'All his father could do was hug me': Team-mate consoles family who watched in horror as motorcyclist is killed during Malaysian Moto GP

-Rider lost control of his bike before he appeared to be hit by Colin Edwards and then Valentino Rossi


By Daily Mail Reporter


Italian motorcyclist Marco Simoncelli died in a horrific crash at yesterday's MotoGP race in Malaysia, in full view of his devastated family and girlfriend.

The 24-year-old was flung from his bike and skidded across the track, before apparently being hit by competitors Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.

His mother Rossella, father Paolo and girlfriend Kate watched in horror as Simoncelli's bike was smashed to pieces after his dramatic loss of control in the second lap.

They wept in shock as the unconscious rider was taken to the medical centre at the track in Sepang for treatment, but his injuries to the chest, head and neck were too serious for him to be saved.

Simoncelli's fellow Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, who had fallen out with Simoncelli earlier in the season, said: 'I've been with his father and all we could do was to hug, nothing else matters.

'Everybody in the paddock remains in shock. Many times we ourselves forget how dangerous this sport can be and when you lose people on the way nothing has any meaning. It's clear that we all do what we like, what we love, but on days like today nothing matters.'

He added: 'In a tragedy like this there is not much to say. I just want to give my condolences to his family and all the people who love him.'

The rider's girlfriend, Kate looked ashen-faced and she walked through the deserted MotoGP garages.

Fans were also spotted huddled near the track sobbing over the rider's death. He had only moved up to MotoGP level last year.

The fatal accident comes just a week after British IndyCar racing driver Dan Wheldon died after crashing in Las Vegas.

Organisers cancelled the race soon after Simoncelli's accident and said in a bulletin reported on website Autosport: 'Race cancelled as the medical centre staff is focusing on treating Marco Simoncelli and track action cannot be resumed in the current circumstances.'

The rider was given CPR in the ambulance which continued for 45 minutes but Simoncelli was declared dead at 4.56pm local time.

Devastation: Simonelli's mother Rossella is comforted outside the medical centre after her son's fatal crash

Agony: Marco Simoncelli's father is comforted as he waits outside a medical centre where the rider was taken following a crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix

Deadly: The rider (No 58) is seen sliding from his bike and colliding with two other riders in a horrifying crash

Empty: Simoncelli's girlfriend Kate walks through an empty Honda garage after the shocking accident

Yesterday tributes were posted on Twitter in memory of the talented rider.

British Formula One driver Jenson Button wrote on his account: 'R.I.P Marco... Such an exciting talent lost. My thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone involved in MotoGP. Motorsport can be so cruel...'

And Button's Formula One teammate Lewis Hamilton wrote: 'My thoughts are with his family, friends and team at this extremely sad time. Another tragic loss at such an early age.'

Newly-crowned MotoGP champion Casey Stoner said: 'I'm so shocked and saddened by the loss of Marco. When things like this happen it reminds you how precious life is.

The Australian told BBC2: 'As soon as I saw the footage it just makes you sick inside. Whenever the helmet comes off, that's not a good sign.'

Tragedy: Simoncelli (centre) takes the first corner on his second lap moment before the fatal crash at the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix


Crew members of the Honda team of Marco Simoncelli of Italy console each other as they gather outside a medical centre where the rider was taken following a crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix

A message on the MotoGP website read: 'Marco Simoncelli succumbed to injuries sustained in Malaysia.'

Simoncelli's compatriot and Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso said: 'I watched the images and I'm shocked: in a race you fight and push hard and disaster is often around the corner.

'Marco was a strong rider and he always pushed hard. We raced together since we were kids, I saw him always pushing to the maximum, he crashed many times, but without major injuries, he was seemed invincible. What happened today seems impossible.'

Moment of horror: Simoncelli loses control and is seen coming off the bike

Disaster: Simoncelli fatally falls off of his Honda after colliding into Colin Edwards

Fall: Edwards spins off the track along with Simoncelli's bike as the 24-year-old Italian devastatingly lies motionless

Race marshalls attend to Honda rider Simoncelli (C) following his fatal crash just four minutes after the start of the Malaysian MotoGP race

Devastated: Colin Edwards of the US who was involved in the crash stands at the side of the track after the fatal crash

The last death in MotoGP came at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, when Japan's Daijiro Katoh died from his injuries.

Medical director at Clinica Mobile Dr Michele Macchiagodena said at a press conference yesterday that U.S. rider Edwards had suffered a dislocated shoulder in the crash but it had been reset and he was 'fine'.

When asked about Simoncelli's helmet coming off, race director Paul Butler said at the press conference: 'I think if I may reply, that will be for another occasion. Quite clearly the consequences and circumstances surrounding the accident will be thoroughly investigated.'

Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber wrote on Twitter: 'R.I.P Marco A special talent that will be missed... Thinking of your loved ones, and all the motogp paddock..mark.'

British MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow tweeted: 'RIP Marco Simoncelli ! A great rider and all round nice guy. My thoughts are with all his family & friends. I will never forget today.'

Tribute: Driver Lewis Hamilton described Simoncelli's death as 'another tragic loss', coming just a week after IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon was killed in a racing accident

Inconsolable: Stunned fans wept after the brutal accident killed the MotoGP star

Just after the accident, Tony Elias, Moto2 world champion, had spoken of his prayers that Simoncelli's injuries were not serious.

'We just hope Marco is OK - that's my wish,' he said.

Last week British IndyCar racing driver Dan Wheldon died after he was catapulted helplessly into the air in a 225mph smash before landing on a barrier and suffering fatal head injuries.

Just days earlier the father-of-two joined a number of other drivers in expressing the fears over the speed of cars and overcrowding on the oval-shaped track.

But in a blog post, he had promised fans he would go out to win and put on a show of 'pure entertainment'.

Grief: Simonelli's spare motorcycle sits in an empty garage after the race was abandoned one lap in after his sudden death









source:dailymail

Marco Simoncelli è stato ucciso in un incidente MotoGP

Marco Simoncelli Dies After Crash In Sepang – Marco Simoncelli was finally declared dead after an accident involving him at the Sepang Circuit. Previously, reportedly was conscious despite his condition critical.Shortly after his accident, Gresini Honda crew looked pale and there is, “Simoncelli condition was not good.”
However, from information obtained from the Sepang Circuit on Sunday (23.10.2011), Marco Simoncelli Dies After Crash In Sepang at 16:56 o’clock local time. While this is still awaiting official confirmation from the MotoGP which is scheduled to hold a press conference shortly.
As reported earlier, the accident occurred when the motor Simoncelli slip sideways when cornering in the middle of the second lap.
Unfortunately for Simoncelli, he fell in the middle of the track at the MotoGP race after just two rounds (2 laps). Impact, he was hit by Colin Edwards, who was driving behind him. Red flags were hoisted and the race was stopped, And now Finally Marco Simoncelli Dies After Crash In Sepang.

Marco Simoncelli dead after horror crash at Malaysian Moto GP

Simoncelli dies after crash in Malaysia

 

Agence France-Presse
SEPANG, 23 OCT: Italy's Marco Simoncelli died today of injuries sustained in a crash that resulted in the cancellation of the Malaysian MotoGP, in the latest tragedy to hit motor sports.
The crash occurred just minutes after the race began when the 24-year-old Honda rider's bike veered across the track and into the path of riders Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. Simoncelli had his helmet knocked off in the ensuing collision, which occurred on turn 11.
MotoGP later announced Simoncelli's death in a one-line statement on its website. “Marco Simoncelli succumbed to injuries sustained in Malaysia,” it said. Motor sports have seen a nightmare stretch recently and Simoncelli's death looked certain to throw open more questions over safety.
Last weekend, 2010 MotoGP champ Jorge Lorenzo crashed during warm-ups in Australia, severing a finger, while two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died in a 15-car crash in Las Vegas in Indy Car. The race at Malaysia's Sepang track was immediately red-flagged following the crash and organisers later announced it had been cancelled.
Edwards also fell but escaped serious injury, while Rossi was able to return to the pits. Although there is a final race in Spain still to come, Australia's Casey Stoner has already secured the 2011 championship with his win last weekend in the Australian Grand Prix.  

 

Pictured: The Texan diver, 32, killed by great white shark off Australian coast

-George Thomas Wainwright sustained 'horrific' injuries while diving off Rottnest Island, a few miles from Perth
-The Houston man was in Austrlia on a work visa, and had been living there for six months
-Wainwright is third person to die from great white attack in southwest of country in two months
-Authorities today using controversial baiting tactics in bid to lure shark and kill it

By Laurie Whitwell

Scroll down for videos

Catch: George Wainwright, the 32-year-old Texan who was killed by a great white shark in Australia, is pictured displaying red snapper from a fishing trip in the country

The first pictures of the 32-year-old American diver who was yesterday killed off the coast of Western Australia by a great white shark show a keen fisherman posing with his catches.

With a red snapper in each hand, George Thomas Wainwright proudly displays his haul in photographs taken during the Texan's stay in Perth, Australia.

Wainwright, who is in Australia on a work visa, became the latest victim of a shark attack in the country when he sustained 'horrific' injuries as he scuba dived near tourist haven Rottnest Island, which lies a few miles off the coast.

Big haul: Wainwright, from Houston, had been in Perth on a work visa for six months before the attack yesterday

Diving boat: Wainwright, pictured nearest the camera, had gone scuba diving with two friends in a 25-foot vessel when the shark struck

The state government today set tuna-baited hooks off the island in a bid to catch the shark and kill it.

Officials said Wainwright and two friends were diving from a 25-foot vessel, 500 yards north west of an area known as Little Armstrong Bay, when the 10-foot great white shark attacked.

They did not realise he was missing until bubbles emerged from the water and a short time later the man's body rose to the surface with what were said by a local fisherman to be 'shocking injuries'.

Wainwright's friends pulled him out of the water and police helped get him to shore, but he did not survive.

Wainwright, a recreational diver, was from Houston, but had been living in a beachside suburb of Perth for the last six months or so. He had set his Facebook page to name the city as his location.

The shark struck just 11 miles from a popular Perth city mainland beach where a 64-year-old Australian swimmer is believed to have been taken by a great white on October 10.

That death came six weeks after a bodyboarder was killed by a shark and this latest death is the fourth from a great white shark in Australia's southwest corner in little over a year. Sharks kill fewer than one swimmer a year in Australia on average.

Great white: Government officials are now hunting the shark using bait after three fatal attacks in the area in two months

Close proximity: A great white shark killed the American just 11 miles from another fatal shark attack off Western Australia state only 13 days ago

Idyllic location: Wainwright was killed off the coast of Rottnest Island during a solo dive

Despite fears of a rogue killer shark, experts say different ones are most likely responsible for the attacks.

Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett, the leader of the state government, said this shark will be hunted and killed if possible.

Fisheries officers today set tuna-baited hooks off the island, the first time authorities have used an emergency legal exemption from the state protection of great whites as an endangered species in the interests of protecting the public.

Mr Barnett also said his government would consider shark culls, responding to locals' complaints that shark numbers are increasing off bustling beaches in one of Australia's fastest growing population areas.

Referring to the three recent deadly attacks, Western Australia state Fisheries Minister Norman Moore said today: 'This is a unique set of circumstances, and I'm desperately praying this is not the beginning of a new trend and we're going to have these on a regular basis.'

Water Police Senior Sergeant Greg Trew said Wainwright had surfaced in 'a flurry of bubbles' with 'horrific' injuries.

Hunt begins: Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett, left, said bait would be used to lure the shark and kill it, while Water Police Senior Sergeant Greg Trew, right, described Wainwright's injuries as 'horrific'

Expat: Wainwright is believed to be the third person killed by a great white in the state in two months and the fourth in just over a year. Sharks kill fewer than one swimmer a year in Australia on average


Another death: This coastline by Perth is where the 64-year-old swimmer was killed by a shark on October 10

He was believed to be dead when hauled aboard by his two companions. Mr Trew said the shark was seen by Wainwright's friends as they were leaving the area after retrieving his body.

'It's traumatic for everyone involved, it's a tragic situation,' he added.

Police were trying to contact the man's family and have closed off the beaches on the popular resort island. They are today interviewing witnesses so a report can be prepared for the coroner.

Authorities cannot say whether he was killed by the same shark that is believed to have taken Bryn Martin as he made his regular morning swim from Perth's premier Cottesloe Beach toward a buoy about 380 yards offshore.

But an analysis of Martin's torn swimming trunks recovered from the seabed near the buoy pointed to a great white shark being the culprit. No other trace of Martin has been found.

'It's a cloudy old day today which is the same as we had the other day with Cottesloe, and they're the conditions that sharks love,' Western Australia Police Sergeant Gerry Cassidy.

The unnamed American is the fourth person to be killed by a shark off the Western Australian coast in 14 months.

Last month, 21-year-old Kyle Burden was taken by a great white shark south of Perth and his lower torso was torn away.

In August last year surfer Nicholas Edwards, 31, killed was he was attacked by a great white at a popular surf break near Gracetown.

Great whites can grow to more than 20 feet in length and 5,000 pounds in weight. They are protected in Australia, a primary location for the species.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will attend the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth on Friday October 28.

Watch the videos here






source:dailymail