Editor's Blog: On The Death Of Marco Simoncelli, Marshals, And Why We Must Carry On

Colorful, controversial, but above all, fast. That was Marco Simoncelli in a nutshell. No tribute to the man here, so many others have done it, and far better than I ever could. I recommend reading Kevin Schwantz' thoughts on Simoncelliover on the excellent Superbikeplanet site, and in Spanish, a touching story by Spanish TV editor and one of the nicest people in the paddock, Ruben Fernandez.

And now Marco Simoncelli is dead, killed in a tragic accident at Sepang, struck from behind by Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi after losing control of his Honda. The crash was all too reminiscent of the crash that proved fatal to Shoya Tomizawa at Misano in September 2010, another incident that left the paddock stunned and lost for words. There, too, a rider lost control of their bike, crashing directly in front of other riders who had neither the time nor the space to avoid hitting him.

So similar are the two incidents that it is worth going back to the Tomizawa crash at Misano and comparing it with Simoncelli's accident at Sepang. Though Tomizawa's death hit the paddock hard, along with many hardcore motorcycle racing fans, it largely went unnoticed among the general public, as Tomizawa was killed in the Moto2 race, a support class and not the main show. Simoncelli was already a global star, racing in the biggest motorcycle racing show on earth, so naturally, his death generated a lot more coverage and raised many more questions. But the responses to Tomizawa's crash may prove instructive for both the mindset of the people involved and the direction that racing should take after Simoncelli's tragic accident.

Source:

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Oct/111024-34-rip-sic.htm

http://www.creatictv.com/2011/10/grazie-simoncelli-marco/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deaths_by_motorcycle_accidents

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eventing#Safety

http://www.fim-live.com/fileadmin/alfresco/6510002_GP_Regulations-Reglem...

http://www.twowheelsblog.com/post/7887/paolo-simoncelli-downplays-rescue...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motogp/15421404.stm

http://www.gpone.com/index.php/en/201110255354/Paolo-ho-insegnato-a-Marc...