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| Danish driver Simonsen killed in Le Mans endurance race | Danish driver Simonsen killed in Le Mans endurance race |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Danish driver Allan Simonsen has died after crashing his car during the Le Mans endurance race in France, the organisers say. | Danish driver Allan Simonsen has died after crashing his car during the Le Mans endurance race in France, the organisers say. |
| They say the 34-year-old spun off after about 10 minutes of the race in his Aston Martin and hit the safety barriers at the Tertre Rouge bend. | They say the 34-year-old spun off after about 10 minutes of the race in his Aston Martin and hit the safety barriers at the Tertre Rouge bend. |
| He was taken to the medical centre at the premises but later died of his injuries, the organisers said. | He was taken to the medical centre at the premises but later died of his injuries, the organisers said. |
| It is believed to be the first death in the 24-hour annual event since 1997. | |
| In a statement on Saturday, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest said: "In a serious condition, Allan Simonsen was transferred immediately to the Circuit Medical Centre where he died soon after due to his injuries." | |
| The organisers expressed their "deepest condolences to the family and those close to Allan Simonsen". | |
| The cause of the crash in western France is being investigated. | |
| Simonsen was participating for the seventh time in the race. | |
| After the crash, the race was stopped for about an hour to repair the barriers. | |
| Simonsen's death is believed to be the first in the race since 1986, when Austrian Jo Gartner died after hitting safety barriers head-on at 260km/h (160mph). | |
| In 1997, French driver Sebastien Enjolras was killed during a pre-qualifying session after his car overturned and burst into flames. |