Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Le Mans crash: Aston Martin racing driver Allan Simonsen killed in high-speed crash

The Dane was taking part in the race for the seventh time when his car spun off the track

Danish racing driver Allan Simonsen
Danish racing driver Allan Simonsen
Getty
A top racing driver was killed today when his Aston Martin spun off the track at Le Mans.
Allan Simonsen, 34, was fatally injured in the high-speed crash.
His car hit a safety barrier, demolishing the car on the fourth lap of the endurance race at the Tertre Rouge bend.
Simonsen was reported to be awake and talking with medics, but was taken to the hospital where he later died.
The cause of the crash in western France is being investigated.
The Dane was racing at 24 hour Le Mans race for the seventh time. Simonsen was part of the Aston Martin Racing team.
Allan Simonsen crash during Le Mans
Shocking: Allan Simonsen crash
 
Security members work near the car of Denmark's Allan Simonsen
Track officials at the scene of the crash
Reuters
 
A spokesman for the Le Mans organisers said: “In a serious condition, Allan Simonsen was transferred immediately to the Circuit Medical Centre where he died soon after due to his injuries.
“His family has been informed immediately by David Richards, principal of Aston Martin Racing.
“The Automobile Club de l’Ouest wishes to express its great sadness following this incident, and extends its deepest condolences to the family and those close to Allan Simonsen.”
His death is the first Le Mans 24 Hours fatality since Sebastien Enjolras was killed in an accident during pre-qualifying heats in 1997.
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Allan Simonsen (racing driver)

Simonsen driving an Aston Martin Vantage GTE at the test session prior to the2012 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After beginning his career in karting, Simonsen moved to cars in 1999, winning the Danish Formula Ford Championship. He raced in Formula Palmer Audi in 2000, before moving to German Formula 3 and Formula Renault 2.0 UK in 2001.[5]
Simonsen moved to sports car racing for 2002, driving a Ferrari 360 for Veloqx Motorsport in the British GT Championship. He began racing in Australia in 2003, driving in the Australian Nations Cup Championship, and in the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercar events. Simonsen's best Bathurst result came in 2011, when he finished third for Kelly Racing driving alongside Greg Murphy.[6] Simonsen won the Australian GT Championship in 2007 and finished second in 2008.
Simonsen placed fourth in the 2007 Le Mans Series season, in a partial season driving a Porsche 911 GT3 for Virgo Motorsport, which included a GT2 class win in the Nürburgring 1000.[7] He drove Ferraris for Team Farnbacher in the Le Mans Series and various international series from 2008 through 2011. During that time, Simonson won the GT2 class at the 2009 1000 km of Okayama with Dominik Farnbacher and the SP7 class in the 2010 24 Hours Nürburgring with Farnbacher, Leh Keen, and Marco Seefried. He participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans seven times between 2007 and 2013, finishing on the GT2 class podium twice: third in 2007 and second in 2010.

Death[edit]

Within the first ten minutes of his seventh Le Mans[8] Simonsen spun his No. 95 Aston Martin Vantage GTE at the Tertre Rouge corner and impacted the crash barriers on the outside of the corner.[3][4]He was extricated from the car, reportedly conscious,[9] before being taken to the on-site medical centre where he succumbed to his injuries.[10] His death was the first such racing incident during a 24 Hours of Le Mans race since Jo Gartner died in a 1986 crash, while French driver Sébastien Enjolras died more recently in a pre-qualifying session accident in 1997.[10]
Race officials raised a Danish flag at half mast over the circuit's podium during the race in honor of Simonsen. Fellow Danish driver Tom Kristensen won the race overall and dedicated his team's victory to the memory of Allan Simonsen.[11]

Career results[edit]

SeasonSeriesPositionCarTeam
1999Danish Formula Ford Championship1stVan Diemen RF99 Ford
2000Formula Palmer Audi11thVan Diemen PA AudiTeam Brask
2001British Formula Renault Championship26thTatuus FR2000 RenaultPBR Racing
2003Australian Nations Cup Championship8thFerrari 360 ChallengeMaranello Motorsport
2003V8 Supercar Championship Series67thHolden VX CommodoreGarry Rogers Motorsport
2004Australian Nations Cup Championship7thFerrari 550 GT2Maranello Motorsport
2004Australian Nations Cup Championship Trophy Class3rdFerrari 360 ChallengeMaranello Motorsport
2004V8 Supercar Championship Series52ndHolden VY CommodoreGarry Rogers Motorsport
2005V8 Utes Series10thFord BA Falcon XR8 UteCoopers Pale Ale Racing Team
2005V8 Supercar Championship Series57thHolden VY CommodorePerkins Engineering
2006FIA GT3 European Championship15thFerrari F430 GT3JMB Racing
2006FIA GT Championship GT2 Class38thFerrari F430 GT3Scuderia Ecosse
2006Australian GT Championship11thFerrari 360 GTConsolidated Chemical Racing Team
2006V8 Supercar Championship Series46thFord BA FalconTriple Eight Race Engineering
2007Australian GT Championship1stFerrari 360 GT
Ferrari F430 GT3		Consolidated Chemical Racing Team
Mark Coffey Racing
2007Le Mans Series LM GT2 Class4thFerrari F430 GT3Virgo Motorsport
2007British GT Championship GT3 Class10thFerrari F430 GT3Christians in Motorsport
2007V8 Supercar Championship Series25thFord BF FalconTriple Eight Race Engineering
2008FIA GT Championship GT1 Class11thAston Martin DBR9Gigawave Motorsport
2008Australian GT Championship2ndFerrari F430 GT3Maranello Motorsport
2008British GT Championship GT3 Class7thFerrari F430 GT3Christians in Motorsport
2008Le Mans Series LM GT2 Class17thPorsche 997 GT3-RSRTeam Farnbacher
2008American Le Mans Series GT2 Class23rdFerrari F430 GT3Tafel Racing
2009Le Mans Series LM GT2 Class7thFerrari F430 GT3Team Farnbacher
2009British GT Championship GT3 Class4thFerrari F430 GT3Team Rosso Verde
2009Asian Le Mans Series LM GT2 Class1stFerrari F430 GT3Team Farnbacher
2009V8 Supercar Championship Series58thFord FG FalconTriple Eight Race Engineering
2009Australian GT Championship20thFerrari F430 GT3Maranello Motorsport
2009Le Mans Series LM GT2 Class106thPorsche 997 GT3 CupFarnbacher-Loles Racing
2010British GT Championship GT3 Class5thFerrari 430 ScuderiaTeam Rosso Verde
2010Le Mans Series LM GT2 Class17thFerrari F430 GTTeam Farnbacher
2010V8 Supercar Championship Series49thHolden VE CommodorePaul Morris Motorsport
2011Le Mans Series LM GTE Pro Class5thFerrari 458 GTCTeam Farnbacher
2011British GT Championship GT3 Class10thFerrari 430 Scuderia
Ferrari 458 GTC		Team Rosso Verde
2011International V8 Supercars Championship32ndHolden VE CommodoreKelly Racing
Brad Jones Racing
2012International V8 Supercars Championship52ndFord FG FalconDick Johnson Racing
2012Australian GT Championship4thFerrari 458 GTMaranello Motorsport
2012British GT Championship GT3 Class12thFerrari 458 ItaliaTeam Rosso Verde

24 Hours of Le Mans results[edit]

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
2007Italy Autorlando Sport
Germany Farnbacher Racing		Germany Pierre Ehret
Denmark Lars-Erik Nielsen		Porsche 997 GT3-RSRGT230921st3rd
2008Germany Kruse Schiller MotorsportFrance Jean de Pourtales
Japan Hideki Noda		Lola B05/40-MazdaLMP2147DNFDNF
2009Germany Hankook Team FarnbacherGermany Dominik Farnbacher
San Marino Christian Montanari		Ferrari F430 GT2GT2183DNFDNF
2010Germany Hankook Team FarnbacherGermany Dominik Farnbacher
United States Leh Keen		Ferrari F430 GT2GT233612th2nd
2011Germany Hankook Team FarnbacherGermany Dominik Farnbacher
United States Leh Keen		Ferrari 458 Italia GTCGTE
Pro		137DNFDNF
2012United Kingdom Aston Martin RacingDenmark Christoffer Nygaard
Denmark Kristian Poulsen		Aston Martin Vantage GTEGTE
Am		31DNFDNF
2013United Kingdom Aston Martin RacingDenmark Christoffer Nygaard
Denmark Kristian Poulsen		Aston Martin Vantage GTEGTE
Am		2DNFDNF
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