The worst disaster in motorsport history. That’s how the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race will always be recalled.

Not many will remember Mike Hawthorn’s skillful driving that day; only the sudden manoeuvre that led to the cause of the crash. Few will remember the victory being the Jaguar D-Type’s first big win; only that the race prompted Mercedes-Benz to retire from motor racing until 1989. And no-one will remember the many moments of brilliance around the circuit in those 24 hours; only the scores of lives lost.

The disaster stunned the world and led to some countries banning motor racing altogether – the crash was directly in front of a densely packed crowd protected by nothing more than a few hay bales. Our artwork depicts Hawthorn’s winning number-6 D-Type powering towards the stretch of track where it all went wrong…