1910

En España, el Gobierno de José Canalejas autoriza el culto público de cualquier religión, causando un gran malestar en el clero que hasta ahora obstentaba el monopolio. (Hace 114 años)

1902

En Serbia, el ejército, da un golpe de estado y asesina a los reyes Alejandro I y su esposa. El príncipe proruso Karajorgevic es proclamado monarca. (Hace 122 años)

1898

Después de la supuesta retirada de la emperatriz Dowager Cixi, que ha estado tutelando su reinado, el emperador chino de la dinastía Qing, Guangxu, emite su primer decreto reformista iniciando los llamados "Cien Días de la Reforma", un intento imperial de renovación del Estado chino y el sistema social y legislativo, con la ayuda de los más progresistas, como Qing Kang Youwei y Liang Qichao. (Hace 126 años)

1742

La emperatriz María Teresa de Austria decide hacer la paz con el rey Federico II de Prusia, al cederle la casi totalidad de Silesia mediante el Tratado de Breslau, marcando así el final de la Primera Guerra de Silesia. (Hace 282 años)

1580

El español Juan de Garay, al mando de algunos oficiales y sesenta voluntarios, funda la nueva ciudad de la Santísima Trinidad, la actual Buenos Aires (Argentina), tras el fracaso de la primera por el adelantado Pedro de Mendoza que lo hizo en febrero de 1536, pero que tras el asedio a que fue sometida por los indígenas querandíes decidieron su abandono en 1541. Juan de Garay, tal y como había prometido, reparte tierras y ganado a quienes le acompañan en esta expedición y para él mismo. (Hace 444 años)

1509

Enrique VIII, rey de Inglaterra, se casa con Catalina de Aragón, hija de los Reyes Católicos y primera de sus seis mujeres, con la que tendrá cinco hijos, aunque sólo uno será varón y fallecerá dos meses después de haber nacido. Enrique VIII terminará repudiando a Catalina y divorciándose de ella tras 20 años de matrimonio. Catalina morirá en Inglaterra en 1536. (Hace 515 años)

1496

A bordo de la carabela La Niña y tras una dura travesía, Cristóbal Colón llega al puerto de Cádiz (España), de regreso de su segundo viaje a América cuyo objetivo ha sido explorar, colonizar y predicar la fe católica en los territorios descubiertos durante el primer viaje. Había partido el 25 de septiembre de 1493. Será recibido por los Reyes Católicos en la Casa del Cordón en Burgos. (Hace 528 años)

[motorsportverso]

O que é o Fia Motorsports Games ?

Como todo mundo sabe não temos Automobilismo nas olimpíadas ,  hojé em dia , de acordo com o pesquisador Jeroen Heijmans que se dedica a pesquisar a história das olimpíadas, Automobilismo tinha atendido aos critérios para estar nas olimpíadas em 1900.

Em uma prova de rally de percurso de 1.347km, em tempos de estradas sem asfalto, a Paris-Toulouse-Paris foi disputada ao longo de três dias, Alfred Velghe “Levegh , foi o medalista na ocasião.

 Até atualmente a Fia e o COI (comitê olímpico) em 2012 o Esporte a motor ficou reconhecido como esporte , há conversas que o comitê olímpico cogita entras novas modalidades o Automobilismo na olimpíada de Los Angeles 2028, que seria usado Karts Eletricos , que foram usados nos jogos olímpicos da Juventude na Argentina em 2018.

Então a Fia criou a sua própria Olimpíada em 2019, o Fia Motorsports Games , que é promovida em acordo com a SRO (promotora das 24h de Spa, GTWC e Intercontinental GT Challenge) ,a primeira edição foi em Roma  na Italia , com 5 modalidades: GT Cup(GT3), Formula 4, TCR, Drift e Esports Racing.

Vencedores dás últimas edições

[lit-fernandoalonso]

El desastre de 1955 en Le Mans

Fue un choque múltiple sucedido el 11 de junio de 1955 en el circuito de la Sarthe, cerca de Le Mans, durante la celebración de las 24 Horas de Le Mans, en el que murieron el piloto Pierre Levegh y 83 espectadores. Es considerada la mayor tragedia de la historia del automovilismo.

[feotakahari]

Got linked to the Wikipedia page for the crash in which Pierre Levegh died. Following just a few links gets the deaths of Peter John Collins, John Michael Hawthorn, Jim Mayers, and William T. Smith. Racing was fucking terrifying before seatbelts were standard equipment.

[skillstopallmedia]

Mercedes' return to F1

Sauber, from Group C to F1 In 1955, Mercedes suddenly withdrew from motor racing after the tragedy of the 24 hours of Le Mans and the accident of Pierre Levegh which had resulted in the death of more than 80 people. It was not until the 1980s that the star officially re-engaged, in DTM and in Sport-Prototypes in Group C, in partnership with Sauber from 1985. The efforts were rewarded in 1989 with…

[lodille]

Pierre levegh was a race pilot that came close to a never seen victory in le Mans as as sole driver to finish the 24hours on its own, coming close to a win. So he was in the focus of the German team and in the Mercedes of the desastreus 1955 race. He was no where to blame of what happened in that horrible accident caused very probably by Mike Hawthorne.

Pierre Eugène Levegh décédé pendant les 24 Heures du Mans 1955. (PH. Motorsportretro. Com) - source UK Racing History.

[cazzyf1]

Mon Ami Mate - The Tragic life of Britain's First Formula One World Champion

Cazzy F1's university dissertation ✨

Word Count: 8.4k

Predicted Reading time: 33 Minutes

Summary: A fictionally written account about the life of Britain's first formula one world champion, Mike Hawthorn, all based on facts and real-life events in Mike's life. Exploring his involvement in the le man's 55 incident, his friendship with Peter Collins and his winning year, 1958.

Follow-up essay exploring all the facts this piece is based on and where my sources are from - a recommended read to know more about Mike Hawthorn

TW: Description of driver and spectator's deaths in racing

"It's all my fault. It's my fault."

Mike Hawthorn’s voice cried out as he ran along the pit lane. He rubbed his hands down his face and glanced sharply around.

Wasn't this the jaguar pit? No. Where was he?

Chest heaving, he shook his head, trying to forget what he had glimpsed.

"What are you doing out of the car?"

Mike turned to see the steely face of Lofty England, Jaguar’s team manager for the Le Mans.

"You need to get back in. You've overshot our pits."

"I can't, Lofty, I can't," Mike wailed.

Lofty frowned, grabbed Mike’s arm and walked him back to his parked car. "I’ll get Ivor to take over the car when you pull in. But if you stop now, we are out of the race. Don’t let Jaguar down.”

Mike’s arms shook as he grasped the car's side and slowly lowered himself into the seat. Once positioned, a wave of familiarity and muscle memory washed over him. He focused on those feelings, of how natural it felt for him to be sitting in his car and let that push him around the next lap.

Avoid the other drivers and pick up the pace.

Then he saw the fire in the distance. He heard the people screaming.

Just keep driving to the pit. Just keep going, he told himself, focused on the road ahead instead of the upturned car in the stands and dead bodies leading up to the car. But he couldn’t help how his eyes flickered to it.

There are so many.

Along the side of the road, people put a sheet over the dead body of Pierre Levegh. A fellow driver racing for the Mercedes team. He was unmoving, twisted at an odd angle. Though Mike saw it briefly, it was ingrained in his mind. He tasted bitter in his mouth as he remembered last night when they had a drink.

“Oh god, what have I done,” Mike whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks as he pulled into the pit.

As he leapt out of the car, his teammate Ivor Bueb ran past and got into the car. They were still in the race, for now.

Mike looked around again, his chest tightened as he heard all the chaos. He spotted Lofty holding the timing sheet and marched over to him.

“I can’t carry on racing. I will throw it all in…I’m done.”

Lofty peered at Mike, taking in his haunted expression. Lofty’s face was stern, the tough years of fighting in the RAF hardening the man and his determination. Yet, as he looked at Mike's distraught face, which was still so young, his face softened. Lofty glanced around and saw Duncan Hamilton approaching, who had swapped with his teammate a few laps before.

“Chat with Hamilton, I need to watch for Ivor, but I’ll get you in two hours, okay Mike? Take care of yourself.”

Mike turned to his familiar friend Duncan, who had now reached him and placed his arm around Mike’s shoulder.

“Come, I don’t have long till I am back out again but sit down with me.”

They walked into the pits, trying to stay out of the eyes of the reporters and photographers.

“Duncan, what am I going to do? I did that, didn’t I? I-I don’t know what happened.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Mike. You had space to pull in and signalled you were coming in. I saw you. Macklin panicked and swerved out; I don’t think he knew Levegh was there.”

“But if I hadn’t of -”

Duncan grabbed Mike by the shoulders.

“There’s no use thinking about it. You will get yourself into a state. You weren’t at fault; many people can tell you who saw it firsthand.”

“I just…I can’t stop thinking about those three people I saw getting hit by the car. It’s awful, Duncan, and Levegh, God, he’s dead.”

“You need to drink something to help. Look, chap, I am needed soon; they are continuing the race. Try to calm down, okay. We can discuss this afterwards but find something to help calm the nerves for now.”

Duncan patted Mike on the shoulder and left to return to his pit. Mike sat there for a few minutes, but the event kept playing on his mind. Quickly, he left the pits and wandered around the back, coming across a familiar parked caravan.

As Mike knocked on the door, Rob Walker appeared. He gave Mike a slight nod, letting him into the caravan.

“You’ve heard?” Mike murmured as Rob observed his tense form.

“Come here, Mike, let me get you a brandy. You look like you need it,” he said slowly as he moved to grasp the flask he had stored away.

Mike stumbled into the caravan and collapsed onto the seat, feeling the day's weight pull him down. He covered his face with his hands and let out a sob as the images of the bodies flashed in his mind.

“It’s all my fault. I wanted to get into the pits before Fangio went by,” he whimpered.

“Now, don’t talk such nonsense,” Rob grunted as he slid the glass he had filled with brandy to Mike.

Mike didn’t hesitate to down his drink, needing anything to calm the emotions that flowed through him.

“Tell me exactly what happened,” Rob said.

Mike rubbed his hand along his face, trying to pull together all the memories in his mind to explain what happened.

“Well, Fangio and I were racing each other, and it was a cracking good race, but I needed to pit. To switch with Ivor. I indicated a lap before that I was going to, I swear. During that lap, though, I lapped Macklin and Levegh. I signalled again I was pulling into the pits, yet Macklin didn’t slow down. I must have pulled in too quickly. He swerved out to avoid me, only Levegh didn’t have time. He hit Macklin, and it made his car hit the crowds. Oh god, Rob, he’s dead; I saw him dead on the road, and there were so many other bodies from the spectators. They were supposed to be safe,” Mike ranted as his mind was filled with the horrible images.

“Here, get another one of these in you,” Rob said, pouring another brandy out for Mike.

“The way I see it, chap, is that Macklin is more to blame; he should have slowed down for you pulling in. Yet it was a racing accident. These things happen. What matters is that you are still here, aye,” Rob told Mike, trying to reassure him, but Mike shook his head.

“I can’t do this anymore. It’s too dangerous. I give it in,” Mike said determinedly.

Rob’s lips pressed into a grimace.

“Now, would you truly do that to your father, Mike? He gave everything for you to be a racing driver. He may not be around to see you win, but you would make him proud. You can’t give up now.”

“He died in his car a year ago. What if I go the same way?”

“You won’t. Do your father proud now, won’t you? Finish this race, win it for him,” Rob implored him.

Mike thought for a minute, and the memories of his father and everything they did together came to his mind. The ache of his loss stung Mike.

Eventually, the door cracked open, and Lofty England’s face appeared, ready to grab Mike.

“Prepared to go out again?”

“I’m not going to drive again, Lofty,” Mike said, avoiding eye contact. Nevertheless, Lofty’s eyebrows furrowed, and his jaw clenched.

“Oh yes, you are! You’re going to go out there and finish the race. It’s the only thing you can possibly do.”

So, it was decided for Mike.

-

Mike Hawthorn won the 1955 24-hour Le Mans with Ivor Beub. As he drove the victory lap, he felt like his father was cheering him. The crowds swarmed the car, cheering and taking photos. Ivor Beub joined him, sitting in the car to celebrate. Mike smiled and waved; the smile plastered on his face for the crowd. He drank the champagne offered to him, all for winning the Le Man’s, and he was glad to finally win such a race, but the knowledge of earlier devastation lingered in his mind. His smile strained, and the physical and mental exhaustion weighed on him.

As Mike collected his trophy, he saw the conflict on people's faces. As they congratulated him, he heard the hesitance in their voice. He was involved in the crash and had now won the race. Was that fair?

-

Mike sat on the chair, feeling uncomfortable in his best suit. The studio lights were on and shined, making him sweat from the heat. At least three cameras were on him. The only thing that made him feel slightly at ease was Lofty England at the side, reassuring him from a distance. Mike looked over to the BBC TV interviewer, Rudolf Whlenhaunt and nodded.

“Obviously, this is an unfortunate situation, and I am sorry to all the families who are grieving for the loss of their loved ones because of this accident,” Mike said to the camera as he clasped his hands in his lap tightly.

“Do you feel there is more you could have done to prevent this terrible accident?” Rudolf asked him.

Mike hesitated, trying to sort through his thoughts. He glanced over at Lofty England, who gave him a subtle nod.

“It was a dreadful accident, but I took every measure possible to drive safely.”

Rudolf nodded and flicked through his notes, deciding which question to ask next.

“Could you talk us through your versions of the events?”

“I had received a signal from my crew that soon I needed to come into the pits to refuel and hand over the car to Bueb. As I lapped Macklin, I judged the gap and felt I had adequate space to pull ahead and into the pits. I put my hand up, put the brakes on and pulled in. I was nearly there when I saw something fly through the air out of the corner of my eye. That was Levegh.”

“You’ve been quite controversial in the newspapers as of late, Mike; many of our British civilians aren’t happy at you avoiding your national service. What do you have to say about that?”

Mike swallowed down the rude remark he wanted to make. He was tired of having to justify not doing his national service. After all, Mike wanted to do it, though his father wanted him to focus on his racing and his other problem well.. he curled his fingers, and for a moment, he could feel the phantom pain from his kidney, but as soon as it came, it went.

“Well, it’s all relatively simple; I never received my papers when I was in Britain and when that chap in the House of Commons made a stink about it, I was called in. Of course, I went, yet I was suffering from severe burns from an accident and so was deemed unfit. Then, well, there was the other situation-”

“When your father died?” Rudolf interrupted.

“Yes,” Mike replied bitterly. “I wasn’t in any state then to serve, and still, I am not.”

“It’s true that a policeman came to your door on the day of your father’s funeral, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that was about another matter, though. I’m afraid I was rather rude to the man, and I apologise for that, but it was a tough day for me,” Mike admitted.

“Now, do you think you will continue to race after this? I am aware some countries want to cancel the hosted races, and even Mercedes have decided to stop racing.”

Mike glanced over to Lofty England, whose arms were crossed, staring at Mike. They held the gaze momentarily before Mike looked back at the camera.

“I plan to continue racing as long as I can. Of course, that will depend on how many countries are willing to continue hosting races; however, even then, I plan to continue with what racing I can, like Le Mans.”

-

Mike flicked through the newspaper, grimacing at the photos of the disaster. They now reckoned eighty people had died in the crash, and the photos didn’t shy away from showing the horrifying images of the people who were hit by the car.

Having had enough of it, Mike threw the paper onto the coffee table and leaned back in his seat. Next to him, Duncan Hamilton looked up from his newspaper and raised an eyebrow at Mike.

“The Germans and French want to blame me! I’ve been cleared of all faults. It was an accident. An awful incident but an accident indeed,” Mike ranted and ran his hands through his bright blonde hair.

“The newspapers will grow tired of the story eventually. When another accident happens or something in Hollywood. You know that, Mike,” Duncan replied, folding his newspaper and placing it down.

“I can’t stand to see those photos. Especially of poor Levengh,” Mike admitted, shuddering as he remembered the sight of Levengh lying dead on the road.

Mike hesitated, glancing at his close friend with whom he’d shared many fond memories.

“If I was to die in an accident, would you identify my body?” he asked quietly, glancing at Duncan. “My mother already despises such things after father’s death. I wouldn’t want her to go through that again,” Mike ranted, feeling his stomach knot as he glanced at the ceiling where his mother was upstairs tidying.

“Only if you do the same for me,” Duncan replied.

There was a silent moment of understanding between the two drivers before Mike stretched and stood up.

“I fancy a drink down the pub; might round up the usual lot. You coming, Duncan?”

-

It was 1958, and Mike yawned, feeling the jet lag from flying to Maranello a few hours before. He leaned back in his chair, nearly topping it over, earning a snigger from Peter Collins sitting beside him.

“You should have come over on the boat with me and Louise. You know the offer is always there,” Peter whispered to Mike, leaning in so the others couldn’t hear.

Mike watched Peter, the only other English man in the room, with a fond smile. Though they’d been in the same circle for a while, it had only been in the last few years that they had become close friends.

Not that it was just them.

Next to Peter, sulking in his seat with crossed arms, was Luigi Musso, the only Italian Ferrari driver currently on the team. Hot-headed and brash, he wasn’t a favourite of Mike’s. However, Mike didn’t envy him for the pressure he must have on all the Italians wishing him to win.

Everyone was quiet, listening to the Ferrari team leader, Romolo Tavoni, talking through Enzo Ferrari's letter for motivation for the new racing year.

Mike, who had been in and out of working with Ferrari for the last few years, was tired of Enzo’s games he would play like this and wasn’t paying attention. He turned back to Peter to answer him.

“I needed to quickly visit Mother at the garage before coming over. There would have been no time if I’d come on the boat. But I’ll take you up when we go over to Argentina. I could do with a few relaxing nights on the sea.”

“Do wish your mother well on mine and Louise’s behalf, won’t you? We have meant to come down to visit her and the garage.”

“She’ll be happy with that, yet frankly, I think she finds running the garage tough without father, even with Bill’s help. Though I’ve been considering moving to a cottage nearby with Jean when I propose to her.”

Peter smiled and sat up.

“Well, that’s terrific news. Louise and I have been thinking the same. We love the boat, and it’s a great way to travel, but Louise does want to settle at some point and have a house to call home.”

“I think perhaps not all of us are paying attention? This is an important message from the Commendatore,” an Italian voice broke through their conversation.

Luigi sat back straight, arms crossed, glaring at Peter and Mike. His posture was uptight, and a sneer was almost evident on his lips.

“Not all of us can charm him into accepting us as family,” Luigi added, his eyes fixated on Peter, who frowned.

“There’s no cost in kindness, Luigi. I was a good friend with Dino till he passed; I didn’t want to gain anything from that,” Peter bit back.

Romolo Tavoni regained control of the conversation again, and Luigi settled back in his seat, unwilling to go against Peter. Peter watched Luigi for a moment, then leaned closer to Mike.

“Not that Enzo is fond of me either now. He doesn’t like Louise. Disagrees with me settling down. I’m starting to grow bored of Enzo and his temperament.”

“We’ll stick with it this year, then see if we can find some other team next year; maybe one of the British teams will finally be good enough to compete with Ferrari,” Mike muttered as he turned his attention to Tavoni again.

-

Mike used the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat dripping off his forehead. The Argentinian heat was blistering. He had just finished his practice lap and now had one place in mind during his break. With all the breath he could muster, he jogged into the hotel and up the stairs till he arrived at Peter’s room. Knowing it wouldn’t be locked, Mike opened the door and walked in.

“You look like you’ve been through it, Michael!” Louise’s voice rang out.

Louise Collins was an American actress comparable to Marilyn Monroe. Peter and Louise had only known each other a few days before tying the knot, much to the dismay of Peter’s family. However, Mike admired their love and devotion towards each other. He enjoyed spending as much time with the pair as he could during the Grand Prix weekends.

“Where is Peter?” Mike asked Louise, greeting her by gently kissing the side of her head.

“I’ve just run him a bath; he’ll be getting in in a few minutes,” Louise said, watching Mike with surprise as he walked past her and into the bathroom.

Mike settled into the bath as he felt hot and sticky, sighing in delight as the cool water washed away his agitation. He had no concern about his clothes being soaked from the water.

Mike closed his eyes and relaxed into the water, and after a minute, he heard the door open.

“This was not the sight I expected for my bath,” a joyful voice called out. Mike peeked his eye open and smiled widely as he saw Peter before him, grinning at Mike.

“Sorry, old chap, but I desperately needed it,” Mike cheekily replied; however, Peter’s eyes twinkled.

“Mind, I might join you; I desperately need it!”

“He’s not kidding, Michael!” Louise called from the hotel living room.

“Right then!” Mike said, suddenly leaping up from the bath and spilling water everywhere.

Mike chased Peter around the hotel while Louise sat back, shaking her head and laughing at the two boys messing around.

-

Farnham was Mike’s home, and his favourite pub in the area was ‘The Barley Mow’. Whenever he was back in town, his friends would go with him for a few pints. They were at the bar, waiting for Mike to return and join them. Yet Mike felt frozen as he stared at the now blood-tinted urinal. When most of the blood had disappeared down the drain, Mike was able to avert his eyes, but the stabbing pain in his kidney lingered.

Nearly every bathroom trip would bring pain, but that didn’t make it any easier. Mike’s hands shook as he reached for the door handle, and he felt incredibly cold, but Mike plastered a smile on his face and walked back out to the bar to greet his friends.

He sat with them at the bar, joking and drinking, but Mike felt someone’s gaze lingering on his back. He glanced around and spotted an older man glaring at Mike with a scar on his cheek.

Mike nodded to the man, but he didn’t return it. He only glared at Mike.

Frowning, Mike turned away from the man and continued drinking the pint handed to him.

When they were finally ready to go, Mike got up from his seat and found the man standing between him and the doorway with his arms crossed.

“You’re that pillock what killed those people in France, ain't’ you.”

Mike grimaced as he felt the heat rise in his cheeks.

“That was an accident,” Mike bites back, but the man shook his head.

“Yeah, and you have been running away from your national service. I fought for this country and nearly gave my life for it just for bastards like you to run away. You ain’t nothing but a coward.”

Mike’s fingers curled into his palms, his nails digging into the skin of his hands. His arm etched to swing at the man’s face, to shout at him that it wasn’t his fault, that he couldn’t control this, but his friends had already stepped up to Mike, grasping his arm and trying to drag him out of the pub.

“Don’t listen to him, Mike; he’s a drunkard just wanting to start a fight. It’s not worth it.”

Mike let himself be guided out of the pub and into his car, trying to forget the man, but he could hear in the distance swearing and cussing Mike out.

-

Peter and Mike sat around the back of the pits; Mike puffed away at his pipe. He kept looking around at the public, glancing into the crowds of people turning up, scrutinising them.

“You need to stop worrying, Mike; it won’t do you any good at the race,” Peter said as he watched Mike visibly tense, thinking he spotted something.

“I can’t; she might bring him around here again. She did last year,” Mike muttered.

“That’s before you knew he was your son. And now you pay the support for him because you saw he was your son- “

“Dressed him up exactly like me, yes,” Mike muttered darkly, “It’s a good thing he wasn’t seen by many people, or they all would know I have a son. It’s not something I want broadcasting to the world.”

Mike sighed, pulled the pipe out of his mouth, and turned to look at Peter.

“That brings me to a question, chap. You are still up for pooling our winnings together, aren’t you? I know you are just as good at this circuit as I am. We can get first and second, and I could really use the money from this race to pay the child support,” Mike admitted.

“Of course, mon ami mate. You don’t need to ask. It’s our deal, and it will stay our deal,” Peter replied, putting his hand on Mike’s knee and shaking it.

“Now give me your pipe.”

Mike and Peter sat there chatting when their other teammate for the race, Luigi, approached them.

“Hello, Luigi,” Peter said as he saw Luigi's approach.

Luigi was pale. He was fidgeting with his hands, unable to properly look at Mike and Peter.

“I have a favour to ask of you two,” he admitted, his cheeks flushed as Mike raised an eyebrow at him.

“What is it, old bean?” Peter asked.

“I am determined to win today's race, but if I don’t…would you two please consider giving me the money you get from the race,” Luigi asked quietly. “I promise to pay you back! When I can, only for now, I need all the money I can get. It would do me a great favour; I won’t forget it.”

Mike and Peter glanced at each other in surprise and foreboding as Luigi continued to rant.

“That’s an awfully big favour to ask…” Peter said, trailing off.

Mike could tell Peter felt conflicted, but whatever problems Luigi had, he had his own that he needed to pay.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t. We need the money as much as you do,” Mike told Luigi, with Peter slowly nodding.

“Please, as friends, I really need it,” Luigi cried, clutching his hands and shaking them at Mike and Peter. Mike looked around, embarrassed, hoping no one would see Luigi in this emotional state.

“Can’t you ask Tavoni for an advance of your salary? Ferrari likes you; he might permit it,” Peter suggested.

Luigi's nostrils flared as he sneered at the two Englishmen.

“I won’t forget this,” he barked, storming off towards the Ferrari pits.

“Do you think that was the right thing to do?” Peter asked quietly, leaning back in his chair.

“It’s all we could do,” Mike replied, frowning.

-

The race was going well for Mike. He’d always had good luck at the French Grand Prix. He was in first place, with his teammate Luigi Musso close behind him. But Luigi’s driving was off. He was being reckless, swerving too sharply, trying everything to catch up on Mike.

Mike took the bend that was coming up fast, and he was able to pick up some pace on it. He glanced in his mirror to see how close Musso was to him but gasped as he saw Luigi’s car sidewards on the road, disappearing from Mike’s view in a cloud of smoke.

On the next lap, Mike tried to look at where Luigi had crashed, but he could only see a helicopter flying over the area. All Mike could do was press on and hope that Luigi got lucky and survived that crash.

-

Mike won the Grand Prix, and he got the money he needed. People crowded around him, trying to congratulate him, but Mike pushed past them, muttering a quick thanks as he approached the pits to find out about Luigi. As Mike entered the garage, all he could see were mournful faces. Peter was waiting there, and he could see Peter’s smile waver as he looked at him. He hugged Mike and patted him on the back, congratulating him.

“Luigi?” Mike said hesitantly.

“He’s gone to the hospital; it’s serious. Louise has got a car ready to take us there.”

Hastily, Mike, Peter and Louise rushed to the hospital in the car, desperate to hear any news about their teammate. Mike told them on the journey just how eccentrically Luigi had been racing. Neither he nor Peter mentioned anything from the conversation earlier.

When they reached the hospital, Ferrari team leader Romolo Tavoni was outside. His eyes were red and puffy, and in a flat voice, he told them that Luigi Musso had died.

“Shit,” Mike muttered, looking down at the ground, his lips twisted.

“He was racing like a madman, taking way too many risks. It was unlike him. Lost control of the car, went over the edge.” Mike added.

“Why was he driving like a lunatic on the road?” Peter asked Tavoli.

Tavoli opened his mouth and closed it again, searching for the right words.

“Luigi, he had…money problems. He owed a lot of money to people who were not too friendly. They had told him if he didn’t give them the money soon, they would…Well, you can understand why he was desperate.”

Peter swore under his breath, looking to the ground. Mike felt the blooming blossom of guilt spread through his chest as he remembered their conversation this morning.

“If he had told us why he needed the money, we could have…” Peter muttered quietly to Mike after Tavoli had left them.

Mike only shook his head, knowing what had happened weighing heavily on his shoulders.

“There’s nothing we can do now.”

-

Mike, Peter, and Louise were relaxing in a hotel room. It was practice day, and Mike and Peter were only needed occasionally, so every hour or so, they would stroll out of the room, go to the course, race a few laps and then come back to the hotel room and lie around.

Louise, who felt like she had to go to all of Pete’s races to ensure he would be okay, had been making them food and reading her book while Mike lay on their bed and watched the TV he was fascinated by. Peter played with a metal lock puzzle that Mike had gifted to him. There, they all sat in a comfortable silence.

Eventually, Louise excused herself to go on a little walk outside for some fresh air, leaving Mike and Peter to themselves. The TV program Mike was watching finished, so he switched it off, and Peter figured out the puzzle and placed it on the side.

“I think you might have it this year, Mike. I really do. Stirling is good, yet he just isn’t as consistent as you are,” Peter told Mike, leaning back in his chair and watching Mike.

“There’s still a few more races left; Stirling has plenty of chances to catch up in points. He nearly has, you know.”

Peter smiled and said, “Yeah, but he’s not you. Though there’s always next year.”

Mike felt a shudder race up his body as he thought of racing next year, and the phantom pain of his kidney started to ache again. Mike swallowed, feeling his skin pale. Peter, observant, picked up on Mike’s suddenly strained expression.

“Are you thinking of retiring? Surely not Mike. To leave me without my mon ami mate?” Peter said, leaning forward to try and read Mike’s facial expressions.

Mike refused to look at Peter. He pulled himself off the bed and started to pace around the room.

“No, it’s not that, Peter, it’s just… well, I might not have a choice, old chap.”

Peter’s face showed confusion as he watched Mike pace around anxiously.

“What do you mean?”

Mike could feel the words caught in his throat, admitting something he had only told a rare few about. Something he was trying to push to the back of his mind as much as he could.

“I have this…medical problem. My kidney,” Mike started to say.

“You’re chronic issue? But you said that only plays up occasionally.”

“You see, chap, I haven’t been entirely truthful. It’s a disease. I had one of my kidneys removed a few years ago, and now the other one has started to…well…you know. Some days, I feel so weak that it hurts to move, let alone race. And then there’s the blackouts. I pass out, briefly…without control.”

Mike finally stopped pacing. His throat choked up, and his eyes were cloudy with tears. He looked at Peter, whose lips parted, and his skin had become pale as he sat there wordless.

“I worry it could happen when I race. I don’t want to give up the sport, but the doctors say I only have a few years left. Why gamble away what precious life I have remaining? At least, that’s what they think. Well, you know what I think, sod that and live what little life I have left to the full. Still…if I don’t win the Championship this year, I doubt I’ll be able to win it again.”

Silence broke out in the hotel room. Mike was too anxious to say anymore, and Peter was too distraught by finding out his friend's perilous situation. After a few minutes, Peter slowly stood up and moved from his seat over to Mike, who clutched his shaking hands. Peter wrapped his arm around Mike’s shoulder and pulled him close to hug him.

“Mike, I’ll do everything possible to get you this world championship. You deserve it.”

Mike felt his cheeks heat up, and he shook his head.

“If you played your cards right, you could have a chance. You don’t need to go out of your way to help me.”

“I’ve got plenty of years to win a world championship. If you will be leaving soon, I am getting you yours, and there is no arguing about it, old bean.”

“Well then, I am sure to win!” Mike said, trying to laugh and smile for Peter. “Now that sounds like something to toast; how about a beer from the bar?”

“Couldn’t have put it better myself!”

-

Mike’s mouth curved into a smile as he watched Peter sleep.

‘He is the one that won’t die,’ Mike thought as he observed Peter's peaceful appearance.

Mike had woken up and naturally gone straight to Peter’s and Louise’s room. Louise had told him Peter was still asleep and joked that Mike should be the one to wake him up. This happened when Peter’s eyes slowly opened, and then he shot up in bed and swore at Mike, realising he had been watching him sleep. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he grinned at Peter’s reaction.

“Come on. It’s a nice bright morning and time for you to get up!”

Groaning, Peter got up, put on his dressing gown, and then collapsed back into his bed again as he worked on another one of his puzzles. Shaking his head at Peter, Mike grinned and then sat down on the bed to relax.

Mike and Peter called for breakfast, which Louise kindly brought them, and then lunch later as they lazed around. A few other drivers came in and out, offering help to Peter on his puzzle, but he turned them all down. He was determined to finish this himself.

Mike had long since given up trying to figure out any of the puzzles Peter randomly had.

Just before they were due to go down to the German Grand Prix, Peter suddenly shouted,

“I’ve done it!”

“Jolly good! If I take it to bits, do you think I could do it?” Louise asked, but Peter’s eyes bulged.

“Don’t touch it! I’ve done it, and it can stay like that so I can show everybody!” Peter stated as he stood up and proudly placed the puzzle on the hotel closet top, only for Mike to grab it straight off.

“Why don’t I have a go at it?” Mike joked, holding it high enough with his arms that Peter struggled to grasp it back. He laughed briefly at Peter before finally returning it to him.

“Come on, you better get into your racing gear and join me as I head down. The sooner we get this German race over with, the better,” Mike said, zipping up his British green bomber jacket.

It wasn’t long until they were in their cars, racing around the dangerous German tracks. Though every race brought its own sense of danger, the German track, the Nürburgring, was one of the worst. The rough corners could send someone flying or crashing through the trees next to the track, and it was hard for marshals to reach points of the track.

Mike could see Peter ahead of him, and ahead of Peter was Tony Brooks, Stirling Moss’s teammate at Vanwall. If Tony could keep Mike and Peter behind him, Stirling would have a chance to become world champion.

Mike was waiting for Peter to try to catch up to Tony and overtake, but Peter had not managed it. Instead, he kept driving on the edge of the track, waiting for Mike to overtake, yet Mike wasn’t close to overtaking. And so, they carry on in this line until they reach a corner of the Nürburgring.

Mike watched Peter peacefully enjoying this race. They reached a turn in the track, and Mike’s eyes widened slightly as he saw Peter’s wheels go off the track and onto the grass.

Silly of him

But then he felt his heart clench as Peter’s car turned and flipped over from hitting the grass side of the track. In horror, Mike watched as the car tumbled, and Peter was thrown from the car and landed out of Mike’s eyesight.

Everything played in slow motion.

Mike slammed on the brakes as fast as he could and pulled to the side of the track. He was hyperventilating, unable to breathe as the image of Peter’s body falling from the car repeated over and over in his mind. Mike tried to look back, hoping against hope he would see Peter standing there waving at him, but all he could see was a cloud of smoke and dust.

What should I do? Do I go on? I can’t leave Peter here. This is serious. But what use am I now? Maybe I should go to the pits and see if they know anything by then. No, that will worry Louise.

Mike started driving again, deciding to do another lap and then go into the pits for information. He was of no use to Peter like this. He was still breathing hard, and his hands clutched the wheel of his Ferrari tightly. He didn’t care if he lost. He needed to know how Peter was. Nothing else went through his mind as he drove around automatically.

Only a few miles from the pit, Mike’s car started to give up. He managed to park the car near where some marshals were and a telephone to the pits was. Mike ran over to the Marshalls desperately.

“Can you call the pits? I need to know how my teammate is. He was in a crash.”

A sick feeling rose in his throat as he paced, unable to keep still as they awaited news.

At long last, a response came back from the pits. Peter was alright, a bit bruised, but alright.

Relief washed through Mike at their words. Now, though, was the trouble of getting back to the pits.

After a while, a German offered Mike a lift in his car, and as they were driving back, they went past the accident scene. Mike implored the driver to stop, and he got out where Peter had crashed.

His car, helmet, glove, and shoe were still there, upside down. Mike picked up the helmet and inspected it. There was a pierced hole in it, but no blood.

He then decided to enquire to the Germans about what had happened, and dread filled his body as they started to describe the awful accident and how badly Peter was hurt. Then another one interrupted them, saying it was rubbish and that Peter was okay, that he had gone to the hospital with a broken arm.

However, his worry for Peter was all renewed in Mike again, and he wanted to see Peter as soon as possible.

When he arrived at the pits, he was told that Louise and Travoni had already left for the hospital. There was nothing he could do but wait around, anxious to hear any news. Mike had flown to the race, so he had no car to drive there; luckily, a friend, Harry Schell, appeared and offered Mike a lift.

Swiftly, Mike packed his belongings and Peter and Louise’s belongings into the Mercedes car.

A friend, Seidle and his wife were sitting by their car in the courtyard when Mike and Harry pulled up to the hospital.

“How’s Peter?” Mike asked, desperate.

“Peter is dead.”

Mike’s heart dropped. Ice pierced it and froze his skin as the blood drained from his face. The world crumbled around him, and he couldn’t quite believe it. Peter couldn’t be dead. They had said he was fine. It was a broken arm.

Without thinking, Mike rushed into the hospital, which was already full of reporters. They turned to stare but then parted, letting Mike through.

There, he saw Travoni and Louise. Travoni was doing his best to comfort Louise as she sobbed, her heartbreaking cries echoing off the walls. Mike’s eyes met Louise's, and in that moment, the enormity of what happened crashed down on him. Peter was gone.

Mike spoke to Louise and reassured her before going to see Peter himself.

Needing to see Peter.

When he reached the room, his body screamed to turn around, yet the Doctor opened the door, and Mike followed him. There, the body lay with a white cloth pulled over it. Slowly, Mike approached and watched the Doctor pull the sheet down, showing Peter’s face.

He looked peaceful, asleep like he had earlier that day when Mike had woken him up. Mike wanted to shake Peter and tell him to wake up again, to stop scaring everyone like that, but he knew he couldn’t. That sickly feeling tightened Mike’s throat, and he ran out of the room so that he wouldn’t throw up.

In the hallway, he collapsed against the wall. He felt weak, unable to hold himself up any longer. Mike slipped to the floor, and the tears freely sprung out of his eyes. His sobs echoed. He held his shaking hand to his mouth, but even that couldn’t hide the sound of his heartbreaking cries. Mike was vaguely aware Tavoni was watching him; however, he didn’t care to hide his emotions anymore. He had lost one of the people that mattered most to him. He mourned the loss of his best friend, of his mon ami mate.

-

The plane finally arrived at Heathrow, and though he was back in England, Mike didn’t want to move from his seat. Louise sat beside him, a scarf pulled over her hair, sunglasses covering her eyes, and she held a handkerchief to her mouth, trying to hide the sounds of her sniffs from crying. She didn’t want to move either.

But they knew they had to leave. They had to face the reality of Peter’s death. It was only a few days now till the funeral.

They were the last to leave the plane, hoping the press would have given up and left. But the journalists had been waiting for a moment to pounce, to get an exclusive interview with Mike on how his best friend died.

Knowing this harassment wouldn’t stop until he said something, and knowing Louise didn’t deserve to be harassed, Mike stopped to give a small interview while Louise could quickly hurry to the car arranged to pick them up.

“I am taking a few days off, and I am taking Louise back to Peter’s parents,” Mike told them, trying to stifle the tears.

Of course, they asked him about the crash, and though Mike didn’t want to remember any of it, in fear of breaking down, he felt he owed it to at least explain his side of it. He tried to fight back the tears but knew he was reaching his breaking point.

“There was a little dip, and Peter went into that; then a sharp right-hand bend. He took it a little too wide and didn’t turn into it soon enough. His car hit the bank and turned over. I don’t know what speed he was going at. I think Peter wanted me to overtake him so I could take the lead, but I was trying to hold back so we could catch up with Stirling's teammate, Tony Brooks.” Mike told them, feeling his throat start to choke up. He clutched his hands together, wringing them to try and calm himself down, but it wasn’t working.

“As a driver, he was definitely one of the best, and as a friend – well, he was my friend. He always put others before himself, and you could always rely on him, especially for a laugh. It’s a bit darker without him.” Mike added on. He tried to concentrate, but his chin wobbled, and he could feel the tears slipping down his cheeks as he stared into the distance.

He could hardly speak. Mike pulled out a handkerchief and held it to his mouth to keep the sobs in as microphones were thrust in front of him.

“Will you race again?” a journalist asked.

“If Ferrari wants me to, I will. I am due to race in the Portuguese Grand Prix in two weeks, but personally, I am not very interested.”

Mike shook his head and used the handkerchief to rub some of the tears on his cheek away.

“Dam silly of me,” he muttered, nodding at the journalists to signal he was done giving an interview.

“So sorry,” he whispered as he walked down the corridor to where Louise Collins was waiting. She took his hand and led him to the car she had found where they could quickly escape.

-

Mike stood on the winner's podium, a smile pulling at his tight lips as he accepted the world champion trophy. Everyone cheered and shouted at him, but inside, Mike couldn’t find the joy he was supposed to. He was proud, indeed, the first British world champion. He had proved himself, yet Mike felt exhausted. He was tired of the pain from his kidney, of the mental exhaustion of racing, tired of the constant tension and fear, and lonely because he knew there was an empty spot for someone who should be celebrating with him.

“Well done, Mike,” a light voice beside him said, and Mike turned to his world champion runner-up, Stirling Moss. Stirling looked exhausted too, the bald spot on his head already growing, his face marked with dirt; only where he had worn the goggles was clean.

Stirling was close to beating Mike to become Britain’s first world champion. However, he had shown Mike excellent sportsmanship behaviour by defending Mike at the last Grand Prix when he was being investigated by the FIA for potentially breaking the rules. If Stirling hadn’t gone to explain the situation and how Mike hadn’t broken the rules, he would be standing in Mike’s place now; however, like Peter, Stirling was a gentleman.

Romolo Tavoni came running up to Mike to help him hold the trophy.

“Ferrari called, and he offered his congratulations. Let's repeat this next year!”

“I’m not going to race next year.”

Mike said it without thinking, a frown pulling at his lips. But he was right. He wasn’t going to race next year. He had been debating it for a while, yet at this moment, he knew he had made up his mind. With his kidney issues, losing his best friend, and losing half of his team in this Championship, he didn’t want to continue racing. It was all too much. He had won his world championship, and that was all he needed. Now he could retire, run his dad’s garage, publish those children’s books he had started writing and maybe do some commentary. He could do lots with all the time he had left now that he was leaving the sport behind.

Tavoni only laughed at Mike’s remark. He didn’t believe that Mike was genuinely quitting. Or maybe he didn’t quite want to believe, knowing Ferrari’s reaction to the news.

Everyone wanted to celebrate with Mike, and he wouldn’t disappoint them. His fiancé, Jean Howard, ran up to Mike to hug and kiss him. She was telling him all the celebrations she had planned. He would try to enjoy all the parties and drink as much as he could now. But there was one thing he needed to do first before all else.

A telegram to Miss Louise Collins.

We have done it Mon Ami Matesses. Will write soon. Love Mon Ami Mate.

Michael.

-

Mike felt awful. He had woken up in a sweat; the pain of his kidney was worse today. All he wanted to do was lie in bed. But a promise was a promise, and he had told Louise he would drive up to London to see her. She had finally finished the theatre production she had rushed off to do after Peter’s death. Her way of distracting herself from the grief. Now they had agreed to meet to talk about everything that had happened since, to recount old times, and help sort through everything she owned of Peter’s. Mike knew he had to help her.

Before his main journey to London, Mike stopped into one of his main pub’s and found Duncan Hamilton sitting at the bar.

“Well, if it isn’t his royal highness,” Duncan joked, raising a glass to Mike who chuckled. A month ago, Mike had been invited to dine with the royal family, and he hadn’t stopped talking about it.

“Hello Duncan, can’t stop for long I’m afraid, off to London.”

“In this weather?”

“This is nothing! You know that, Duncan.”

Mike stayed for a drink then bid Duncan farewell as he was staying on at the pub to avoid the rain, but Mike needed to leave to see Louise.

He got into his pride and joy, his Jaguar car, and started driving down the Farnham roads to Guildford. The rain was awful, but it was nothing compared to some of the conditions he had to race in before.

A Mercedes car passed him while driving along the Hog’s Back. Glancing in annoyance, Mike noticed Rob Walker's familiar face in the car.

A brief memory flickered in his mind of Le Man’s, but he pushed it aside.

Determination gripped him.

I will show him the Jaguar, which is clearly a better car.

Even in the rain, Mike overtook Rob Walker’s Mercedes with ease. Rob pushed down on the accelerator, yet so did Mike. As it rained, they raced down the road, and Mike smiled to himself, enjoying the moment.

But his side was aching. He felt his heart constricting as he bit his lip, the pain increasing. In his vision, he could see a truck approaching on the other side of the road. As he tried to lighten his foot on the accelerator, his vision grew dark, and with the pain being too much, he passed out.

Rob watched in shock as Mike’s car suddenly swerved on the road before him. The car clipped a truck driving on the other side of the road and shot off into the thicket.

“What a silly fool!” Rob muttered and pulled over.

He ran up to the mangled car, which appeared torn in two. Rob was ready to tell Mike off for driving so recklessly, but as he opened the front door, he realised Mike was no longer in the front seat.

Pulling the back door open, Rob found Mike lying across the back seats as if he had been sleeping on them. A trickle of blood ran down his head, and Rob watched in shock as Mike gasped lightly and slowly, his eyes glazed over.

Only a few months after winning, the British World Champion was dead.

[klemcoll]

A Man of Tragedy

A Man of Tragedy

This is June 12, 1953 during practice at Le Mans for the 24 hour race. The car seen here is a Talbot Lago T26 GS and its driver standing next to it uses the nom de courseof Pierre Levegh. Levegh’s real name was Pierre Bouillin. He had adopted the racing name of Levegh because it had been used by an uncle who had been a racing driver in the earliest years of the sport. This Talbot Lago had been…

[karmaalwayswins]

Quentin Baillieux “Le Mans 1955: Deadly Competition” (2018)

Animated short film directed by Quentin Bailleux, featuring the tragic 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans.