Gresini Honda's Marco Simoncelli has passed away after being involved in a horrific crash during the Malaysian Moto GP at the Sepang circuit.
The Gresini Honda rider lost control of his bike on the second lap of the circuit in Sepang and appeared to be hit by Colin Edwards and then Valentino Rossi as he slid across the track.
The 24-year-old's helmet came off in the collision and he was taken to the medical centre for treatment, but his injuries were too serious.
A message on the MotoGP website read: "Marco Simoncelli succumbed to injuries sustained in Malaysia."
It was confirmed on www.motogp.com that he died at 4.56pm local time.
The organisers cancelled the race when the extent of Simoncelli's injuries become apparent, having halted it immediately after the accident.
Newly-crowned champion Casey Stoner admitted immediately after the crash he had feared the worse.
"As soon as I saw the footage it just makes you sick inside," the Australian told BBC2.
"Whenever the helmet comes off that's not a good sign."
Tributes came in from his fellow riders.
British MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow wrote on Twitter: "RIP Marco Simoncelli ! A great rider and all round nice guy. My thoughts are with all his family & friends. I will never forget today."
Simoncelli, who won the 250cc world championship in 2008, clinching the crown in Sepang, stepped up to MotoGP in 2010.
His death was the first fatality in MotoGP since Japan's Daijiro Katoh died from his injuries sustained at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix.
And it comes exactly a week after British racing driver Dan Wheldon, a former IndyCar champion and two-time Indy 500 race winner, was killed in a 15-car pile-up at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Marco Simoncelli Factfile
1987: Born in Cattolica, Italy on January 20.
1996: Runner-up in the Italian Minimoto Championship.
1999: Champion of the Italian Minimoto Championship.
2000: Claims a back-to-back title in the Italian Minimoto Championship and is runner-up in the European Minimoto Championship.
2001: Moves up to the the Italian 125cc Championship and wins the title in his rookie year.
2002: Wins the European 125cc title.
2003: Takes part in his first full season in the 125cc World Championship with the Matteoni Racing team.
2004: Joins the Rauch Bravo team and wins his first Grand Prix at a rain-soaked Jerez.
2005: Completes another 125cc campaign with the Nocable.it Race team and finishes fifth in the final standings.
2006: Moves up to the 250cc class riding for Gilera. Finishes the season in 10th overall with a sixth place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix his best result.
2008: June - Wins his first 250cc race at the Italian GP in Mugello in controversial circumstances when Hector Barbera crashed into him after Simoncelli appeared to try to block him off.
October - Wins the 250cc World Championship after a successful season with Gilera with a third place finish in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.
2009: Finishes third overall in the 250cc World Championship behind Japan's Hiroshi Aoyama and Spain's Barbera.
2010: Moves up to ride in his debut MotoGP season for Honda. Finishes 16 of the 18 races en route to eighth place in the championship.
2011: May - Collides with Dani Pedrosa while battling for second in the French GP. The resulting crash saw Pedrosa break his collarbone and Simoncelli receive a ride-through penalty, eventually finishing fifth. Simoncelli accepted he needed to re-evaluate his driving style and at times be more cautious.
June - Claims his first MotoGP pole at the Catalan GP but a poor start resulted in a sixth placed finish.
October 23 - Killed in a crash during the Malaysian GP in Sepang.
we will be missing marco on track....I never forget the day.....
Really can't believe Marco is no longer with us. Forcing myself to ride home 400km's after what happened was so so hard...
Just dissapointed that the Sepang organisers didn't announce with the PA system what happened to the crowds. A lot of prople just didn't know what happened and was frustrated that they paid their tickets just to witness one and a half laps completed in MotoGP.
I was watching the coverage on the TV in the UK and saw the accident and the aftermath afterwards. We were told the race was cancelled a full 15 minutes before the spectators at the circuit were.
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Yamaha RD400C and XJR1300 rider from the UK. Aircooled RD Club Member
I was watching the coverage on the TV in the UK and saw the accident and the aftermath afterwards. We were told the race was cancelled a full 15 minutes before the spectators at the circuit were.
2011 MotoGP Sepang worst year!!..
SIC got fine 50k Euro due to Friday incident... ( marshal not raising yellow flag! )
Race 2...moto2.. Red flag on lap 16/17...
Race 3... MotoGP.. Red flag on 2nd lap due to Marco Simonelli accident...
.... upon carrying Marco Simonelli on stracther to the ambulance.... Marco Simonelli fall down again???......what the hack with the medic??... is that True of what im hearing.?..... SIC will be in big trouble for this!!
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Lepak SANTAI MAT NEGRO!! ------------------------------- Setiap RABU 5.30 ptg - SEc. 7 baru!!... belakang KFC pintu masuk UITM!!. Setiap Jumaat 10.30 mlm - Pekan KAPAR!..selepas MOBIL Setiap Sabtu atau Ahad - Ada Ride RMR!!..JOMM call aku - 019-6003900...!!
i'm wondering.. why Marco still holding to the bike?.... he suppose to let go it!.. it looks like he already out/fainted and helpless before the crash.
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Lepak SANTAI MAT NEGRO!! ------------------------------- Setiap RABU 5.30 ptg - SEc. 7 baru!!... belakang KFC pintu masuk UITM!!. Setiap Jumaat 10.30 mlm - Pekan KAPAR!..selepas MOBIL Setiap Sabtu atau Ahad - Ada Ride RMR!!..JOMM call aku - 019-6003900...!!
i'm wondering.. why Marco still holding to the bike?.... he suppose to let go it!.. it looks like he already out/fainted and helpless before the crash.
tengok kat youtube...nampak macam dia terhimpit ngan muto pastu bwk ketengah....nak menangis aku tengok beb....
You won't find him letting go of his bike just one and a half lap into a race. You can see he is fighting/trying/hoping to pick up his bike like after the bike has slided like what Rossi did in one of his races previously. If he has let his bike go, i'm sure he would sitll be alive today, but he is Marco...
am totally agree with what has been said by mamat....from what we have seen, it appears that something bad would be happen.
many wondered why marco is still holding his bike, while as a pro rider he should do something more intelligent.
even though he has high morale and fight spirit but create a dangerous to the other rider is not a wise action, but all had happened ... that's Simoncelli the new rising star...
I think he had fainted while on the bike and only cn managed to drag the bike into the circuit back before hitted by two other riders frm the back. His body seemed to have crippled and after tht...horror crash...
SIC got fine 50k Euro due to Friday incident... ( marshal not raising yellow flag! )
Race 2...moto2.. Red flag on lap 16/17...
Race 3... MotoGP.. Red flag on 2nd lap due to Marco Simonelli accident...
.... upon carrying Marco Simonelli on stracther to the ambulance.... Marco Simonelli fall down again???......what the hack with the medic??... is that True of what im hearing.?..... SIC will be in big trouble for this!!
.... upon carrying Marco Simonelli on stracther to the ambulance.... Marco Simonelli fall down again???......what the hack with the medic??... is that True of what im hearing.?..... SIC will be in big trouble for this!!
OMG!!
The medic and support team were soo reckles and low experience!!... if im the family of Marco's.... i will shoot down SIC for this!!... damn!
Lepak SANTAI MAT NEGRO!! ------------------------------- Setiap RABU 5.30 ptg - SEc. 7 baru!!... belakang KFC pintu masuk UITM!!. Setiap Jumaat 10.30 mlm - Pekan KAPAR!..selepas MOBIL Setiap Sabtu atau Ahad - Ada Ride RMR!!..JOMM call aku - 019-6003900...!!
farewell to Marco Simoncelli . He the best rider for Motogp 2011. Dan satu lagi SIC kena cari org yg betul2 berpengalaman utk mengendali medic ni. ini tidak . kawan tu sakit , bertambah lagi la sakit dia. Ini boleh dijadi kan tauladan pada SIC.
farewell to Marco Simoncelli . He the best rider for Motogp 2011. Dan satu lagi SIC kena cari org yg betul2 berpengalaman utk mengendali medic ni. ini tidak . kawan tu sakit , bertambah lagi la sakit dia. Ini boleh dijadi kan tauladan pada SIC.
tengok pakaian yg dipakai oleh mat medic tu jer dah boleh nampak...professional ker atau tangkap muat!!.... harap pakai vest aje...
standard operating procedure SOP pun tak tau!!...
neck support???.... strapping at stretcher?????
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Lepak SANTAI MAT NEGRO!! ------------------------------- Setiap RABU 5.30 ptg - SEc. 7 baru!!... belakang KFC pintu masuk UITM!!. Setiap Jumaat 10.30 mlm - Pekan KAPAR!..selepas MOBIL Setiap Sabtu atau Ahad - Ada Ride RMR!!..JOMM call aku - 019-6003900...!!
kalau tgk betul2 dlm youtube. . . .mamat yg terlepas strecer tu tgh pakai h/p. bila dia nak masuk h/p dlm poket , masa tu kejadian tu berlaku. kesian tul . . . dah jatuh ditimpa moto plak.
Back in the late 70's the BBC in the UK used to show live British motorcycle racing on TV regularly on a Sunday because it was exciting.
Unfortunately over a few months there was a few horrific accidents where racers were killed on live TV. It was not good for viewer to see this on live TV so a lot of bike racing went back to being recorded "just in case of the worst"
If racing is shown live and there is a bad accident the cameras will always pan away and the commentators will talk of the medical staff treating the riders
There is now rule on race circuits that riders do not die on the track even when it is obvious they have been.
The official announcement will always say the died in the medical centre!
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Yamaha RD400C and XJR1300 rider from the UK. Aircooled RD Club Member
Back in the late 70's the BBC in the UK used to show live British motorcycle racing on TV regularly on a Sunday because it was exciting.
Unfortunately over a few months there was a few horrific accidents where racers were killed on live TV. It was not good for viewer to see this on live TV so a lot of bike racing went back to being recorded "just in case of the worst"
If racing is shown live and there is a bad accident the cameras will always pan away and the commentators will talk of the medical staff treating the riders
There is now rule on race circuits that riders do not die on the track even when it is obvious they have been.
The official announcement will always say the died in the medical centre!
looking at the situation happend here in Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang... what are your comments del?
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Lepak SANTAI MAT NEGRO!! ------------------------------- Setiap RABU 5.30 ptg - SEc. 7 baru!!... belakang KFC pintu masuk UITM!!. Setiap Jumaat 10.30 mlm - Pekan KAPAR!..selepas MOBIL Setiap Sabtu atau Ahad - Ada Ride RMR!!..JOMM call aku - 019-6003900...!!
Lepak SANTAI MAT NEGRO!! ------------------------------- Setiap RABU 5.30 ptg - SEc. 7 baru!!... belakang KFC pintu masuk UITM!!. Setiap Jumaat 10.30 mlm - Pekan KAPAR!..selepas MOBIL Setiap Sabtu atau Ahad - Ada Ride RMR!!..JOMM call aku - 019-6003900...!!