Marco Simoncelli Killed In Crash At Sepang

By David Emmett | Sun, 23/10/2011 - 09:16

Dorna has announced that Marco Simoncelli died as a result of injuries received in a crash during the MotoGP race at Sepang. On the second lap of the race, in dry conditions, Simoncelli's rear tire broke loose at Turn 11, then gripped, sending Simoncelli and his bike across the track into the path of another rider. Simoncelli was struck, losing his helmet in the impact, and the race was red-flagged. Simoncelli was transported to the medical center, but died from the injuries sustained in the crash at 16:56 local time.

Our thoughts go out to his family, his team, his fans and everyone in the MotoGP paddock.

MotoGP
Sepang, Malaysia
Honda
Marco Simoncelli

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Comments

It was an honour to see you and shake your hand when meeting you by chance at SFO in 2010. I will never forget the friendly kid with the big hair. Rest in peace Super Sic.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Marco Simoncelli through this difficult time.

Marco was just starting show us his true abilities with his Poles and then 2nd place at Phillip Island last weekend. He will be sorely missed and always remembered.

What a sad day for motorsport to lose such an energetic character and huge talent. What a terrible crash and unfortunately we seem to be ending this season with many injuries and incidents.

This is 100% terrible. So stunningly sad. RIP Marco and thoughts to his family and friends. It's 5:30 am where I am and I am wide awake and just dazed by this.
Ugh.

A great loss to the racing community. No doubt racing fans will miss his track-based antics, but I feel so bad for his family and friends. I don't know what more to say - he was just a very fast guy who was doing his thing when he was caught out by unforseen circumstances.

Such a young talent and more important, a young man with so much life taken way too soon. RIP Sic and all our thoughts and prayers to his family and girlfriend.

I still am in shock. It's so hard cause there is no blame here. The track safety didn't cause it or any other factors. It was just a freak accident. I hope in time that Marco's friends and family are able to overcome this and we all remember him as a great competitor. I also hope that Colin and Rossi don't carry and guilt or burden feeling as though it was their fault.

A very sad day indeed. It was dreadful waiting for news in hope they would be good... My thoughts and prayers are with his family, team, and friends. He will be missed. Keep Colin and Valentino in your prayers as well, they will have a hard time as well in dealing with this. 58 Forever!!

Unbelievable. I could not believe it when I saw the news scroll across the video on the MotoGP site. You don't want to believe.

When I saw the incident it looked bad -- Edwards struck him, which brought back memories of last year in Italy...Other than that, it appeared it would have been a more or less harmless low-sider.

It did not look so bad that I feared for his life.

Then when so much time went by with no news, as well as no helicopter transport to a hospital, then the cancellation, you had a bad feeling -- that there at the track they were battling to save his life.

One can only try to imagine what Edwards is feeling (there was nothing he could do). Or if it had been Rossi, his close friend, who struck him.

So sad.

Of course condolences to his family and friends, as well as the entire MotoGP 'family'.

Sympathy to Edwards.

So sad - Marco was just awesome. Never a dull moment when he was on track and he brought excitement and enthusiasm to every race. A shocking reminder of how dangerous this sport can be and that sometimes the consequences are devastating for families, friends and fans.

A devastating tragedy. RIP Marco Simoncelli.

All sympathy to his family. Terrible for Colin and Valentino too, but absolutely nothing they could do.

Last week Dan Wheldon and now this. Sometimes I hate motorsport.

Keep riding up there, dear Marco. Your passion and personality brought us so much colour and fun. I shall miss you.

Ciao, 58.

R.I.P. Marco Simoncelli "Super Sic".

One of the few guys in that class which you could almost instantly feel that he was really genuine and pure as a person, with a bright future ahead, heaps of raw talent and charisma. A really tragic loss for the sport.

My deepest condolences go to his family, girlfriend, friends, team and fans.

Watching Simoncelli's father, and especially his girlfriend, in agony and, at the same time, on the focus of those effing spineless camera operators was breaking my heart and making me disgusted.
Pretty bad taste. That is NOT right, mr.responsible for the broadcast. Ethics and respect are not mere words.

A word of caring must go to Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. They must feel absolutely devastated, being sadly involved in the horrible accident, though with no guilt whatsoever.
Keep the chin up lads.

Contemplate this: The camera men don't know how the story ends any better than you do. The images that rally families and nations come from the most painful moments of our lives, and they are documented by photographers.
I don't think they are spineless. I think they do a wonderful service to humanity, bringing us together to experience the pain of uncertainty and loss. And they don't do it for their own fame and fortune either.
Real people doing an important job in the best way they know how.
I thank God that the world has photographers that don't share your hindsight-infused-righteous censorship of the world. Trust me, we're all better off that photographers aren't like you.

The media has a job to do and I think the criticism is unfair. Some of the most tragic events of our time have been recorded in graphic detail. Look at 911 as an example, are we saying that the terrible deaths and the grief of friends and family should not have been recorded in graphic detail by the media? There are millions of photos and videos of the horror of World War II, bodies strewn in the streets and on the battlefield, people blown apart, the horror of the Holocaust, the grief of those who survived. Was the media wrong to record those events? I don't think so. Of course it is hard when we know some-one who is the victim of a tragic event, and it is understandable that some people will feel offended, even outraged at what they see as unnecessary media intrusion, but there is a bigger perspective to be considered here.

I thought it was pretty classless to include the crash in the "highlights reel" at the close of the broadcast(Speed). He was run over by 2 riders, helmet flew off and lay motionless on the track. 30 minutes later the race is cancelled. I expected the worst when the race was cancelled and i'm pretty sure most people did.

I didn't really like him at the start of the season because of his recklessness but as the season got on he was maturing and giving the fans great races. RIP Marco.

@banda and @motogpmd:

There is a big difference between good journalism or photography (be it from motion or static picture caption) and plain sensationalism, e.g, exploitation of the moment to capture excessive drama for the audience.

Some of the people closest to Marco in there, including his girlfriend, had no place to go but to wait outside of the medical center, with everybody else, while suffocating in the wait for any news on Marco's condition. The media, through those camera operators, was emphasizing the drama by focusing the suffering of relatives and people close to him. That was unnecessary and, yes, disrespectfull and unethical.

With your sort of thinking, then maybe you also would have aproved a shocking live broadcast with some close ups of Marco being assisted by medics, being intubated, and then declared dead after a while. WOW... what a nice Pulitzer award it would make, right?!?

Comparing what should be a private moment (and simply respected) to something like 9/11 and the horrors of war is plain stupid, sorry!

Luc Marqs, this was a public event, like it or not. There is absolutely no difference between the media showing this event live and the media showing 9/11 live, or any other tragic event. The principle is exactly the same. Why is the suffering of Marco's family any different to the suffering of anyone else in tragic circumstances? Perhaps you think the media shouldn't show any tragic events live.

Why you think that some-one dying in a racing accident and some-one dying in war is different I really don't know. Both are human tragedies.

No-one was showing Marco being treated in private in the medical center, nor has anyone suggested that they should. That really is just a cheap shot.

Whether it is "ethical" for the media to show human tragedy or human suffering, or to what degree, is a matter of ongoing debate. Different people clearly have different views. I do not know what coverage you saw. I thought what I saw on ESPN/Star Sports was reasonable. I saw just one very brief shot of Marco's girlfriend just minutes after the crash (maybe two seconds), and none of his parents. I did not see any shots of anyone outside the medical center. I can't say that I saw every second of the coverage, I really only watched it in the hope they would announce that Marco was ok. So I repeat what I said, there was nothing that I saw that was anything other than the media doing their job.

I was watching the event through Spanish coverage (usually impeccable, puts BBC coverage to shame).
Everybody in that moment is following the broadcast simply in hope that Marco is ok but, at least in the channel I was watching, and for a considerable time (over 15 minutes?) the focus on friends and relatives suffering in the wait for any news was the main coverage.
Clearly uncalled, for broadcasting and especially to those particular people.
As the commentator was (rightly) saying, those are dramatic and tragic moments, and some sensibility and common sense must be used for any live-broadcast images.

One thing is looking for "visual signs" in people out there that are close to Marco, which could translate, obviously, in any important news that everybody is anxiously awaiting (afterall, that's common work on the live scene by camera operators and journalists).
Another thing is exploitation (sensationalism) in that particular moment of grief, by focusing cameras all over people that wanted to be left alone and in peace while waiting for any news on Marco's situation (not sure I make sense here?).

Unpleasant images like these are shown constantly on TV. Mostly it's people we don't know, so it doesn't affect us in the same way. I understand how people feel, but if we want to have a debate about this tragic accident and it's coverage then we will need to have a debate about media coverage of all tragic events involving loss of life, some of which are much more horrific than this particular one.

It is interesting to remember the outcry in the US when Janet Jackson exposed her breast in prime time, yet when the media shows violent and tragic events on a regular basis very few people seem to mind. If there was public outrage at media coverage, and if people stopped watching, the media wouldn't show it. So it seems nothing much has changed since Roman times, when violent death was a public spectacle.

I wonder how many people have complained to the media about the coverage? If we point a finger of blame at the media, I rather think we are blaming the wrong people. The media is giving viewers what they want to see, as unpalatable as that may seem. That doesn't make it right in any sense, but it is reality nevertheless.

If those camera operators had not shot those images, their bosses might have fired them. So they shoot, and the decision on whether to broadcast goes up a level. One might hope that the director would choose not to show them, but if he had not, he may have had to explain to his boss. And so on...

There was a case in Australia (different context) where the owner of the channel was watching, rang up and said "get that off air", but otherwise the reflex will be to show whatever can be shown.
The debate has been held many times, regarding victims of war, famine, terrorism, crime.
Did we need to see the people who jumped from the towers on 11/9? No, but most people watched. We don't live in a genteel age.

As in all debates of censorship, the answer is simple: don't watch.

You will be forever missed and never forgotten.
May you ride like the wind.

A sad day for all those touched by him...

It is tough to hold tears. Today I realised just how much we are attached to these riders, even if we dont know them personally. We will miss you Marco, a lot.
He was a very good friend of Vale. How will one feel when your bike hits your friend and he dies.
My heart goes to Marco and his family.
I hope Colin and Vale are able to cope up with this and other riders too.
Cant write anymore.

My fondest memory of Marco was the interview he did after Tomizawa died. All of the riders were truly gutted, but Marco was downright in tears and had the best response to the interviewer of any rider in the paddock. Something to the tune of, "Who cares about the race, there are more important things to think about right now."

I hope (and am sure) he'll receive the same level of respect from his peers.

Condolences to the family, friends, and team.

I cut short my reular Sunday ride to be home in time to watch the race - Sepang time zone is only 2 hours from mine. I wish I had not seen that footage. I was pretty certain straight away that a contact so forceful to knock his helmet off was going to result in significant head trauma.
So desperately sad to lose this guy who was settling down and really starting to show genuine speed and competitiveness. A year ago I had him marked as "the new Vali" and now he is gone.
This sport can be ferociously cruel at times.
Marco died trying to save a lose most people would have given up on. Says something about his determination.

RIP Marco, the sport is poorer for losing you.

Perhaps MotoGP should leave a vacant spot on pole at Valencia as a sign of respect.

How easy it is to forget the dangers involved in our beloved sport. Today just rubs your nose in it. RIP Marco, you were a true warrior. Sincere condolances to his family and friends.

I was not a Simoncelli fan but you never want to see this happen to any rider anywhere. It is a tragedy and will be felt for a long time to come. Focusing on the positives, Marco was a very talented rider and a polarizing figure in MotoGP. I met him in person for the first time in Qatar this year and he made me laugh.

Moto GP will be a lesser place from here going forward for a long, long time. The losses sustained by Marco's death will not be singular. Thousands will be affected by this as it wasn't a track barrier that led to him leaving us, but being struck by his own friends and commrades. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and with Rossi and Edwards. May God grant them strength to continue to make Moto GP a little better place in 2012.

On another note, what a horrible ending to such an aweful year in Moto GP. This isn't the way anyone wanted the era of the 800's to end! :(

We will miss the big Italian who was so full of emotion. Our house was quite attached to sic and had high hopes for his future. My sympathy to his family, friends, and fans. I don't think I've ever been as affected by a motorsport death since Senna.

I will be so glad to see the end of the high corner speed *safer* 800s

What a tragedy , the cruel irony is that SuperSic rode for the same team that D Kato did .

RIP #58

Marco was defined by his bravery, his fearless approach to his progress on the track. A guy who rode at 11/10ths, and crashed his way down, finally, to 10/10ths. Most competitors have neither the fortitude nor the physical stamina to pursue this path to maturity as a journeyman racer as did Marco Simoncelli.

It is tragic that on the brink of greatness, he was taken away in the most innocent of lowside crashes. As in so many unexplainable disasters like this, if only......

Godspeed, Marco, you were a true gladiator who put it all on the line. You will be missed, and not forgotten.

Ride with the wind!

A depressing, totally gut wrenching, emotional day! I've tried to explain to friends, who could care less of my love for motorcycle racing, why the sport is SO different from all other sports. The tough guys of other sports, UFC/NFL/etc . . . do NOT put their life on the line every time they engage in their chosen profession. These guys DO! After huge crashes, they get back on the bike and go out and try to put a time on the board. They're NOT doing it for the money . . . its their passion and love!

Don't forget Edwards and Rossi in your thoughts & prayers. Rossi and Simo were friends . . . . that has to weigh on his spirit/soul/mind.

Super Sic you will be missed, not only for your talent, but for your passion & lust & smile! Prayers go out to your family and friends.

You should pray for around 2.200.000 children "souls" which die every year because they do not have enough to eat/drink. It´s such a lack of consciousness (hypocrite) what happens every time when a "media face" dies and people begin to pray for his soul/mind/spirit (...).

We have "room" for over 100.000.000.000 people on this planet and enough to eat for everybody; it´s just a question of management (deliberate mismanagement). What makes the soul of Simoncelli more worth than a soul of a baby in Eritrea?

It is a shame! This species is a shame!

15 riders doing nothing essential for this society, being role players in a big MotoGP circus with no sense for itself (essential core?!).

1.000.000.000 are starving right now ...

Marco maybe ("maybe" because I knew nothing about him, he was just a media illusion, interpret by my left celebral hemisphere) was a good and loving person, it´s a tragedy that a human being has to die in such an idiotic, self provoked way (I know: "He loved what he did ...").

For nearly ALL of you he was nothing but a spiritual impulse (media => eye => brain), it is pure sarcasm ... You pray for him? Pray for every dying, dead human being!

Four children every minute ...

I'm not going to engage you in an argument regarding the gist of your statements. However, and I think I can speak for a lot of people here, we follow this sport very closely and as such become emotionally invested in people we have never met. MotoGP is a big family and we the fans like to think we are, albeit distant, a small part of that. We are mourning a person we have come to have much affection for so for you to tell us that affection and sadness is misplaced just comes off as intensely callous. Like the horrible fundamentalists that picket funerals here in the U.S., your comments are just in the wrong place at the absolute wrong time.

Amen.

I believe some young men are born (cursed?) with a warrior gene. From millenia past, this genetic reality drove these young men into the forefront of danger to protect and save their families and communities from threats to their lives and wellbeing. These are the same young men who are heroes today, who leap into the face of extreme danger to assist others with no thought to their own safety.

They are the first join the military, police forces, civil defence teams, the navy, and volunteer for dangerous missions, operate the tools of war, fly airplanes, tanks, and other equipment that place them in the maximum danger.

In times of peace, their genetic code will not be denied. These young men engage in all manner of risky behaviour, often mindlessly risking the lives of others as well as their own. So it is fortunate that there are outlets such as motorcycle racing that satisfy their hunger for the excitement and adrenaline rush in a way that they cannot explain, and in an arena that keeps safe the witnesses to their passion and skilll.

The rest of us marvel at this skill, the athleticism, and the physical attributes that allow them to perform in a way that those of us who lack this gene can not imagine, and understand if only remotely that there are men like these who have these near superhuman skills and courage that will run to the front when
danger appears.

Marco was an outstanding example of those with these admirable characteristics. it is tragic when we lose anyone we admire, but to lose someone so skilled, so personable and so charismatic and who has affected so many with his presence in MotoGP trancends for us, even if only for a few moments, the sadness of the misery so many live in at the far end of survival on this planet.

Peace be with you, Chris Peros, and allow us to grieve for our heroes. You go and discuss your passion with others who share your thoughts.

A particularly thoughtless, crass and insensitive comment at a time like this Chris Pheros. People are quite rightly expressing grief at the tragic death of another human being. This is exactly what we should be doing.

There is an English saying by John Donne: "never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee". Everyone of us knows what the death of another human being means, it is like our own death, and that is partly why we mourn.

You have no right to accuse me or anyone else. You do not know how any one of us feels about the things you mention.

You say that Marco was a media creation, yet several people posting here met Marco in person. If Marco was a media creation, isn't that also true of the starving millions? But of course it is not true for either Marco or those starving.

I can tell you I felt sick to the stomach watching Marco die. I feel the same about the millions who die from starvation, from treatable diseases and from stupid, unnecessary wars. Don't tell me how I feel, you have absolutely no right.

Yes we humans are a stupid lot, and that includes you Chris Pheros. We spend trillions on wars and weapons of mass destruction when we could spend the money on medical research and economic development. If I had the power I would stop the starvation in an instant, and the death from disease and wars. But I don't have that power: no-one on Earth, from the US President down has that power. So we do what we can.

And we mourn a tragic death, as we should mourn any tragic death, in whatever circumstance, and for whatever reason.

RIP Marco Simoncelli.

Even many of my friends who ride a motorcycle for commuting or "for show" were not able to understand the stakes these guys are committing to, race in race out. Some friends eventually understood, after a trackday or so, and they found themselves suddenly having an immersed respect for these racers.

God Speed Marco, and to Edwards and Rossi, Super Sic ain't gonna be happy if you guys quit. Just like we all believed Tomizawa never wanted Scott Redding or Alex DeAngelis to quit at all.

I just logged on to see the race and feel sick at hearing this. A young, passionate and gifted rider was lost today.
RIP Marco, and condolences to all involved.

When these gentlemen of the track display their rare gifts for our entertainment, it makes their passing all the more difficult to accept and the loss to those they leave behind unbearable. peace be with you Marco.
My sympathies go to your family and friends and my thoughts are with Colin and Valentino.

Marco, you were a showman and a fighter to the end. Rest in peace. Vale and Colin, you are in our thoughts. I'm sure Marco would wish you to race on, in rememberance, without negative thoughts.

Should be retired out of respect to a man who's accomplishments on track were only dwarfed by his magnanimous nature off the track. The most entertaining rider in GP for a long, long time. Watching him ride a motorcycle was inspirational, and I'm forever grateful to have been able to witness it.

I hope Vale and Colin know that they were not at all at fault in all of this. It was a racing accident.

My thoughts, prayers, and energy go out to his family, friends, and fans...

RIP SUPER SIC !!!!

Sic was a great, great guy and an awesome rider. This is such a sad day, such a huge loss for everyone who saw him even only on cameras.

A HUGE loss for the world but especially for his family and friends that were closest to him!!! Closing in on the verge to the peak of his GREATNESS... we the fans along with his family will always wonder what could have become if he wasn't tragically taken from us so soon! Marco... you were a talented, passionate rider and person that blessed our lives with your mere presence! SUPER-SIC FOREVER!

I don't know what to say that has not already been said but I can't help but feel pained at the loss of Sic. He was such an magnetic personality in the paddock and such a rising force on the track. A feeling of sickness comes over me when I think what Sic could have achieved in the coming years. My thoughts are with his friends and family as well Colin and Vale.

RIP Marco

Shaken to the core by this news. I, like many others held hope of a new crop of Aliens to take up the mantle at the top tier of MotoGP, Marco among them. The sport is lessened immeasurably by his loss. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Valencia will be a somber place.

Godspeed Marco.

David
Would you be so kind as to pass these comments on to his family and friends, particularly Colin and Valentino who must be feeling absolutely wretched right now.

I know this may not be easy for you - but I'm sure that, coming from you, it would mean a lot.

I logged on hoping for a thrilling race and was gutted by the news. Although some of Somo's moves were a bit iffy he was a huge talent and a great personality - I was warming to him with every race.

RIP Simo and thank you for making MotoGP all the more entertaining.

RIP Marco. Thoughts are with your family and girlfriend, and your friends and team mates at San Carlo. Can still hardly believe it.
Gutted for Vale and Colin as well, nothing they could do.

When something as tragic and unthinkable as this happens it shocks us to our core. It makes us rethink what is really important. Our minds instantly leap from the entertainment of a motorcycle race to questions such as “what is the true meaning and purpose of life?” or “where did the material come from that was exploded in the ‘big bang’?” or “where are all those transitional life form skeletons Darwin said must be there to be found?”.

Is there more beyond the stars than we can see with our eyes or even with the Hubble telescope, or an electron microscope?

Young people are not supposed to be taken from us before they have a chance to experience the wisdom that comes with life’s manifold experiences – which can only come with time and personal interaction.

Like in this case, sometimes life doesn’t happen as we hope or expect it will. I’ll admit, I have been fighting back tears all day.

May God give Marco’s family and friends the grace and peace that only He can give in heartbreak such as this.

SV Nut. Religion if you must have it should be personal and private. Personally I find it distasteful.

The skeletons you mention are being discovered all the time. Science and human enquiry have given us the wonderful world we know today. According to Professor Brian Cox all the material for the universe came from a beach ball - look it up!

My condolences to marco's family, team and friends, his determination will not be forgotten, Like tomizawa, Super Sic was talented and showed us strong determination to continue even in the worst scenarios possible, Rest in Peace.

SuperSic #58, God have you in his glory, rest in peace :(

RIP

Can't help but think about Lorenzo's comments after and Marco and Lorenzo's media 'discussion' early this year.

MS: “Okay. I will be arrested!”

(Media Gallery laughs)

JL: “This question, everybody is laughing, but it’s not funny because we are playing with our lives. We are riding at 300km/h and we are on bikes which are very powerful and very heavy. It’s not minibikes. It’s a dangerous sport and you have to think about what you are doing. It’s okay, I am ready to fight with all the riders, but I don’t like to fight not clean. It’s the way. I injured myself a lot of times, I made (Alex) De Angelis crash in Japan which was my fault, my mistake, so from that moment I’ve always tried to ride clean. I can make a mistake because I am human but normally when I am riding I think twice about things. I am not impulsive because it’s one thing to play with your health, and another thing to play with the other riders’ health.”

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2011/Estoril+QP+press+conference+Lorenzo+…

I remember Daryl Beattie (former 500cc now Australia channel 10 commentator) saying he got chills listening to Lorenzo.

It looked as if he had run over the rumble strip at full lean angle and that's what caused the damn low side... ughh. I am still at a loss for words and really keep thinking this is just a bad dream and he'll be back in a few weeks at Valencia...

The poster who noted at how attached we become to these guys unknowingly put it best. I can't even put words together to describe the emotions and extreme sadness....

Rest in piece Marco, I'll put a candle out for you tonight.

Woke this morning to the special ritual of fixing breakfast and putting on the GP race. In an adult life where there are few rituals that are as uncomplicated as the comfort and joy that one had sitting in front of the TV set with a bowl of cereal and watching Saturday morning cartoons this was one that was as such. Went in the "no spoiler" backdoor of MotoGP.com to let the outcome be a surprise. Less than a half hour later my motivation for the new day was completely drained. ...Been a fervent fan of GP racing but never waved the flag for any particular rider. They are all young heros to me. The talent, commitment, and audacity that they show while engaging in what is still a very violent endeavor despite the technology and fanfare was always motivational for me in my more mundane pursuits. #58 was quite the character. The hairdo and easy going persona scripted better for a surfer than grand prix racer but he was a bull on a bike.
Today was a little like being reminded that Santa Claus doesn't exist.

”Aren't you scared you might die in an accident?”
”No. You live more for 5 minutes going fast on a bike like that, than other people do in all of their life."-Marco "Super Sic" Simoncelli

rumerz.com (not verified)
11 years 5 months ago
Permalink

Marco, what kind of shampoo do you use?

"I don't know, my Mamma buys it."

Some riders have been accused of "never making the race." Marco always made the race.

Simoncelli had the rare gift of making the 800cc races exciting to watch. I always mentally have the Jaws theme playing when I think the poor kid.He was the total package. It's just heartbreaking.

I too woke to the bad news this morning. I went to bed last night half way through the Moto2 race because I had to work early this morning and wanted something to look forward to after work. My wife was up before me and she usually checks the results before a race (does the same with movies). She let me know before I spent all day at work being excited about a race that would turn out to be so sad.

RIP Marco. You were improving all the time and were one of my favorite riders to watch and listen to in interviews. This is going to hurt for a very long time. Condolences to your loved ones and all those in the paddock.

I will never forget you, Marco. When I met you at Laguna Seca and I told you to 'kick some ass!', you laughed and agreed. I wanted something to say other than Good Luck that everyone else said...

Go kick some ass, Marco!!

Due to the time zone of Sepang I found out about this unfortunate event while at work. It was hard to go back after a break and continue work. No use trying to explain to others around me about the lose that had just happened. The next hours passed in a fog. Which at my age was somewhat of a surprise to me.

I did see Marco in the pits at Laguna. I did hear the Italian gentleman next to me in the crowd go bonkers calling his name. That is what I had to remember. The joy this much younger man brought to strangers all over the world. I, of course do understand a word of Italian but I understood every ounce of passion the man next to me shouted out. Marco! Marco!

God Speed Marco.

over the course of the past 2+ years working closely with Marco and Team Gresini I have come to know Marco well.

The tension we felt after the crash and prior to the announcement was unbearable. In the Gresini pits the team were like zombies in a trance and I must have traded assurances a half dozen times with a colleague that we would alert each other the moment we had any news.

When the news broke, an animal cry of anguish came from me as I broke my professional demeanour and few in our hospitality suite were left with dry eyes.

Even now at breakfast the following morning in the hotel that most of the teams stay at (now most having abandoned prematurely), recalling it was just yesterday morning that I was wishing Marco good luck, a sense of unreality surrounds me and the fellow paddock citizens whose eyes I can't quite meet.

Marco was a legend in the making, but perhaps even more poignantly, he was a friend. Not just to me but to everyone who ever met him.

Sleep coming hard I have put up some memories of him with opus and our customers: http://bit.ky/marcosimoncelli

He died as he lived. Fast. Hard. With la passionate. The James Dean of the 21st century.

We loved him. we will miss him
Gordon

I was at Phillip Island in 2010 with Poleposition Travel and had the privilege to meet Marco in the paddock a couple of times, I had several photo's taken with him, and each time I saw him over the course of the weekend and asked for a photo he obliged without a moments hesitation.
He was generous with his time and with his smile and in my wife and I he won a couple of new fans that weekend because of it.

RIP Marco you will be sorely missed.

You were my new favorite rider, having only been following MotoGP long enough to see Rossi's last title, you were the rider I looked forward to watching the most, the one I was sure to take Vales/Stoners spot As the driving face behind motoGp after Vale and Stoner retired...you were going to be my WC, you were/are my Valentino Rossi. The world will miss your smile.

The events of yesterday have left me numb. I am unable to imagine the magnitude of the grief of Marco’s family, friends, colleagues et al.

I have the greatest admiration and respect for the Moto GP riders in all three classes, but in my mind SuperSic stood out, even amongst the elite that comprises the top flight category. Marco reminded me of Gilles Villeneuve in the way that he stood apart from his peers, as if he was from an era long since past.

He was an exceptional young man and I had great affection for him, even though I did not know him personally. It was my sincere wish to see him crowned Moto GP World Champion.

Given the fact that the 2011 title has already been decided, it would be entirely appropriate for the pole position on the Valencia grid to be left empty as a salute to Simoncelli. What better way for MotoGP to honor one of its own than to award him an honorary pole position at the Spanish finale to a season ending so badly.

But it greatly upset all of those of us on that side of the grandstand who watched the events unfold. We saw the accident live and then the slow motion replay on the big screen on the back straight. So everyone knew it was as serious as it could possibly be.
The ambulance couldnt get onto the track (why? I would ask) so the stretcher team carrying Marco over to the ambulance had to come over to the fence and then pass him over the fence.
And in their haste to get him over there the guy at the back couldnt keep up and they dropped it and him! Yes, dropped the stretcher.
The whole crowd who saw it gave a collective outraged yell. It wasnt on any TV I saw and I just watched the replay. If it didnt happen on TV did it really happen?
I do feel though for the marshals who were involved... last thing they would have wanted.
Are they paid trained personnel or well meaning enthusiasts.? I dont know but after seeing that and hearing of the incident on the first practice that decided the Moto2 champioship, I think someone should look into the training of the marshals at Sepang.

Here a letter that a professional paramedic wrote to one of the Italian newspapers. If you do not read Italian, Google translate does not work very well on it but you can get the core idea:

http://www.repubblica.it/sport/moto-gp/2011/10/23/foto/la_lettera_di_un…

This is not a sterile controversy but a way to honor the sport and respect its riders. Tragedies like this impose the moral imperative to get better at avoiding and managing them.

Pretty shocking.
Each MotoGP racebike cost millions (and racebikes of the other classes aren't exactly cheap either). These machines have a team of specialists around them in each race (rider, mechanics and crew chief) and are handled with care.
...yet, in the day and age of safety concerns, an injured rider can still be picked up and transported like a bag of potatoes.
How ironic.

Thanks for sharing the link.
I'll certainly share it around as well.

There is a disturbing parallel to both other recent losses of life in the MotoGP circus. Daijiroh Kato was dumped uncerimoniously onto a stretcher like a sack of potatoes by marshalls at Suzuka. Shoya Tomizawa, although more carefully handled initially, was also dropped off the stretcher by panicking marshalls at Misano. And now we hear that once again a critically injured rider is dropped.
I have every respect for the marshalls who volunteer their time, generally do a brilliant job and make racing possible at all levels. But perhaps it is time to have a discussion about raising the requirements for marshalls at the pinnacle of our sport. If it is not possible to pay a group of people to attend every GP, then perhaps marshalls could be sourced from local fire brigades or police forces? At least they should be used to performing in the face of adversity.
The current requirement for marshalling generally tends to be "will you come and stand in the hot/cold/sun/wind/rain 12 hours a day for three days for no pay? Yes? Great, you've got the job." Maybe this needs to change.
But as you say, whether he was dropped or not most likely made no difference to the outcome for Marco, but in other cases it might.

Reading through the vast majority of the comments above an uninformed bystander might think that Mother Teresa died.

Bike racing is an inherently dangerous sport. The majority of participants do no have a death wish - they love the speed and the thrill and the competition. They accept the risk and work hard to minimise it. From my own experience, there is almost always someone in the group who achieves speed by pushing beyond their talent. Often the other competitors would say things like "ban him for a few races to cool him down, before he kills himself or someone else".

Perhaps you recognise Marco? He was an OK rider (look at his very long record in 125s and 250s) who only seemed to be able to step up to the top by pushing beyond his capabilities.

Can you imagine the posts on this site if, instead of hitting Marco, he had escaped but one of the following riders had hit his bike and been killed?

Of course it is a sad thing that he died, but hopefully some younger riders who might have been inspired by his particular brand of "death-or-glory" racing will learn something useful from this.

Nobody has forgotten that Marco was controversial or that he may have had flaws. Right now people are just struck by their grief. He was well-liked despite the problems people may have had with him on track. It's natural and correct that people are just dealing with the sadness right now.
Think of Ayrton Senna, he was very controversial and people laid the same claims of dangerous behavior on him, but once he was gone his loss became much more of what mattered.
I think Marco cleaned up his riding quite a bit after the early part of the year. It's terrible irony that the move that seemingly did him in was just trying to get out of a lowside.

Calvin, if you were not touched by the soul of Marco Simoncelli you can't understand how this feels to those who were. It's not about the mortal talents of a motorcycle racer who was simply one among many when viewed in that context - it's about a young man who lived life in a way that most people are afraid to. Heart and soul...

I'll never forget the look on his girlfriend's face. I applaud the BBC for hastily re-editing Dorma's transmissions and not invading Marco's family and team and their torment and grief.

This reminds us how brave and skilled these riders are. Every time you see a starting grid, these brave guys (and sometimes girls) are putting their lives and welfare at risk for our entertainment. They love their sport, we love the sport, we watch them for weeks every year, we have our favourites and those we don't like so much, and they travel the world in a high risk circus.

I'll also never forget Loris sitting with Rossi, all the riders were so shocked.

Marco will always remain that lovely guy, skilled rider, possible future champion with the big smile and big hair. He ruffled feathers, but I felt his riding skills had been channelled far more effectively in the latter half of the seaon. The overtakes were better, and he was staying on the bike. He was surely destined for great things.

To us (me and Mrs Swiftnick) he will always be young, skilled, brave and smiling.

Touching words from Kevin.

I disagree (well, I hope to) on the Pedrosa/Stoner thing. There will be other riders, human beings, like Sic coming up. At times there are more and at times less. But there always will be. And for a long time it will be difficult to look at them and not think back at hairy italian.

We all envy and admire true love when we see it, we all say I'd die for that job, or I'd die to protect what I love, in my case my family.

To live with true passion flowing through your veins and in your heart as Marco lived is truly the only way to live. And to die while doing what you love, is a great way to go. very few indeed are blessed to live as Gods amongst mortals, and I am in awe of those that do.

Marco was still finding his feet and no doubt would have thrilled us in the years to come as Rossi did in the past. So while we mourn the loss of Marco, lets us also give praise to his indomitable spirit, and all he brought to the sport.

Thank you Marco!

I wonder when the call to analyse the on board telemetry will come. The first thing you learn in roadracing 101 (and cornerworking school) is that unlike cars, bikes tend to "self-clean" themselves from the track. It is quite odd that Marco and his bike would come back across the track. Of course Val and Colin did what you are taught and experience tells you, go to the inside of a crasher. No doubt Marco's size allows him to put a bike back on the tires after it has "crashed". He has 60 pounds and 8" on Pedrosa, and I don't doubt that Dani would have slid off the track directly in line with his momentum vector, tangential to the arc he was cutting. Marco it seems managed to get some rear traction back and rather than pirouette around the center of the body work/his right side, took off toward the right side of the track... Perhaps it is that incredible side grip of the 'Stones. Very odd. What I also find very odd is that Honda does not use tip over sensors to save engines, or if they do it wasn't working. Many other things come to mind, was the throttle jammed, was the front brake jammed... Many questions. I only hope this doesn't descend into a Senna type trial. I do believe a thorough technical analysis should be done...

I very much doubt that Simo came back across the track under power - on reflection I suppose it is possible... but it seems to me that it was simply a terrible alignment of angles, and when both tyres touched down at the same time they guided the bike back to the right. Nothing he could do, and as you said nothing CE & VR could do other than what they did, which was the correct choice based on their considerable knowledge of crash scenarios.

Quite simply a thousand-to-one chance, and poor Simo landed on the wrong numbers on the day.

I'm sure a detailed analysis will be done by people who (unlike me) have the hard data in front of them. But I do agree with other posts that it is time for marshalling at GP level to be stepped up to a more appropriate level, I too have nothing but respect and admiration for marshalls (I have marshalled at track days) but given the serious money involved I am sure something can be found to at least put one highly trained marshall at each marshall station. Perhaps the series does need 15+ such trained people to travel to each track to provide guidance for the local team.

I'd rather see less money spent on electronics and more money spent on active safety measures such as trackworker training... but please don't do anything to reduce the riders role in keeping themselves safe; I'm sure the riders themselves would be the first to agree.

Traveling this weekend I saved watching the race and avoided checking my favorite sites so as not to spoil the race. How saddened I now sit, hoping to see him climb the podium and instead praying for Marco. A family's son and a bright light for MotoGP were taken while doing what he loved to do.
I can't explain the gaping hole that I feel seeing as how I never met him. I don't know if I even feel like riding anymore.
sucks.