Allan Simonsen (racing driver)
Allan Simonsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Allan Weel Simonsen 5 July 1978 Odense, Denmark |
| Died | 22 June 2013 (aged 34) Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France |
| Occupation | Professional racing driver |
| Years active | 1999–2013 |
| Known for | Competing in 24 Hours of Le Mans; Australian GT Championship champion (2007) |
Allan Weel Simonsen (5 July 1978 – 22 June 2013) was a professional racing driver from Odense, Denmark. He tragically lost his life following an accident during the third lap of the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance event.
Career
Simonsen’s motorsport journey began in karting, where he competed alongside future Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen. He transitioned to car racing in 1999, capturing the Danish Formula Ford Championship that year. His early single-seater experience included stints in Formula Palmer Audi (2000), German Formula 3, and the Formula Renault 2.0 UK series (2001).
In 2002, Simonsen shifted focus to sports car racing, piloting a Ferrari 360 with Veloqx Motorsport in the British GT Championship. The following year, he competed in Australia driving a Ferrari 360 Challenge for Mark Coffey Racing, securing 8th place overall in the Australian Nations Cup Championship and finishing as runner-up in Group 2. Additionally, he achieved an 8th place finish at the 2003 Bathurst 24 Hour behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Diablo GTR. In 2004, he earned third place in the Trophy Class and seventh overall in the Australian Nations Cup while driving a Ferrari 550 Millennio.
Simonsen also took part in prominent Australian V8 Supercar events such as the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000. His most notable Bathurst performance came in 2011 when he finished third alongside Greg Murphy for Kelly Racing, driving a Holden VE Commodore. He claimed the Australian GT Championship title in 2007 with Ferrari vehicles and was runner-up in the series in 2008.
At the 2011 Sprint Bathurst event, Simonsen recorded an exceptional lap time of 2:04.95 around Mount Panorama Circuit. This effort surpassed any previous V8 Supercar lap by two seconds and was comparable to times set by Formula 3 cars. Although initially questioned by officials, the lap time was ultimately validated through manual timing and team telemetry.
In endurance competitions, Simonsen finished fourth overall in the 2007 Le Mans Series while driving a Porsche 911 GT3 for Virgo Motorsport, which included a GT2 category victory at the Nürburgring 1000 km race. Between 2008 and 2011, he raced Ferraris for Team Farnbacher across various international series, achieving wins such as the GT2 class at the 2009 Okayama 1000 km and the SP7 class at the 2010 Nürburgring 24 Hours. Over seven appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2007 to 2013, he secured two podium finishes in GT2: third place in 2007 and second place in 2010.
Death
During the ninth minute of the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, on his third lap,[1] Simonsen was leading the LMGTE Am category driving his No. 95 Aston Martin Vantage GTE. At Tertre Rouge corner, his vehicle experienced instability while accelerating through the bend.[2] Attempting to correct this, his car suddenly veered left and collided with the outer barriers.[3][4] Emergency crews extracted him from the wreckage; reports indicated he was conscious initially,[5] but he succumbed to his injuries at the on-site medical facility.[6] This incident marked the first fatality during active racing conditions at Le Mans since Jo Gartner's death in 1986; another driver, Sébastien Enjolras, had died during pre-qualifying in 1997.[6]
In tribute to Simonsen, race officials lowered a Danish flag to half-mast above the podium area. Fellow Danish driver Tom Kristensen went on to win the race overall and dedicated his team’s victory to Simonsen’s memory.[7]
Memorials
The Allan Simonsen Pole Position Trophy, presented to the quickest qualifier at the Bathurst 12 Hour, commemorates Simonsen's notable performance in 2013.
Career summary
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Bathurst 24 Hour results
| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Vehicle | Category | Completed Laps | Pos. | Class pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mark Coffey Racing | Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Paul Stokell Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Luke Youlden Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Peter Hackett |
Lamborghini Diablo GTR | A | 487 | 8th | 6th |
Bathurst 12 Hour results
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedobserver1 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBBCEurope - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedreuters1 - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedspeed death - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedReuters