Marco Simoncelli with his good friend Valentino Rossi
The Sepang MotoGP was cancelled earlier today following a tragic accident on the second lap of the race that claimed the life of San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli. Simoncelli low-sided on lap two and was dragged by his bike into the path of Colin Edwards (Yamaha) and Valentino Rossi (Ducati). Edwards fell and dislocated his shoulder. In a press conference following the race, the doctor on the scene described Simoncelli’s injuries as massive head, neck and chest trauma. Somehow Simoncelli’s helmet came off during the accident.
Simoncelli was just 24 years old, and a former 250 GP champion who was in his second year in the MotoGP classification. Although he was technically on a satellite team, he received full Honda factory support in terms of equipment, and was scheduled to do so next year, as well, as the series transitions to 1000 cc machines. Honda has cancelled a 1000 cc test scheduled for tomorrow at Sepang out of respect.
Follow this link if you would like to read some of the many tributes already pouring in for Marco Simoncelli from fellow racers, and other industry representatives.
MD offers its sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Marco Simoncelli.
r.i.p god speed simoncell from all bikers in fuengirola GT AUTOS
Everyone should wear #58 for the next race
Marco Simoncelli joins a Long and Distinguished list of Motorcycle Racing fatalities, yet another Talented, Brave, young Man of tremendous potential gone well before even reaching their prime. I won’t start to make a list because I fear that I might forget one but a half dozen names spring to mind quickly. Many other names come to mind that gave all they could and have left the sport after life altering injuries… We’re used to seeing these Warriors climb onto their Bikes with crash battered bodies just to take the starters flag. What kind of Men are these? Surely Motorcycle Racers are a breed apart. Discussions of who the “Greatest ever” was/is are clouded by remembrances, not all sad, of what was or could have been…
I’ve been a Fan of Motorcycle Racing for over 45 years now, one of my very first “memories” was being at a Motorcycle Race in Willow Springs.
Daijiro Kato’s death hit me hard, again. Not Again, the tracks and equipment had greatly advanced safety by then and I had allowed myself to believe that particular sorrow need not darken my passion, I was foolish.
Motorcycle Racing will always be dangerous, that is an undeniable part of it’s appeal to both fans and Competitors. The skills that allow someone to go as fast as possible around a corner in a Motorcycle are almost as fun to watch as they are to have mastered (I hear), “the Razors edge”. It is understood that pushing a Motorcycle that hard doesn’t allow for the slightest “error” of Rider, Motorcycle or track and that the Rider will probably pay a painful price for any of those elements “failure”, at least.
I’ll continue to be a fan of this Sport and “Sport” it is but one that in my opinion allows for the showcasing of much that is most Nobel in Humanity as displayed by this small group, Motorcycle Racers.
The losses that happen cause me to admire and value each Racer that takes to the track, hopefully long after they’ve decided to hang up their leathers but not always. Too often we are left to wonder what happened, or to ponder how significant a second, give or take, can make in ones life…
R.I.P. Marco, I’ll always remember you and the World will always feel your loss. My condolences to his Family and Friends.
RIP Marco, condolences to his friends and family. As a parent and a rider for over 35 years, I cant imagine the grief…
Lest we all forget from time to time , this is a VERY dangerous sport …. These guys ride on a razors edge as fast as they possibly can . These days with improved track conditions, safety equipment and machinery we see crashes all the time but rarely deaths….its easy for all of us to armchair quarterback watching these races , and sometimes we take it for granted how talented and fearless these young warriors are, risking their lives for what they , and the rest of us watching, truly LOVE.
Just goes to show you the difference a second makes. One second before or after and all three of those guys would have another story to tell at the end of the race…
A true character, the lad. Everything about him – the attitude, the riding style, the way he man-handled a 250 in the wet, and obviously the hair – harkened back to eras when riders were true nutters.
We’ll miss ya, Simo!!
So so sad, and 100% horrible to watch. Somewhere out there in the night sky, there will be a really brightly burning star with an awesome afro. R.I.P Simoncelli…you were a star on earth too.
Brash, enthusiastic, talented… we will never know what maturity may have brought. Godspeed young lad.
RIP Super Sic. You will be greatly missed.
this sucks, this really sucks.
such a wierd confluence of events. he was down by the tires in a vulnerable position. some say he was trapped, others say he was trying to save it. knowing simo, i’m in the latter group. crash wasn’t even as fast as it could’ve been considering they were only 2 laps in. a second sooner or a second later he would’ve passed clear and it would’ve simply been a camera shot showing the marshalls giving simo a bumpstart. lad went “with his boots on” as they say, but nothing more tragic than a parent having to bury a child. 24 years young.
Godspeed Marco.
A tragic loss to the sport. We needed more like him.controversial maybe,but many a champion is. God bless you, you will be missed.
Just horribly sad. I was watching the race when I saw this and could not help but yell out loud. I knew it was bad the instant it happened.
Horrible…..
God Speed Marco!!!
RIP #58
Ah! Marco! You will travel even faster on the roads of heaven .. rest well!
God Bless Marco. You were awesome to watch. You’ll be missed greatly. -michael
What a sad day, I was just in Italy for 2 months for work and he was all over the TV there. What an interesting character. His family, friends and fans are in my prayers.
Rest in Peace Marco. Motorbike racing lost a great talent today. I will miss watching your exciting riding!
Very sad.RIP Marco.
Another bad weekend for motorsports.
Yes, a very sad day for fans of Moto GP. Marco was an up and coming rider with loads of talent and a burning desire to win.
RIP Marco
RIP.
When I was watching this on the DVR this morning not know what the outcome was, I was hoping for “just” a broken neck. It looked horrific… Truly a sad day.