Allan Simonsen (racing driver)
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Allan Simonsen (born July 5, 1978 in Odense , † June 22, 2013 in Le Mans , France ) was a Danish automobile racing driver who also raced with an Australian license .
Career
Kart and formula racing (1989-2001)
Simonsen began his motorsport career in karting in 1989 and remained active in this sport until 1998. Among other things, he was Nordic ICA champion in 1994. In 1999 he switched to the single-seater racing and entered the Danish Formula Ford to. He won five out of twelve races in 1999 and won the championship. In addition, he took part in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and finished eleventh and he entered a Dutch Formula Ford race.
In 2000 Simonsen started in the Formula Palmer Audi and won one of 20 races. He finished the season in eleventh place. In 2001 Simonsen couldn't find a cockpit for a full season. He took part in eight races of the German Formula 3 championship and five races of the British Formula Renault .
Gran Turismo and V8 Supercar (2002-2013)
In 2002 Simonsen switched to GT racing and took part in four races of the British GT championship for Veloqx Motorsport . In 2003 Simonsen left Europe and moved to Australia. He took part in a Ferrari 360 Challenge in the Australian Nations Cup Championship and was eighth in the GT classification and second in Group 2. He also made his debut in the V8 Supercars and took part in two races in this series. In 2004 Simonsen stayed in the Australian Nations Cup Championship and improved to seventh place in the GT standings with a win. In addition, he won nine races in the Trophy classification in nine starts and came third in this class. In addition to two other starts in the V8 Supercars, he returned to the British GT Championship for four races and was on the podium once.
After the termination of the Australian Nations Cup Championship, Simonsen switched to the V8 Ute Racing Series in 2005 . He won four races and finished the season in tenth place in the drivers' championship. He also took part in two V8 Supercars races again. He also made his debut in the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES) and took part in two races in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS for James Watt Automotive. In 2006 Simonsen was active in five racing series in Europe and Australia. He was most successful in the FIA GT3 European Championship and the Australian GT Championship, in which he was eleventh overall. He won one race in the GT3 European Championship and three in the Australian GT Championship. In the Le Mans Series he took part in four races this season and reached the podium once in the LMGT2 category. In addition, he again took part in two V8 Supercars races and took part in a race in the FIA GT Championship .
In 2007 Simonsen won the Australian GT Championship with six wins in 21 races. In addition, he twice won the GT3 classification of the British GT Championship and was tenth overall. Simonsen took part in four races in the Le Mans Series. He was always on the podium in the LMGT2 ranking and won it once. In this year he also made his debut at 24-hour race at Le Mans . For Autorlando Sport he finished 21st in the final ranking together with Pierre Ehret and Lars-Erik Nielsen . Simonsen also took part in two V8 supercar races this season and won the Australian Tourist Trophy starting from pole position . In 2008 Simonsen did not consistently take part in the Australian GT Championship. He won eight starts in each race and was runner-up. Simonsen also achieved top 10 placings in the final classification in the GT3 class of the British GT Championship and the GT1 class of the FIA GT Championship. He again won the Australian Tourist Trophy and also once the LMGT2 classification of the Le Mans Series. He also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
In 2009 Simonsen was again active in various GT series. Together with Dominik Farnbacher , he won the Asian Le Mans Series (AsLMS). In the British GT Championship he won the GT3 classification twice and finished in fourth place. In the Le Mans Series he once reached the podium in the LMGT2 category. In 2010 Simonsen achieved fifth place in the GT3 class of the British GT Championship with a win. He also competed in the Le Mans Series all season and finished 17th in the LMGT2. In addition to a start in the V8 Supercars, he took part as a guest driver in two races of the Asian Porsche Carrera Cup . He was the first to cross the finish line. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans he finished twelfth in a Ferrari F430 GTC together with Farnbacher and Leh Keen . It was his best result in the race.
In 2011 Simonsen and Farnbacher reached fifth place in the newly created LM-GTE-Pro class. He also finished tenth in the GT3 class of the British GT Championship. He also competed in the V8 Supercars, the Le Mans 24-hour race and the Australian GT Championship, as well as a few individual events. With a third place in Bathurst , he achieved his only podium finish in the V8 Supercars. In 2012 Simonsen contested more races in the Australian GT Championship and thus achieved fourth place overall. He also won another race in a guest start in the Asian Porsche Carrera Cup. In the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) he won the GTE-Pro classification when he participated. In 2012 he also took part in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), where he competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans . He also took part in other individual races and started again in the V8 Supercars.
In 2013 Simonsen was signed up for Aston Martin Racing as a full-time driver for the WEC together with Christoffer Nygaard and Kristian Poulsen . At the season opener in Silverstone , the three drivers won the GTE-Am classification. They were eighth in the GT drivers' World Cup ahead of the Le Mans 24-hour race . In the early stages, Simonsen had an accident in which he suffered fatal injuries. Nicki Thiim was signed to replace Simonsen at Aston Martin Racing . In addition, Simonsen was active in the British and Australian GT championships as well as the ADAC GT Masters in 2013 and took part in several individual events.
Fatal accident at Le Mans
Allan Simonsen had an accident on June 22, 2013 on lap three of the Le Mans 24-hour race at around 3:09 p.m. local time. When accelerating out of the Tertre Rouge , Simonsen, who had been in the lead in his class up to that point, lost control of his Aston Martin Vantage on the partially wet track , turned 180 degrees and hit the guardrails that were not secured by the piles of tires with the passenger side. Shortly after the impact, he was initially still accessible. However, he died of cardiac arrest on the way to the Center médical du Circuit . Resuscitation attempts initiated by the racing doctor Dr. Alain Kind passed in vain.
Subsequent investigations at the point of impact at the accident site revealed that there was a tree immediately behind the guardrail. As a result, the guardrail could not deform and thus reduce the force of the impact. The impact was so hard that parts of the tree bark were torn off. At 5:59 p.m. Simonsen's death was announced in the press center. After the accident, discussions about the route safety of the Circuit des 24 Heures were rekindled. Since the accident occurred on a public road, the French authorities also investigated.
The funeral was held on July 2, 2013 Cathedral of Odense , his hometown instead. He was then buried in the local cemetery.
Personal
Simonsen was married to Carina Lundbye Hansen. The two have a daughter (* 2012). His brother Benny Simonsen is also a racing car driver.
statistics
Career stations
|
|
|
Le Mans results
| year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 |
 Autorlando Sport
|
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR |
 Pierre Ehret
|
 Lars-Eric Nielsen
|
Rank 21 | |
| 2008 |
Kruse Schiller Motorsport
|
Lola B05 / 40 |
 Jean de Pourtales
|
 Hideki Noda
|
failure | Gearbox damage |
| 2009 |
Hankook Team Farnbacher
|
Ferrari F430 GTC |
Dominik Farnbacher
|
 Christian Montanari
|
failure | malfunction |
| 2010 |
Hankook Team Farnbacher
|
Ferrari F430 GTC |
Dominik Farnbacher
|
 Leh Keen
|
Rank 12 | |
| 2011 |
Hankook Team Farnbacher
|
Ferrari 458 Italia GTC |
Dominik Farnbacher
|
Leh Keen
|
failure | malfunction |
| 2012 |
 Aston Martin Racing
|
Aston Martin Vantage GT2 |
Christoffer Nygaard
|
Kristian Poulsen
|
failure | |
| 2013 |
Aston Martin Racing
|
Aston Martin Vantage GT2 |
Christoffer Nygaard
|
Kristian Poulsen
|
failure | deadly accident |
Sebring results
| year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |
Blackboard Racing
|
Ferrari F430 GTC |
Pierre Ehret
|
Jim blackboard
|
Rank 15 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Markus Lüttgens: "Aston Martin: Thiim takes Simonsen's place". Motorsport-Total.com, August 14, 2013, accessed August 14, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c Arno Wester: Major safety deficiencies on the track were ignored in Motorsport aktuell from July 2, 2013, p. 3.
- ↑ Statement of Aston Martin , Statement Aston Martin accessed on June 22, 2013
- ↑ Michael Bridegroom: Dead? No, it can't be! in Motorsport Aktuell of June 25, 2013, issue 28, p. 16.
- ↑ Sächsische Zeitung of June 24, 2013, p. 12.
- ^ Spiegel Online Danish racing driver Allan Simonsen dies in Le Mans , accessed on June 24, 2013
- ↑ Arno Wester: Allan Simonsen - Racer with a Big Heart in Motorsport from July 2, 2013, p. 16.
- ↑ without author: buried in Odense in Motorsport aktuell from July 9, 2013, p. 20.
- ↑ “Benny Simonsen”. driverdb.com, accessed August 15, 2013 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Simonsen, Allan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Danish racing car driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 5th July 1978 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Odense , Denmark |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 22, 2013 |
| Place of death | Le Mans , France |