Most of the 1970 24 Heures du Mans was raced under heavy rain. At a quarter-to-two in the morning of Sunday, 15 June 1970, when the weather was still quite poor, Jacky Ickx's Ferrari 512S which he shared with Peter Schetty, experienced a brake lock-up and crashed at the Ford Chicane, hitting the barriers. The car crossed the minimal run-off area and plunged into the hay bales, being completely destroyed.
Despite the immediate intervention by rescuers, the body of Jacques Argoud, a marshal located at that point of the circuit, was found only after the wreck was removed. The unfortunate man, who was then sleeping behind hay bales, was hit by the out of control car. He was killed almost instantly and was transferred by ambulance to hospital. In the same vehicle was also taken Jacky Ickx, who was reported to be very upset. The Belgian who was in 2nd place at the moment, carrying Ferrari's last hopes of beating Porsche in the 1970 24 Heures du Mans and had already complained of feeling tired, was not injured.
Jacques Argoud, thirty-seven-year old from Bar le Duc, Meuse, France, was the sales manager of a Renault dealership in Saint-Brieuc. His father Jean Argoud was a car enthusiast who managed a Citroën dealership and a Simca garage in Verdun before moving to Saint-Brieuc. Jacques Argoud became a race car driver, competing in rallies and regional hillclimbs in a Renault 8 Gordini in the 1960s. As a prominent member of the Écurie Armor he was one of the organizers of the Course de Côte de Saint-Goueno and the Rallye d'Armor.
Jacques Argoud was survived by his wife Marcelle and their three sons of 18, 17 and 15 years of age. After the tragedy, Jacky Ickx appeared promptly to offer assistance to the family, including support for education of the children but at the time Mrs. Argoud refused.
Almost in the same place, another huge accident had occurred during practice. Dieter Spoerry's Porsche 908/02 collided with Jack Brabham's Matra-Simca MS650, hit the guardrail and was broken in two. The driver came off by the cockpit and was completely unhurt, having just lost his shoes in the crash.
R.I.P
