Allan Simonsen: 1978-2013
Allan Simonsen, who died in an accident in the Le Mans 24 Hours today at the age of 34, was probably among the elite of the world's GT drivers and definitely among the most prolific
The Dane had a race-anything-anywhere attitude: it was not uncommon for Simonsen to take part in 30 to 40 races a year all over the globe and he was equally at home in a GT car or an Aussie V8 Supercar.
The list of teams for which he competed over the past 10 years was a testament not only to his talents, but also to his personality: he was a cheeky-chappy who loved life in the paddock and gave it everything out on the race track.
Simonsen set out on the single-seater trail in his homeland, winning the Danish Formula Ford 1600 title in 1999, before moving to England to race in Formula Palmer Audi and Formula Renault.
When the money ran out, he was able to find a home or even a niche in GT cars, first in Australia and then in Europe.
He was also a regular in the V8 Supercars enduros and took part in a full season of the Utes pick-up series in 2005.
Simonsen should have won the Le Mans Series GT2 title with the Virgo Ferrari team, but had to miss the last race of the season because of his Australian commitments.
It was a measure of how popular Simonsen was that when the owner of the car, Jim McWhirter, needed a driver at late-notice just last year, he flew in the Dane to take the berth.
Simonsen, to the mind of this writer, came of age as a driver racing for the Farnbacher Ferrari squad in the LMS in 2010-11. On unfancied Hankook tyres, he impressed throughout the season.
Simonsen joined Aston Martin Racing at Le Mans last year and signed for the full season with the all-Danish crew with which he was racing this weekend for the full World Endurance Championship for 2013.
Once again, Simonsen showed his star qualities, winning the GTE Am class at the season opener at Silverstone and claiming pole position for Le Mans earlier this week.
Allan Simonsen dies after Le Mans 24 Hours crash
LM24 H4: Audi continues to keep Toyota out of top three
Laser Tools Racing continues in BTCC with Hill
The Laser Tools Racing name that was carried to British Touring Car Championship titles in 2020 and 2021 will continue in the series after all with Jake Hill.
McLaren to share F1 reserve driver Schumacher with Mercedes
Mercedes Formula 1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher will be also made available as a stand-in to McLaren, the Woking team has announced.
NASCAR Next Gen car gets safety upgrades for 2023 season
NASCAR unveiled some changes to the Next Gen car for the 2023 season, with most enhancing its safety aspects.
O’Ward optimistic about Rossi and that McLaren IndyCar DNFs can be reduced
Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward says he’s confident that Alexander Rossi will be a strong addition to the line-up and that the team has gotten on top of its mechanical woes.
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.