587 replies to this topic

[SteF1an]

MotoGP Rewind: Marco Simoncelli

[Gilles4Ever]

Our tribute to Marco Simoncelli – full issue available here...

Welcome to this special digital download of the Marco Simoncelli tribute issue. Unprecedented demand, especially from overseas fans, means we have made this special edition available digitally, a first for MCN. View this special issue here now by entering your details below and purchasing a copy at £1.99.

[H2H]

Gilles4Ever, on Oct 28 2011, 13:47, said:

Our tribute to Marco Simoncelli – full issue available here...

Welcome to this special digital download of the Marco Simoncelli tribute issue. Unprecedented demand, especially from overseas fans, means we have made this special edition available digitally, a first for MCN. View this special issue here now by entering your details below and purchasing a copy at £1.99.

Well done indeed.

[Crazy Ninja]

tifosiMac, on Oct 28 2011, 09:27, said:

A real nice touch by Jarno.

[T-Mobile]

Does autosport really need to automatically loop the crash footage on the main page? I checked it this morning only to see the fatal crash being replayed on the sidebar.

I'm all for analyzing the crash and what not, but I don't think there is a need to automatically replay it on the main page.

Nice helmet for Jarno.

Edited by T-Mobile, 28 October 2011 - 15:52.

[jhodges]

Chubby_Deuce, on Oct 27 2011, 16:33, said:

By one of our own:

58 photos of #58

I'm going to weep if everyone turns up in wigs at Valencia.

Crap, I am now.

[Eff One 2002]

What a an utterly shitful week for motorsport. RIP Marco.

[King Six]

CWeil, on Oct 25 2011, 19:13, said:

Christ, really?

http://www.elmundo.e...1319492922.html

(Video is of the marshalls/emergency crew dropping Simoncelli and the backboard.)

Sigh. It's not like it really made the difference, but the time saved in running/slipping versus walking briskly-but-carefully is just not much.

It happens, as unfortunate as it was. Much in the same way as Simoncelli's crash itself. Crowd cheering and laughing was disturbing though, obviously they didn't know how serious it was, but It wasn't something you'd look at and think "well he should be just fine" but obviously at that time I guess it is abit of a laugh as you just don't expect these things to happen.

Edited by King Six, 30 October 2011 - 00:27.

[Gilles4Ever]

@MotoGPJules Sky Italy saying there will be a minute of 'casino' at Valencia for #58. Every bike from every class revving its motor; his dad's suggestion

[Seanspeed]

Gilles4Ever, on Oct 30 2011, 13:03, said:

@MotoGPJules Sky Italy saying there will be a minute of 'casino' at Valencia for #58. Every bike from every class revving its motor; his dad's suggestion

A great way to celebrate a racer's life, I think.

[H2H]

I imagine this is the way he would have liked it. Anyway good to hear how the drivers expressed their feelings about the recent deaths.

[STRFerrari4Ever]

Wow today it just struck me what we just lost I was in church and I was just reflecting and Marco popped into my thoughts and I just thought of all the great quali laps he pulled off and the great racing he produced and it pained me that we'll never see that ever again and he had secured a factory ride for next year.

Brought a tear to my eye, really painful.

[karne]

It won't be until I'm watching the race at Valencia that it'll hit home for me, I think. I was starting to love Marco very much; I'd have been a solid fan of his within a few more races, no doubt. I loved watching him ride. And I still can't believe he's gone. There's still part of me insisting that it's a bad dream, it's not true, it can't be true. And I don't think I'll really believe it until I see that he's not on the grid.

[johnmhinds]

Gilles4Ever, on Oct 28 2011, 13:47, said:

Our tribute to Marco Simoncelli – full issue available here...

Welcome to this special digital download of the Marco Simoncelli tribute issue. Unprecedented demand, especially from overseas fans, means we have made this special edition available digitally, a first for MCN. View this special issue here now by entering your details below and purchasing a copy at £1.99.

How nice of them to cash in on a drivers death that way...

[ViMaMo]

RIP Simoncelli

[manmower]

I had no idea that he had recently tested the Ford WRC car, so this video documenting that event was a nice find and maybe new to some of you too. There's footage of him riding along with Hirvonen as well, the speech is inaudible there, but I was instantly reminded of Schwantz's comment on how you could tell by his face when Simoncelli was in "watch and learn" mode.

[TheBunk]

johnmhinds, on Oct 31 2011, 04:28, said:

How nice of them to cash in on a drivers death that way...

Usually id agree with such sentiments but in this case I dont think they are overdoing it. I didnt see Autosport dedicate an issue to him like they did with Senna. And 1.99 aint that much.

In 15 or 30 years they wont be doing it either, just like with Jim Clark, and so lets cherish any dedicated issue on Simoncelli (and Wheldon).

Aside of such dedicated issues I hope forums like these can keep the memory alive. October 23 2011 will always be remembered.

Rest in peace, Marco Simoncelli.

[johnmhinds]

I dunno, it's an electronic version, they could have given it away for free and got some good advertising out of it.

Using "unprecedented demand" after a drivers death as a lame excuse to get £2 and your address to spam you with adverts seems a bit off.

[Risil]

Another thing struck me today, thinking about people saying the mortality rate from MotoGP comes from another age. While that's broadly not true, we've lost two motorcycling world champions in nine years. You've got to go back to 1972 to find the last Riders' Champion to be killed in a race, the great Jarno Saarinen. Then Bill Ivy (1969), who died in strange circumstances, not wearing his helmet on the cool-down lap. In the '50s and early '60s, when most major races were still held on closed public roads, the mortality rate for world champions was much higher.

Two in such a relatively short time is more a coincidence than a trend, and we're dealing with motorcycling world champions, whose small number makes any analysis unreliable. But you've got to go back a long way to find two comparable holes left in the highest echelon of the sport.

Edited by Risil, 31 October 2011 - 13:39.

[Rob]

Risil, on Oct 31 2011, 13:38, said:

Another thing struck me today, thinking about people saying the mortality rate from MotoGP comes from another age. While that's broadly not true, we've lost two motorcycling world champions in nine years. You've got to go back to 1972 to find the last Riders' Champion to be killed in a race, the great Jarno Saarinen. Then Bill Ivy (1969), who died in strange circumstances, not wearing his helmet on the cool-down lap. In the '50s and early '60s, when most major races were still held on closed public roads, the mortality rate for world champions was much higher.

In 1980 we lost Patrick Pons, the 750cc world champion, although that's not strictly Grand Prix.

[Craigf]

Still gutted about Marcos death. He really will be missed in Moto GP, he was just startin to look like he had really got his act together then this happened.

[Risil]

Rob, on Oct 31 2011, 14:38, said:

In 1980 we lost Patrick Pons, the 750cc world champion, although that's not strictly Grand Prix.

True. And given the injuries suffered by Barry Sheene and Franco Uncini around that time, the toll on the absolute top-level of GP racing could've been much higher with a little less luck.

1973 also saw the death of Cal Rayborn, who along with Jarno Saarinen and Giacomo Agostini was possibly the world's greatest (active) motorcyclist. So certainly I'd attribute what I observed mostly to statistical fluke.

[Rob]

Risil, on Oct 31 2011, 15:26, said:

True. And given the injuries suffered by Barry Sheene and Franco Uncini around that time, the toll on the absolute top-level of GP racing could've been much higher with a little less luck.

Although I wasn't around at the time, I've got an insatiable appetite for the history of racing. I've recently been reading an Agostini book and reading about his battles with Pasolini has made me think that Pasolini could well have been a champion one day. That he wasn't yet a world champion that fateful day at Monza doesn't mean that he wouldn't have been one.

[TheBunk]

Bump. Not forget.

[Jaybools]

johnmhinds, on Oct 31 2011, 11:28, said:

How nice of them to cash in on a drivers death that way...

Its probably sincere, and they have families to feed.

[manmower]

From La Stampa:

Quote

Edwards: "I could not avoid Sic. I thought about quitting after Sepang."

The Yamaha rider: "I saw the images a thousand times. We have lost a shining star." Hayes will be on track at Valencia.

Colin Edwards will not be taking part in the last Grand Prix of the MotoGP season in Valencia. "The shoulder still hurts too much," says the 37 year-old American in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. The accident that claimed the life of Marco Simoncelli will force him to stay out of the race (his Yamaha will be ridden by compatriot Josh Hayes, Ed.) "And I'm very sorry," added Edwards who wanted to be there himself to remember Sic.

"The last few days were tough, especially the first 24 hours after the accident when I asked myself a thousand questions in my mind: Could I have done something different? Back home I saw the video of the incident and I quickly found the answer: I could not do anything to avoid Marco, and like me, Valentino too could not do anything. It's hard losing a friend, but I think I would feel the same pain even if I had not been directly involved in the incident." Yet Edwards was tempted to quit: "I thought about it for a day, until I saw the pictures. Then, enough." Simoncelli has left a great void and the reaction from the world of motorsport and the great participation in the day of the funeral of Sic prove it. "We lost a bright star, Marco was beloved by fans for his personality, his character, his charisma. People love to look not only for the races, but also for what we can convey to them. And Marco had a personality as there are not many in the MotoGP, although some will disagree with this. I really liked the way he related to the fans. "

(Translation is mostly Google, only edited the most obvious inaccuracies.)

[Dino Scuderia]

Its all but confirmed now that Misano track will be Renamed after Marco

[ImDDAA]

johnmhinds, on Oct 31 2011, 05:37, said:

I dunno, it's an electronic version, they could have given it away for free and got some good advertising out of it.

Using "unprecedented demand" after a drivers death as a lame excuse to get £2 and your address to spam you with adverts seems a bit off.

I completely agree. Unless all the proceeds are going to a good cause then **** them.

[Group B]

johnmhinds, on Oct 31 2011, 03:28, said:

How nice of them to cash in on a drivers death that way...

Christ, that's grim. Big MCN

[NissanGTR]

With his riding style he was probably the biggest candidate of the lot for a major accident but it is still sad when it happened.

[Chubby_Deuce]

Which riding style would that be?

[Ross Stonefeld]

Early lap and/or solo shunts. He calmed down a lot as the year went on but if someone said "Simoncelli dropped the bike on lap 2 in Malaysia" would you have been at all surprised?

[Gilles4Ever]

Group B, on Nov 4 2011, 15:30, said:

Christ, that's grim. Big MCN

I, for one, am eternally grateful for the opportunity to buy the edition electronically. I would never see the printed edition and getting the opportunity to purchase it electronically is an opportunity I would never have had if they hadn't made it available electonically.

If you followed any of the contributers to the magazine or read the articles on the website you would see what they were about and what they do and feel for motorcycling and thinking that they are making a quick buck from his death is unbelievable.

MCN and they way they have handled Simoncelli's passing

[Jaybools]

Gilles4Ever, on Nov 5 2011, 00:22, said:

I, for one, am eternally grateful for the opportunity to buy the edition electronically. I would never see the printed edition and getting the opportunity to purchase it electronically is an opportunity I would never have had if they hadn't made it available electonically.

If you followed any of the contributers to the magazine or read the articles on the website you would see what they were about and what they do and feel for motorcycling and thinking that they are making a quick buck from his death is unbelievable.

MCN and they way they have handled Simoncelli's passing

[karne]

mark f1, on Oct 26 2011, 19:44, said:

Apparently we are all in denial...won't be reading the Herald-Sun again.

Race Fans Deny Their Inner Ghoul

So everyone remembers this article, right?

Here you go...Ann Neal (Mark Webber's partner) delivers the ultimate smackdown.

Modern motor sport is far from being legalised road carnage

Ann is amazing. One helluva kickass lady.

[Coral]

karne, on Nov 7 2011, 06:57, said:

So everyone remembers this article, right?

Here you go...Ann Neal (Mark Webber's partner) delivers the ultimate smackdown.

Modern motor sport is far from being legalised road carnage

Ann is amazing. One helluva kickass lady.

Great article, thanks for posting it karne. I don't really know much about Ann Neal but I agree with every word she says. I wish there would never again be a fatality in motorsport, but let's face it, that will never happen. 20 years later I still feel sad about Paul Warwick...I'm guessing that he is the close friend mentioned in the article. I'll never forget Paul or any of the drivers who have died doing the sport they loved.

I thought the tribute to Marco Simoncelli at Valencia yesterday was very touching. They did Marco proud. Though it was a bit too much for me when he signed the camera and said "ciao...ciao ciao" at the end...

[JacnGille]

Coral, on Nov 7 2011, 02:58, said:

I thought the tribute to Marco Simoncelli at Valencia yesterday was very touching. They did Marco proud. Though it was a bit too much for me when he signed the camera and said "ciao...ciao ciao" at the end...

[karne]

Coral, on Nov 7 2011, 18:58, said:

I thought the tribute to Marco Simoncelli at Valencia yesterday was very touching. They did Marco proud. Though it was a bit too much for me when he signed the camera and said "ciao...ciao ciao" at the end...

I started bawling my eyes out when they showed that bit. Absolutely bawling. For me, that was it...he was gone. When he walked off into the white, that was done, he was gone, he wasn't coming back, there wouldn't be any Simoncelli on the grid. It was like the final confirmation that no, this wasn't a bad dream, he was really dead. And it just about ripped my heart apart.

Please tell me I wasn't the only one who just wanted to give Valentino a hug? He looked like he needed a hug.