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LE MANS – The Le Mans 24 Hour race was in mourning on Saturday when Danish driver Allan Simonsen died after a horror high-speed crash at the wheel of an Aston Martin. The 34-year-old, competing in the mythic race for the seventh time, spun off on the third lap into the safety barriers at the ultra-quick Tertre Rouge bend, demolishing his car.

Le Mans organisers The Automobile Club de l’Ouest issued a statement reporting that emergency services were immediately at the scene to attend the stricken driver.

It continued: “In a serious condition, Allan Simonsen was transferred immediately to the Circuit Medical Centre where he died soon after due to his injuries.

“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.”

Simonsen crashed barely ten minutes after the start of the 81st edition of the showpiece endurance event with rain and wind combining to make testing conditions at the Sarthe circuit.

The race was stopped for an hour, the time required to remove wreckage form Simonsen’s car from the track and repair the safety barrier.
The father of one, driving an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, was competing in the GTE-Am category.

His team-mates in the No 95 car were his fellow countrymen, Christoffer Nygaard and Kristian Poulsen.-AFP.