The loss of Allan Simonsen on that terrible day in June last year was a body blow for the international sportscar community, but perhaps nowhere was his loss felt more than among the British GT ranks, where the Great Dane was undoubtedly the yardstick for the other pros and where he was always on nothing less than spectacular form. So devastated was Allan’s great friend and co-driver Hector Lester, that he withdrew the Rosso Verde Ferrari 458 from the series; the Ulsterman being simply unable to imagine racing without him.
The fear was that we would not see the green shamrock again, but while the impact of that day is still fresh in people’s memories, at last there is some positive and heart-warming news – and that is that Hector and his Ferrari will be returning to the BGT grid in 2014, and that his co-driver will be none other than Benny Simonsen, Allan’s brother.
“It was a mix of emotions when Hector contacted me,” admitted Benny, who will be making his debut in British GT. “It was nice of him to give me a shot and of course I wanted to drive, but I had to think about it carefully and ultimately I believe it is a nice tribute to Allan. Obviously you’d like to have a shot in better circumstances, but it’s nice to keep the relationship going and I’m looking forward to the first race.
“The deal is for one race at a time, due to Hector’s business commitments, but that was always the case for Allan too. I’ve got nothing to lose, so hopefully it will go well.
“Hector has kindly invited the family over for the opening round at Oulton Park, so hopefully they’ll make it.”
“It took shape at the SRO awards in December and I think Benny had someone who was able to fund a package for another series, but we got chatting and all of a sudden things felt right; it felt cathartic for everyone,” said Hector. “The name Simonsen stays on the car, as does the Danish flag, and I think we’ll get a big smile from above.
“Benny has our full support and assistance – we’re a fun team, so let’s give it a go. We’re not commercially responsible to anyone, so we’re just out to enjoy our driving. This bridges the gap after all that happened in 2013 with Allan, and gives us all a leg up to reality after the pain of losing Allan.
“John [Buchan] and the team are very happy about the news – we’re all going to give it 110% and see what we can achieve. Sometimes things don’t happen by design or logic, they just happen.
“I’m extremely busy these days and so we’ll take it on a race-by-race basis, but we’re very relaxed and hoping to just enjoy our motorsport.
“Allan was our team – what Allan wanted, Allan got – and it left a massive hole in our life. We never had a contract together; it was a beautiful relationship built on trust and understanding and there is no pressure on Benny whatsoever.
“We’re looking forward to moving forward.”
This is such good news on so many levels, and DSC is sure that the Rosso Verde following in 2014 is going to be huge!
