RIP Simoncelli

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Another major motorsports death. 2008 Moto2 Champion and MotoGP rising star Marco Simoncelli was killed in the Malaysian GP in MotoGP today. He was an entertaining rider and personality; to me the most entertaining of the premier class because he pushed the limits at all times. Perhaps this justifies other riders' complaints earlier in the season that he was too reckless. I was always a little nervous whenever the cameras were tracking him.

Here's the graphic description if anyone is interested in how it happened:

Just a couple laps in, he slid out but regained grip on the front tire and ended up inadvertently cutting across the path of following riders while hanging off the side of the bike. He was hit in the back of the neck/head area by the bikes of a couple other riders - Edwards and Rossi - who had nowhere to go. Not a real fast section but fast enough; maybe 140 km/hr. His helmet went flying off with the bike debris and the last race footage before the red flag showed his lifeless body sliding face first down the track. A disturbing image and a very sad end to a race that was barely underway.

I'm not sure there's much that can be done to prevent incidents like this. A Moto2 rider was also killed last year when he lost his bike and was hit in the chest area by a following bike. Prior to that, the last death was in 2003 at Suzuka, and the track (Suzuka) hasn't been used for MotoGP since due to a lack of adequate runoff on one of the high speed turns.

I wouldn't be surprised if this incident compels Rossi to retire soon. Rossi and Simoncelli appeared to be friends, and Simoncelli seemed to ride a little more cautiously than normal whenever he was close behind Rossi. Like Schumacher, I don't imagine Rossi is riding for much more than the pleasure of the competition at this point in his career. I'm not sure how much pleasure will remain.
 
Originally Posted By: rpn453
Another major motorsports death. 2008 Moto2 Champion and MotoGP rising star Marco Simoncelli was killed in the Malaysian GP in MotoGP today. He was an entertaining rider and personality; to me the most entertaining of the premier class because he pushed the limits at all times. Perhaps this justifies other riders' complaints earlier in the season that he was too reckless. I was always a little nervous whenever the cameras were tracking him.


Thanks for the info. I'm kinda glad I didn't watch it. It was in my "Maybe" column of things to watch. I'm not squeamish about death, but as I mentioned in my posts in the Weldon thread, I don't like race crashes. I want to see everyone finish safely, period. I know that isn't always possible, and never will be, but it doesn't mean I have to like crashes.
 
Gifted but at times a little careless on the track. Always entertaining to watch because he pushed the limits. MotoGP is not real popular here in the US but huge overseas. Will be a big loss for the series. RIP Marco.
 
Originally Posted By: rpn453
Perhaps this justifies other riders' complaints earlier in the season that he was too reckless.

What? Not one rider on the grid is going to say anything of the sort.

Simoncelli's accident had nothing at all to do with him being reckless. He lost traction on the front end of his bike because he was trying hard and battling for position with Bautista. The accident was just the result of a combination of bad timing and bad luck, nothing else. It could have happened to anyone, anywhere.
 
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
What? Not one rider on the grid is going to say anything of the sort.

Simoncelli's accident had nothing at all to do with him being reckless. He lost traction on the front end of his bike because he was trying hard and battling for position with Bautista. The accident was just the result of a combination of bad timing and bad luck, nothing else. It could have happened to anyone, anywhere.


They won't say anything about this situation, but earlier in the season there were complaints from Lorenzo and Pedrosa about his aggressive passes. He toned it down on the passes after that, but was still pushing harder than anyone else out there. The catastrophic result was bad luck, but the odds increase the more you push it and the more you go down. Prior to Malaysia, he had crashed out of four races this year, and was able to finish two others where he had gone down. That's 7 of 17.

I'm not using the term "justifies" to imply that he got what he deserved, or that this was an expected outcome of his aggressive riding style. I'm just saying that the track is a dangerous place, and the veteran riders obviously felt it was in everyone's best interest if he eased up a bit when in close proximity to other riders. I'm sure that even Dovizioso is grieving hard over this one.

It won't be the same without him. He and Rossi were my favorite riders. There will be a big, empty hole behind Stoner, Lorenzo, and Pedrosa. I wouldn't mind if they didn't even bother with Valencia. But the show must go on.
 
Tragic. I was really shaken when I watched the race. This has to be a real nightmare for Edwards and Rossi. I have watched a lot of motorcycle roadracing, and that was such a freakish incident. Just terrible.
 
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