Marco Simoncelli's death was unpreventable, says MotoGP's safety officer

Marco Simoncelli, the Italian who lost his life after a crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix, is the latest in a long line of motorsport stars whose lives have been cut short doing what they loved.

Following so soon on the death of IndyCar star Dan Wheldon, the loss of Simoncelli is another stark reminder of the dangers some top-level sportsmen accept in their daily lives.
Simoncelli’s rise through the racing ranks earmarked him for greatness. He reached the Moto2 class by the age of 19 and soon made the switch up to Moto GP.


As a 21-year-old he won his first 250cc race at the Italian GP in Mugello and the following year finished third overall in World Championship.

His big move came in 2010 when he debuted MotoGP season for Honda where he finished 16 of the 18 races en route to eighth place in the championship.

In June this year he claimed his first pole at the Catalan GP but where he finished sixth before the tragedy occurred at the Malaysian GP in Sepang.
Simoncelli was already a world champion when he moved into the MotoGP class and right from the very start he announced his arrival in a blaze of action.

The gangly Simoncelli with the crazy afro hairstyle - it earned him the nickname Sideshow Bob as he resembled the character from The Simpsons - cut a striking figure wherever he went.
Well over six feet tall, the 24-year-old was out of proportion for a world-class motorcycle racer, elbows and knees sticking out and legs dangling off the bike.

But appearances were deceptive. Simoncelli was a true champion and his larger-than-life outlook won the hearts of fans across the world.


Wherever he went off the track women flocked to him. Wherever he went on the track fans sat up in their seats and took notice.

And his rivals invariably had to do the same.

Simoncelli was an uncompromising rider as many fellow racers found to their cost. As he battled to come to terms with racing in the premier class of world motorcycle racing this season he often came into conflict with others.

But the maverick side to his character endeared him to those of us whose adrenaline rose just by watching him bang and bash his way to the front.
Many saw Simoncelli as the true heir apparent to Valentino Rossi.


The comparisons were easy. The fellow Italians took an instant like to each other and their no-nonsense attitude to racing often brought them into conflict with fellow racers and officials alike. It is easy to see why they became friends.

There was always a glint in Simoncelli’s eye and a broad grin on his face, even when he knew he had upset his colleagues.

Ironically he had tempered his wild style of late and the week before his death took his best result so far in MotoGP with second in Australia.

Sadly he will not be able to take that final highest step on the podium following his untimely death.

The light which shone brightly within Simoncelli will no longer illuminate the MotoGP race circuit.

The rider called 'Super Sic' by his team has gone and that makes MotoGP a darker place for all concerned.

Marco Simoncelli

As the tributes poured in for Italy's Marco Simoncelli, who died following a crash during the Malaysian MotoGP in Sepang on Sunday, other riders were warned that the fatality was unpreventable.
Franco Uncini, the MotoGP riders' safety representative, said in a radio interview: "I think we've done plenty for safety and we are very satisfied. Unfortunately in our hands we don't have the power to change fate. When it comes, there's nothing we can do. We must accept what comes defencelessly. Nothing else can be done.
"There was an abundance of safety there, the circuit is perfectly inside the limits of safety as per our requests. What happened was a crash like many others. The only problem is that the bikes were close to one another so two other riders arrived and hit Marco's head and neck. That's what made the crash so dramatic."
Uncini may sound a little complacent but he was left in a coma himself after a similar incident in the 1983 Dutch TT-Assen.
He paid his own tribute to Simoncelli, who died from head, neck and chest injuries when he slid into the path of two other riders, Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi, and lost his helmet.
Uncini said: "On top of being an exceptional rider, he was an exceptional character, funny, friendly and intelligent too. He was also part of the safety commission. When we'd meet on Fridays, with Valentino, himself, Loris Capirossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, he was always very intelligent by always saying very sensible and important things.
"He was very constructive, not destructive and very good professionally. He cared a lot for the safety aspect and he was always present at these meetings. The last time was last Friday, before the grand prix."
The seven-time world champion Rossi said on Twitter: "Sic for me was like a youngest brother, so strong on track and so sweet in the normal life. I will miss him a lot." Simoncelli's manager, Carlo Pernat, said: "Marco was a cheery boy, everyone's friend. He had expectations, dreams. He was a boy from days gone by, with a wonderful family who taught him good values. It's terrible, there are no words, everyone's very upset, he could have become world champion one day."
Formula One's Jenson Button said on Twitter: "RIP Marco … Such an exciting talent lost. My thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone involved in MotoGP. Sometimes Motorsport can be so cruel…"