John Bowe had finished his V8 Supercar career and was eyeing other categories. Whilst he'd spend most of his time in the Biante Touring Car Masters Series, the Tasmanian would climb aboard the Maranello Motorsport Ferrari at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.

Also coming through the ranks was Nick O'Halloran. He'd only caught the bug in 2007 and had gone on to try his hand at GT Racing, in a Ferrari 360. By the end of the year, at the Sandown Finale, Nick would come of age in the biggest possible way.

Simonsen was available for the opening GT Championship round at Eastern Creek, which was playing host to the Australian A1GP race. It was a clean sweep or Maranello with pole, two wins and two fastest laps.

Backing up his effort a few weeks later, Simonsen repeated his run of excellence at the action packed Clipsal 500 Adelaide, in front of a very enthusiastic crowd of Coopers executives in the Coopers livered Ferrari.

John Bowe took up the task at the Australian Grand Prix and did a splendid job, winning the round outright.

The rest of the season, Nick O'Halloran took over driving duties, learning the ways of the 430 over his older 360. By years end, O'Halloran was ready for the Sandown final. The event consisted of two one hour races, with a compulsory driver change. Allan Simonsen had returned to Australia so it seemed the logical choice was to pair both drivers. And what a pairing! Neither driver put a foot wrong all weekend, setting pole, winning both races and setting the fastest laps. You can see all the action in our gallery.

For O'Halloran, it was the biggest race of his life and his biggest victory. For Simonsen, one of his most pleasing, to have shared it with a friend. And for Maranello Motorsport, yet another crown in their expanding and ever successful race programs.

Did you know that Allan Simonsen only competed in 3 OZGT events in 2008. A1GP, Clipsal and Sandown. A total of 8 races. He won them all and still ended up 2nd in the title!

When Maranello Motorsport took delivery of the new Ferrari 430 GT3 race car they knew they had to get Allan Simonsen to drive it. And the timing was perfect.

Simonsen had just returned from Europe where he achieved a podium in his rookie appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, intent on keeping his lead in the 2007 Australian GT Championship intact.

The season had started well with total victory at Clipsal 500, aboard Ted Huglin's now aging Ferrari 360GT. Until now the 360 GT had been the weapon of choice but with the arrival of Bryce Washington's Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 and the Aston Martin DBRS-9 GT3, the landscape had changed. In early August, at the Phillip Island round, Simonsen jumped teams, returning to Maranello Motorsport.

Simonsen's success had also been his nemesis. The GT Championship technical commitee rewrote the rules that in effectively took away the Ferrari 360's edge, adding weight ballast, reducing engine revs and increasing ride height. Huglin was furious, but perservered. Bathurst, Queensland Raceway and Oran Park were an uphill battle and Washington took the lea, with his more modern and less hobled Lamborghini. Simonsen had no choice but to upgrade to the 430. Huglin wasn't exactly happy – he'd been a strong supporter of Simonsen and to lose the best sportcar driver in the Southern Hemisphere was a difficult. To counteract, he immediately hired Craig Baird.

Phillip Island was no cakewalk. John Bowe had been also given a Gallardo and Ian Palmer had returned after his was badly damaged in the earlier Queensland round. Add to that, bad weather. But thats just the thing about Simosnen and Maranello Motorsport – when its get tough, the results come out. And with Simonsen no stranger to driving 430 GT3's in poor conditions, courtesy of his 2006 European FIA GT3 campaign and his current British GT assault, Phillip Island was a pretty normal grey old day at the office. Symmons Plains in Tasmania was next where Simonsen bagged more points, despite clashing with local John Bowe.

By the time the GT Championship arrived at Sandown for the final 350km race, Washington was just leading. But more bad news – the 2007 rules forced a driver to drop their worst round. Even winning Sandown could mean Washington would still win the title.

The Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 430 GT3 took pole with Allan Simonsen at the wheel, winning the start and after the first lap was in the lead. Washington was hot on heels directly behind. On the second lap, Washington pulled to the side of the track. A dry-break seal had failed letting fuel from the almost full tank spill onto the hot exhausts of the Lamborghini. The car was immediately ingulfed in flames and Washington made a hasty exit. He'd recieved slight burns as a result of the intensity of the fire, but his race was over. But what of the championship? Even with Washington out on the spot, he could dump the round as his worst! With Simonsen behind, he had to finish the race and win it. And that is exactly waht happened. Simonsen won the race and the championship in what is without doubt one of the most exciting finales.

Maranello Motorsport has enjoyed success in motorsport at the highest level.

Way back in early 2004, Coopers Brewery Chairman Glenn Cooper became involved with Maranello Motorsport which led to a full blown Aussie assualt in the highly competitive European GT racing scene.

With the inaugural Bahrain GT Festival scheduled for November, Maranello Motorsports drafted their leading "local" driver, Danish-born Allan Simonsen.

The search for a suitable co-driver was then on in ernest. Maranello Motorsports needed a highly versatile Australian driver who had a wide range of experience, not just a V8 Supercar driver with a free weekend.

Their choice was perfect – David Brabham – son of the legendary Jack Brabham, who not only won three Formula One title, but was the only driver to do so in a car bearing his own name.

Their weapon of choice was an ex American Le Mans Series Ferrari 550GT, previously campaigned as a GTS car by Mimmo Schiattarella and Emanuele Naspetti under Gabriele Rafanelli's Olive Garden Racing brand.

It was now mid 2004 and with the Ferrari now on Australian soil, Maranello Motorsport set about the task of upgrading the car to International FIA GT specifications. The once green Olive Grove racer quickly became a striking Coopers red, reflecting the international message of the beer brand.

The Bahrain GT Festival comprised of three races – one for each driver with a final that required a driver change.

Simply put, the pairing of Simonsen and Brabham dominated. They each won their respective pole positions for the individual races, with the Danish driver taking a win, whilst the ex-F1 driver Brabham, grabbed second. With Simonsen starting the final from pole and moving further into the lead, Brabham was left with the all important task of taking it through for the win after the mandatory pitstop. The Australian plied his craft with accuracy to win the race and for the team to take the outright win at the first Bahrain GT Festival.

Prior to the Baharian GT Festival, the Ferrari 550 competed in the now defunct Australian Nations Cup, albiet in a somewhat lesser configuration, with Simonsen at the helm. Allan went on to take 9 wins from 9 starts. In November 2005, the red car was brought to Adelaide, for demonstration purposes at the Classic Adelaide Rally followed by the 2006 Clipsal 500 Adelaide, before being bought by a Chinese collector. Simonsen delivered the car to the new owner, providing a series of familairisation days at the Zhuhai circuit, in China.