Sport: Death at Le Mans

There were two things that every good race driver in the world knew about the 24-hour Grand Prix of Endurance at Le Mans. France. First, it was still the supreme test of driving skill and sports-car durability. And second, it was growing increasingly risky because of the conglomeration of big cars, e.g., Mercedes, Ferrari, Jaguar, and little cars, e.g., Gordini, MG, Porsche, racing side by side on a strip that in some places is little wider than an old-fashioned two-lane U.S. highway. During the trials, the Mercedes team's Pierre Levegh, a 49-year-old veteran...

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