The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Motor racing: Le Mans tragedy as Simonsen dies
- Shalin on course for Masters Open title
- Shahrul dedicates national title to wife
| Motor racing: Le Mans tragedy as Simonsen dies Posted: 22 Jun 2013 04:50 PM PDT LE MANS (France): The Le Mans 24 Hour race was in mourning on Saturday when Danish driver Allan Simonsen (pic) 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. Two days ago they had been celebrating taking pole position. Former Formula One champion Jenson Button led tributes to Simonsen. The McLaren driver posting on Twitter: "Allan Simonsen RIP.such a tragic loss. A true fighter & a true racer. Safety is something we need 2 improve on in Motorsport." Another former F1 champion, Finn Kimi Raikkonen, added: "R.I.P. Allan Simonsen. Sad news." Marussia's Max Chilton wrote: "Truly saddened by the news from Le Mans that Allan Simonsen has passed away after his lap 3 accident" Simonsen's team's website was replaced by a black screen, featuring only the company logo and a statement. It read: "It is with great shock and sadness that the Aston Martin Racing Team confirms that an accident occurred shortly after the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at around 15:09 hrs CET today (22 June) when the No 95 Vantage GTE driven by Allan Simonsen left the track at Tertre Rouge. "Tragically, and despite the best efforts of the emergency services in attendance, Allan's injuries proved fatal. "Aston Martin Racing will not make any further comment until the precise circumstances of the accident have been determined. "At the specific request of his family, the team will continue to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in tribute to Allan." The British constructor's racing team managing director John Gaw added, "On behalf of all of us at Aston Martin Racing, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the individuals, and families whose friends or loved ones were involved in today's terrible tragedy". Simonsen was the first driver to perish during the race since Austrian Josef Gartner, driving a Porsche, in 1986, and the 23rd overall, including fatalities in qualifying for the race. Simonsen, who listed Le Mans as his favourite circuit on his personal webpage, was born in Odense, and graduated to endurance racing after starting out as a mechanic. The 1999 Danish Formula Ford champion's last success came in April at Silverstone where he won the GT-AM class in the Aston Martin with Poulsen and Nygaard. In the race itself, eight-time champion Tom Kristensen led the way at midnight in his Audi. The Toyota of Japan's Kazuki Nakajima was second. - AFP |
| Shalin on course for Masters Open title Posted: 22 Jun 2013 05:32 PM PDT GEORGE TOWN: Shalin Zulkifli put herself in contention for the Masters Open title in the fourth Penang Durian Masters Bowling Championship at the Penang Bowl yesterday. The 35-year-old knocked down 1,318 pins in the first block of six games to take second position among the 70 bowlers in the two-day competition. Shalin is trailing leader Hairon Awang of Singapore by just 14 pins. The top 24 bowlers after the six-game second block will compete in the second round today with the top three proceeding to the step-ladder finals. Yesterday, there was no winner for the 300kg durian prize put up by the organisers for a bowler with a perfect game. |
| Shahrul dedicates national title to wife Posted: 22 Jun 2013 05:44 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: Newly-wed Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin won a special prize for his wife, beating a host of established cyclists to win the men's elite title in the National Road Championships in Kangar yesterday. Mohd Shahrul, who tied the knot on June 1, came out tops in the 198.8km race in 4'39:56. Making it sweeter was the fact that he beat team-mate Nur Amirul Fakrull Mazuki, the pillar of the Terengganu Cycling Team, and Armed Forces' Adiq Husainie Othman, the leading rider of the China-based Champion System Pro Cycling Team, in the 400m sprint towards the finish line. Terengganu Cycling Team's Mohd Zamri Salleh, the 2012 national champion, finished fourth. Shahrul described the success as the highlight of his cycling career. "It is also a perfect wedding gift for my 24-year-old wife Natasha (Anis Ishak). It was not a planned thing as we were striving to ensure victory for the Terengganu Cycling Team, especially Mohd Harrif Salleh. "But there was an opportunity for me to win 400m down the finish line and I grabbed it. This win is important for the team," said Shahrul. |
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