RIP Marco Simoncelli

[ShiftingGears]

It's confirmed. =(

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/upload/279918/images/marco-simoncelli.jpg

[F1boat]

Rest in peace. :( :( :(

[The Phantom]

Terribly sad : (

[Ranger]

RIP, there are no words. :( :(

[Zeakiwi]

RIP Marco Simoncelli. This particularly saddening after last weekend's fine second place on the podium at the Australian GP ( Phillip Island).

[tfp]

RIP simoncelli, cant believe whats just hapenned

[EavesFan09]

Not been able to catch much MotoGP action since I first developed an interest in MotoGP and so the riders are still unfamiliar to me, though I can recall their names, but this comes as a massive and upsetting shock.

I switched on to the coverage expecting to find the last few laps of the race to try and make up for lost time and was greeted by the news of the accident though I knew nothing of the events. But I felt in my heart it wasn't good when I heard his helmet came of and he collected Ben Edwards and another rider.

Yet the sad thing is theirs no mention of it at all in any news reports on the BBC News Channel or on SkyNews except for tickertapes.

[DonJippo]

R.I.P.

[sal]

Cant quite belive it. Was watching the race live on the BBC as normally record and watch later and the commentators were just talking about his tyre choice saying he would have to be careful for the first couple of laps then this happens. Was sickening to see him lying in the track minus helmet. Seemed a freak accident in that low siders normally see the bike slide to the outside of the track and here the bike just kept turning right. Edwards and Rossi had no where to go.

A tragic loss of a real if controversial talent

RIP Marco. Condolences to family and friends.

[EavesFan09]

Cant quite belive it. Was watching the race live on the BBC as normally record and watch later and the commentators were just talking about his tyre choice saying he would have to be careful for the first couple of laps then this happens. Was sickening to see him lying in the track minus helmet. Seemed a freak accident in that low siders normally see the bike slide to the outside of the track and here the bike just kept turning right. Edwards and Rossi had no where to go.

A tragic loss of a real if controversial talent

RIP Marco. Condolences to family and friends.

From the horrible footage on YouTube, piecing it together, I don't know how he fell of but it seemed for all the world to me that it was a freak incident that Marco's bike slid in the direction of Edwards and Rossi. Don't know what was happening to Marco when Rossi and Edwards clashed but I am suspecting it is the collision of Marco's head on the tarmac rather than anything Edwards or Rossi did. How did the helmet come to be detached anyway?

I wonder if they will retire #58?

[ShiftingGears]

How did the helmet come to be detached anyway?

Because Rossi's bike hit his neck/head.

[pino]

Terrible news :(

R.I.P Marco

[jiipee64]

A Sad Day !!!

[CaptainRaiden]

R.I.P. Marco Simoncelli. :(

What a sad couple of weeks these have been for motorsport. I've been following Marco's career right from his 125cc days, where he had a pretty tough time, crashing almost every race. 250cc was where he found his true form, and I cheered him all the way through against Bautista for winning the championship, and he did. What's sad is he won his 250cc crown at Malaysia, at the same track where he lost his life today.

When he came to MotoGP, I was so impressed with how quickly he got to terms with the bigger bikes, and how amazingly well he did in his one-off outing in WSBK at Imola. The crash today was just nasty, and I knew it was at least gonna be serious injury, but couldn't have foretold that he'd pass away.

All I can say is R.I.P. Marco Simoncelli. The world of motorcycle racing has lost one of its brightest and naturally talented stars.

[pete c]

R.I.P. Marco, and condolences to family and friends.
I feel like i have lost a friend, even though i never actually new you.
ciao amigo

[urabus-denoS2000]

Horrible, really horrible news. I can't imagine how Rossi and Edwards feel right now. R.I.P Marco Simoncelli

[00steven]

Sometimes this sport kicks you right in the gut. I don't follow Moto GP much, but I definately knew of Marco. With everything this past week with Dan it's just too much to handle. RIP Marco...way to young to go.

[truefan72]

just stunned
still slightly numb after DW in nindycar
and now this promising young rider
so sad

RIP Marco

[52Paddy]

A really sad day for motorsport. Such a tragic string of events (Wheldon's and now this) seems so alien as it's been a long time since we've had a very black patch in the world of motorsport. I had been waiting for the day Simoncelli would win his first race and, in my opinion, it wouldn't have been too far into the future. I loved his erratic approach to racing - even if he was a bit careless at times, he was exciting to watch. I'll never forget his performance in a wet Silverstone race, even though it ended in tears for him. My friend, who has only been getting into MotoGP in recent weeks, latched onto Simoncelli straight away and it's sad that his career and life have been cut short so abruptly.

R.I.P. Marco Simoncelli - a great shame your full potential was never realised :(

[Nikki Katz]

This has been arguably the worst week for motorsport in fifteen years.

I'm only a casual MotoGP fan, but it seemed to me that Simoncelli reminded me a lot of Lorenzo at the start of his career - spectacularly fast and getting completely unexpected poles right from the start, but somewhat crash-happy, which completely wrecked the end results. I honestly felt that, like Lorenzo, give him a few years to iron that out and he could be champion.

I've not seen the accident, but from what everyone has said it sounds exactly the same as Tomizawa's last year, which I did catch. The thing is, I'm not even certain that anything at all can be done about this. This isn't a problem with the circuit or the rider's safety gear; if the rider's lying prone in the middle of the track then nothing will be able to save him by being hit by bikes behind.

In a way, although I held Wheldon as something of a hero, and that's not really the same for Simoncelli, lessons can be learnt from Wheldon's death, I just don't see that it's possible here. Just a terrible waste.

RIP :(

[thi]

Because Rossi's bike hit his neck/head.

Sadly the helmet might have become damaged enough to just need a tap from one of the other riders.( seen this happen a number of time in high impact bike crashes with the job i do) As far Rossi hitting his head,it looks like a glancing blow. The impact of this accident will effect Rossi and Edwards more than they will realise, Rossi more as he was a close friend of Simoncelli. I along with others wish his family and friends my sympathys and prayers.

[Forum Buddy]

Bad Week for Motorsport as a whole, Marco was a good MotoGP rider, and will be missed.

RIP Marco.

[osg]

Devastated by the loss of Marco. An immense talent who seemingly was just starting to get his head around how to piece a race weekend together. The 2nd at PI was a great way to remember his style and attitude. My thoughts are with his family, friends, the Gresini squad and the larger MotoGP family.

[chac47]

Farewell Marco, RIP. My thoughts are with your family, friends and fans, and all those involved in motorcycle racing. I feel very sad for Colin and Valentino for what they must be going through at this time.

[wedge]

RIP Marco Simoncelli

IMHO there is nothing more tragic in motorsport than losing an individual who's time ended too soon and arguably was on the verge of greatness. Yes, there was many a time when Marco was too quick for his own good and crash but there was also times where he showed he was a naturally gifted rider by out-riding his Gresini Honda and mixing it up with the factory Hondas.

[Robinho]

more horrible news, another freak accident, it seems this one would have been a perfectly innocuous low side had Marco not nearly kept the bike up on his knee, causing him to come across the track rather than disappear into the gravel. Really cannot see what more can be done in this case, if a rider is on the track then there is a chance of being hit and the consequences are always severe and often fatal. A cruel waste of a life, and just as he was comng into some serious front running form and had a works honda ride for next year, big shame, gutted

[tha_jackal]

"You live more for 5 minutes going fast on a bike like that, than other people do in all of their life." - Marco Simoncelli

R.I.P Marco.. :(

an amazing character, freakishly talented rider and one of my great idols.

you will be missed.

[suzukimad07]

R i p #58

[Allyc85]

I still cant believe this, im gutted :(

He was such an amazing rider who always gave his all, even if it did get him in a spot of bother at times!

RIP Marco, your going to be missed :(

[patnicholls]

Still in disbelief this end - thoughts are with family, friends, team and fans.

For now, words fail me.

[gloomyDAY]

I can't believe it. I've had a lump in my throat all day!

I will miss Marco and feel awful for his fiancé Kate.

[jonny hurlock]

Marco Simoncelli R.I.P. possibly a future champion

[tfp]

:( RIP Marco Simoncelli.

I have a few questions about what hapenned, I'll ask when the situation has calmed own a bit :(
I have watched motorsports for many years now, and I've seen accidents happen, and we've all seen replays of the great Senna's accident, but this is the first fatality that I have ever seen live, so it throws you a bit. I hope I never, ever see another one like this.

All the best wishes to Simoncelli's family.

[CaptainRaiden]

There's a very touching and heartfelt tribute from Kevin Schwantz to Marco here: Soup :: 34x34: RIP Ciccio :: 10-24-2011 (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Oct/111024-34-rip-sic.htm)



34x34: RIP Ciccio
by kevin schwantz
Monday, October 24, 2011


The first time I met Marco Simoncelli, it was with Valentino, and I think it was in '03 or '04. He was just getting started in Grand Prix and came to dinner with us after the Grand Prix in Barcelona. I was like, "Who is this kid? He's too big! He's never going to turn out to be anything." But Valentino's said, "No, he's really fast, really good." And of course Valentino was right.

Marco Simoncelli wasn't just a fast racer with a huge amount of talent and potential, he was also just a great kid. He just always had a smile on his face. He was happy to be racing. A lot of us—and I mean us, because it did get that way for me—it got to where racing was such a big job, it almost wasn't fun any more. You couldn't offset all the demands and the workload, for the hour of pleasure of trying to kick everybody's ass on Sunday. And Simoncelli, right to the very end, seemed to have the best grasp of anybody out there, on it.

There were three standouts in the sport, and now there are two. I'm probably going to get under some people's skin saying this, but it's Maverick Vinales, Marc Marquez, and it was Simoncelli. These are guys who were good figures for the sport. They always look to be having fun. There's always going to be the Pedrosas. There's always going to be the Stoners. But once Valentino is gone, all the character in the sport is gone.

Even as popular as Sic was, as many mistakes as he made this year, as many bikes as he crashed - he always had something good to say, and he always had a smile on his face. He always had time to stop and talk. "I'm learning. I'm making mistakes. I haven't been racing these bikes for ten years, I don't know what to do." And to me, he was kind of old school. A lot like myself. Not very finished when he first got on a bike, not very polished as a rider, but he was really coming to grips with what it took, and what was important. Not just the next corner, but the result at the end of the day.

I went and did a charity motocross ride that Valentino held a couple of years ago. I saw Marco there. You could tell Simoncelli hadn't been on a motocross bike very much at that point. Okay, so I'm not a Supercross rider, but I've ridden motocross bikes a lot, so I was talking to him a little bit about what he was doing, and how he was doing it. "Oh, yeah, thanks, that really helped me." And by the end of the weekend of motocross riding, it was all I could do to keep him in sight. He was one of those guys that was just like a sponge. He'd soak up absolutely everything, and he'd take in whatever helped him. Whatever helped him, he'd use, and whatever didn't, he'd throw away. He was always wanting to learn. Listening, and always showing an interest. you could see it in his face: 'This might be something I need to be listening to. This might be something that can help me.' And every time I was anywhere near his house, he was calling me to come over.

He and I probably texted even more than Spies and I do. I'd text him after a race, text him before a race. I texted him just before the Grand Prix in Australia. I said, "All you gotta do is get a good start and get with Stoner and stay with him for a couple of laps." I said, "A little bit of pressure and who knows what might happen." He texted me after the race. "Ah," he says, "Kevin, I didn't have the pace to go with Casey," he said, "but I'm very happy with the result. It was a hard fight to the finish." And I texted him back, and I said, "Yeah, that's great." He says, "You're coming to Valencia, right?" And I texted him back and said, "Yeah, of course." He said, "See you in Valencia."

We called each other the same nickname: Ciccio. I asked somebody what it means, and I think it means "Chubby" in Italian, or something like that, but he said it means "Buddy" more than anything.

He was just one of those guys who had such a great future in the sport. It's an unfortunate lifestyle that we choose, because sometimes it can be really, really brutal. It can be so unforgiving. That's what we saw yesterday. I don't know how, or what the series will do to honor him in Valencia, but I'm sure that everybody will come up with a plan that gives him suitable kudos, because he really was the future of MotoGP, for sure, for the next five or ten years.

Every time I'd go see him, he'd say, "Hey, let's go eat dinner." One time I called him, I think we were going to go bicycle riding, and he called me. "Hey, it's raining, Kevin. Let's not go bicycle riding. But I'll come pick you up at the hotel. I want to go show you something in my BMW." He had an M3. Of course, he and Graziano (Rossi) were super good pals, because they both just loved drifting their cars. They knew all these little bitty back lanes in Italy like the back of their hands. He lived in Riccione. All those little lanes around the back, between the track at Misano and the beach. Everything he did, he had an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

He'd say, "But see, Graziano taught me. He taught me well. You never make more than two laps," he says, "because if you do, then the police will be coming for sure." Whether it was a roundabout that we were doing donuts around, or whether it was a business center that was closed on the weekend, he goes, "You can't ever do more. Graziano says no more than two laps." Just stuff like that. He enjoyed life and it's just tragic that it was cut short. He had such a brilliant, bright future ahead of him.

I was just going back through some of the pictures on my phone. I sent him a picture ... I think it was a winter day here. I had a long-sleeved Simoncelli T-shirt on, and I texted him a picture. He texted me back within two minutes with a picture. He was in his BMW and the phone was behind the steering wheel, and he had his Kevin Schwantz shirt on.

He will be so dearly missed by everybody. His family are such nice people. His dad, his mom, his sister, his girlfriend, everybody. Anybody that I ever met with Marco, they were all as nice as they could be. I don't know when the funeral is going to be exactly, but there's not much doubt I'll be there. There won't be a dry eye in the house.

I didn't text him before the race in Malaysia. I sent his phone a text afterward, and just said, "58 Forever. Rest in peace, Ciccio."

[EavesFan09]

I was touched by the fact the Rosineri (AC Milan fans) put a long banner with a tribute to him in a stand in the San Siro and before the match held a one minutes silence.

Got through the post the Duke catalogue today. Sells DVD's, books and prints of all kinds of motorsport and theirs quite a few pages at the start devoted to motorcycling with a 2-page spread devoted to MotoGP. I saw the 2011 season review DVD for sale which you can put an order in for when it comes out and I could not help but think about Marco as well.

[EavesFan09]

“I was satisfied with our pace in the first half of the session when we were working on our race setting but not so much with the 'time attack' because just when we switched tyres I had a problem with a sensor and had to switch to my second bike, which had a different setting that I wasn't as comfortable with. I was struggling a bit and instead of staying out there I decided to come back in and try to make a small change but it didn't work out. Anyway, I am looking forward to tomorrow and feeling confident I can fight with the three guys on the front row. We just need to decide which tyre to use for the race.“

This from the San Carlo Gresini website. It comes from Marco at the end of qualifying. I don't know if that is important to understanding why this tragic accident happened. Just thought I would mention it.

[NinjaMaster]

I'm still struggling to understand that Marco is gone for good and won't be back. I not going to pretend that I was his biggest fan, in fact my support for him has to'd and fro'd somewhat over the years but through it all I've always loved his personality. He never got involved in mind games or politics, he just raced bikes for the love of it. The world has lost a one-of-a-kind, a free spirit and we are all the poorer for it. Yes, his riding was controversial and he rightfully copped an ass kicking after some incidents early in the season but he emerged all the better for it. After some meek adjustments to his riding mid-season, Marco was finishing the year with a renewed enthusiasm, the aggression was back but now with the control to see him consistently at the pointy end of the field. His ride at Phillip Island was a case in point. When the rain came and Dovi passed him, earlier this season would've seen him in the gravel. But this time, he let things settle, picked his time and carried out a strong but safe pass to secure his best result. Big things were in store for him with the change to the 1000cc bikes next year but sadly we'll never know just how far he could go. My heart has ached for the past week and a half and it's going to take quite some time before I can get used to seeing a MotoGP grid without the number 58 on the grid with that famous frizz of hair. MotoGP has lost it's next great star and Marco leaves a huge whole to fill.

The "After The Flag" segment on the MotoGP website had a really beautiful tribute to Marco after Sepang.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dENEvR2T6iY

My favourite photo of him is from 2008 when he won his 250cc world title. It's not a racing shot but I think it best represents who he was.
http://photos.motogp.com/2011/10/24/2008_sepang_simoncelli_02_slideshow_169.jpg

Marco, you may be gone but you will never be forgotten. RIP Super Sic #58. ;(