The accident at Le Mans in 1955 and its effects to this day
The year 1955 is remembered by many racing connoisseurs as the year of the biggest racing tragedy ever. The likeable gentleman driver P. Levegh (our picture shows him shortly before the accident together with the Mercedes race director Neubauer) had a serious accident and took many spectators with him to their deaths. The world was shocked and the reaction was immediate.
Governments and motorsport officials in all European countries initiated special measures to make similar disasters impossible in the future. Both France and Italy issued temporary general bans on road races with the intention of only allowing those courses that offered extensive safety measures, especially for spectators. In Germany, too, only racing events that met the stricter requirements of the ONS and OMK approval commissions were permitted. These reactions substantially changed the racing calendar for 1955, with the Rome Grand Prix, for example, being canceled, as was the World Championship race in Reims. Switzerland canceled the Swiss Grand Prix on the Bremgarten circuit in Bern. Interestingly, the World Championship round of the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring was not canceled, as the Eifel circuit was generally regarded as a "safety circuit".
Since then, racing has become much safer, with fatal accidents occurring only rarely. While practically all other countries lifted their restrictions, Switzerland never lifted the circuit racing ban imposed at the time, meaning that there are still no circuit races in Switzerland today. The Swiss Grand Prix was held abroad, e.g. in Dijon, as were the Swiss racing car championships, which held their circuit races on foreign circuits. In view of the changed framework conditions and the high level of safety now achieved in motor racing, a change in the law in Switzerland would be appropriate.
