death at Le Mans
earlier this year struck a huge chord in the motorsport community. One of the most moving aspects of the whole affair was his family's insistence that his Aston Martin team honour his memory by continuing their participation in the race and in that spirit we'd like to provide accompaniment to your afternoon brew with a celebration of Allan doing what he loved.
It's onboard in a Ferrari 458 at Mount Panorama and the lap - 2:06.3311 - stands as the record time for a sports car, the 2:04.6187 outright set by Chris Gilmour in Dallara F307 Mercedes last year. For context the Aussie touring car record is Jamie Whincup's 2:08.4651.
Anyway, it's fast. Perhaps not as 'OMG' lairy as Peter Brock's early 90s Commodore lap (one for any desert island YouTube selection) but jaw-droppingly precise and roller coaster dramatic. The walls look terrifyingly narrow, the elevation changes cartoonishly exaggerated and yet throughout it all Simonsen remains coolly in charge and inch-perfect in his placement of the car. Textbook stuff and a perfect demonstration of the professionalism and ability he brought to his driving.