Today in 1919, English racer Lance Macklin was born. Lance Macklin didn’t win a string of championships or have very many fans in his lifetime. He did however do something few aspiring drivers ever have the opportunity to do – participate in a 24 Hours of Le Mans event.
Unfortunately, it was the 1955 Le Mans that saw the most devastating accident in motorsport history. What’s worse is that Macklin was in the car that was central to the collision. He survived, but dozens perished, with hundreds injured.
In many ways, it wasn’t his – or any other racer’s – fault. The track was designed for much slower races and by the 50s, cars were going three times faster than they were capable of going just 30 years before.
Anyway, Lance Macklin went on to race a few more times before meeting in another racing accident, where he finally decided to retire. His post-racing exploits were also rather unsuccessful. Poor guy.
