1955 World Sportscar Championship

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The 1955 World Sportscar Championship season was the third season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. It featured a series of six endurance races for sportscars, contested from 23 January to 16 October 1955.

Contents

The championship was won by Mercedes-Benz, the German manufacturer ending the dominance of Ferrari which had won both of the previous World Sportscar Championship titles.

Season summary

Mercedes-Benz won the championship with the 300 SLR Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR 1955.jpg
Mercedes-Benz won the championship with the 300 SLR
Ferrari placed second with the 750 Monza (pictured) and other models Ferrari Monza 750 Bj. 1955 - KF Blochle am 1981-08-15.jpg
Ferrari placed second with the 750 Monza (pictured) and other models
Jaguar placed third with the D-Type Jaguar D-type Paris 2010.jpg
Jaguar placed third with the D-Type
Maserati placed fourth with the A6GCS (pictured) & 300S 1954 Maserati A6 GCS.jpg
Maserati placed fourth with the A6GCS (pictured) & 300S
Aston Martin placed fifth with the DB3S Aston Martin DB3S - MM 2014 - (14219867693).jpg
Aston Martin placed fifth with the DB3S

The 1955 World Sports Car Championship was contested over a six race series. With legendary races such as the Mille Miglia and the RAC Tourist Trophy now part of an international race calendar, they were accompanied by the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring. The championship started in January, with a trip to Argentina for the 1000 km Buenos Aires and ended with an event new to the championship, the legendary road race, the Targa Florio. [1] As a result of the Le Mans disaster, both the 1000 km Nürburgring and the Carrera Panamericana were cancelled. [2]

The Championship was open for manufacturers, with works teams such as Scuderia Ferrari, Officine Alfieri Maserati, Daimler-Benz and Jaguar Cars leading the way, but the majority of the fields were made up of amateur or gentlemen drivers, often up against professional racing drivers with experience in Formula One.

Classes were split between closed cars (GT) and open cars (Sports), with further divisions due to engine displacement. The 1955 season was a very bittersweet one for Daimler-Benz, with their Mercedes-Benz 300 SLRs. After missing the opening two, non-European rounds, which allowed Ferrari to gain a 14-point head start on Mercedes, the German team joined the championship. Aided by an English journalist, Denis Jenkinson, Stirling Moss would romp to victory in the Mille Miglia. However the elation achieved by this English pairing, would be quickly subdued at Le Mans a month later, when Pierre Levegh’s 300 SLR would be launched into the air and into the crowd, killing more than 80 spectators. Daimler-Benz would withdraw from the race, and motor sport altogether at the end of the season. [3]

This difficult decision would be made a little easier when Moss, and John Fitch drove to victory at the Dundrod Circuit, winning the RAC Tourist Trophy. This race was marred by the deaths of three drivers. The victory put Mercedes back in the hunt for the championship. The last race of the season, the Targa Florio, would see Moss win again, this time aided by Peter Collins, ensuring the manufacturers title was won by the German marque.

Season results

Race results

DateRoundEventCircuit or LocationWinning driverWinning teamWinning carResults
23/01Rd. 1 Flag of Argentina.svg 1000km of Buenos Aires Autódromo Municipal-Avenida Paz Flag of Argentina.svg Enrique Sáenz Valiente
Flag of Argentina.svg José-Maria Ibanez
Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari 375 Plus Results
13/03Rd. 2 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg 12 Hours of Sebring Sebring International Raceway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Hawthorn
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Phil Walters
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg B. S. Cunningham Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jaguar D-Type Results
01/05Rd. 3 Flag of Italy.svg Mille Miglia Brescia-Rome-Brescia Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Stirling Moss
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Denis Jenkinson
Flag of Germany.svg Daimler Benz AG Flag of Germany.svg Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Results
11/06
12/06
Rd.4 Flag of France.svg 24 Hours of Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Hawthorn
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ivor Bueb
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jaguar Cars Ltd. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jaguar D-Type Results
18/09Rd. 5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg RAC Tourist Trophy Dundrod Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Stirling Moss
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg John Fitch
Flag of Germany.svg Daimler Benz AG Flag of Germany.svg Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Results
16/10Rd. 6 Flag of Italy.svg Targa Florio Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Stirling Moss
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Peter Collins
Flag of Germany.svg Daimler Benz AG Flag of Germany.svg Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Results

Championship standings

PosManufacturer Flag of Argentina.svg BUE Flag of the United States.svg SEB Flag of Italy.svg MMI Flag of France.svg LMS Flag of the United Kingdom.svg TTR Flag of Italy.svg TGA Total
1 Flag of Germany.svg Mercedes-Benz 88824
2 Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari 864(1)422 (23)
3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jaguar 8816
4 Flag of Italy.svg Maserati 4432(2)13 (15)
5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Aston Martin 639
6 Flag of Germany.svg Porsche 336
7 Flag of France.svg Gordini 22
8 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Austin-Healey 11

Note:

The cars

The following models contributed to the net championship point scores of their respective manufacturers.

References

  1. "World Sportscar Championship - Championships - Racing Sports Cars".
  2. Posthumus, Cyril (1961). World Sports Car Championship.
  3. "1955 Targa Florio: Two Brits Run Wild over the Sicilian Countryside".

Further reading