DRIVER HURT
Crash In Le Mans Trial
(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) LE MANS.
An American racing driver, Walter Hansgen, was seriously hurt when his Ford crashed into a sand barrier during trials for the Le Mans 24-hour sports car race on Saturday. It took 20 minutes to disentangle Hansgen from the wrecked car. He was given oxygen and taken to hospital suffering multiple injuries. The car skidded at high speed on a track made slippery by rain. Hansgen tried to steer it down an escape road, but hurtled into the sand barrier. Le Mans, the world’s most famous motor, endurance race, takes place on June 18 and 19. Just before the accident, Hansgen put up the fastest lap time thus far in one of the huge American Fords, going round the 8.5-mile circuit in 3min 48.6 sec, for an average of about 132 miles an hour.
Fords this year are challenging Ferraris’ supremacy in sports car racing. Ferrari is not taking part in this week-end’s trials because its new prototypes are not yet ready.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CV, Issue 31027, 5 April 1966, Page 20
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173DRIVER HURT Press, Volume CV, Issue 31027, 5 April 1966, Page 20
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