| Marco Simoncelli | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Simoncelli in 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1987-01-20)20 January 1987 Cattolica, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 23 October 2011(2011-10-23) (aged 24) Sepang, Malaysia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bike number | 58 (retired in honour) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | 58marcosimoncelli.itmarcosimoncellifondazione.it | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Marco Simoncelli (Italian pronunciation:[ˈmarkosimonˈtʃɛlli];20 January 1987 – 23 October 2011), nicknamedSic (Italian:[ˈsitʃ]), was an Italian professionalmotorcycle racer. He competed in theMotoGP World Championship for 10 years from 2002 to 2011. He started in the 125cc class before moving up to the 250cc class in 2006. He won the2008 250cc World Championship withGilera. After four years in the intermediate class, he stepped up to the top MotoGP class in 2010, racing with theHondaGresini Team. He died in an accident at the2011 Malaysian Grand Prix atSepang.
Simoncelli was born inCattolica but grew up and lived inCoriano with his family since childhood.[1][2] He started racing minibikes at the age of seven in his hometown of Coriano,[3][4] moving on to the Italian Minimoto Championship in 1996 at the early age of nine. He won the Italian Minimoto Championship in 1999 and 2000 while also became the runner-up in the 2000 European Minimoto Championship. The following year, he stepped up to the Italian 125cc Championship and he won the title in his rookie year. In 2002, he competed and won the European 125cc Championship.[5]
After a successful European 125cc campaign, in August 2002, Simoncelli made his first Grand Prix appearance with Matteoni Racing, replacing Czech riderJaroslav Huleš who stepped up to the 250cc class.[6] Simoncelli, riding anAprilia bike with the number 37, managed to finish in 27th place inhis first race atBrno.[7] In the following race atEstoril, he scored his first championship points by finishing in 13th place.[8] However, he failed to score any points in the next four races and finished the season with three points from six races.[9]
Simoncelli continued with the Matteoni Racing Team for his first full season in2003. That season, he also started to use the iconic number 58 on his bike.[10] He managed to score points in six races with a best result of fourth atValencia, thelast race of the season.[11] Overall, he scored 31 points and ranked 21st in the final championship standings.[12]
In the2004 season, Simoncelli switched to WorldwideRace team under the name of Rauch Bravo, which also run anAprilia bike.[13] In thesecond race of the season atJerez, Simoncelli recorded his firstpole position.[14] In the race, which was held in wet conditions, Simoncelli was in second place when race leaderCasey Stoner crashed out with three laps remaining, handing Simoncelli his first victory.[15] However, the victory was his only podium finish for the season. He managed to score points in seven other races with a best result of sixth. He ended in 11th place in the final standings with 79 points.[16]
Simoncelli continued to ride for WorldwideRace in2005, this time under the Nocable.it Race banner.[17] In theopening race at Jerez, he qualified first and then won the race for his second successive win at Jerez.[18] Despite failing to add another win that season, Simoncelli finished on the podium on five other occasions. His consistency earned him 177 points and a fifth place in the final standings.[19]
In2006, Simoncelli stepped up to the 250cc class, becoming the only rider from the top eight in previous year's 125cc class to make the step up.[19][20] He joined the MetisGilera team, an Italian motorcycle manufacturer who returned to the intermediate class after a lengthy absence.[21] His first season saw him end most of the races he finished between 7th and 10th place. His best result was 6th place in theChinese Grand Prix atShanghai. He fought for the "Rookie of the Year" title until the end, finally losing toShuhei Aoyama by seven points, finishing 10th overall.
In2007, Simoncelli continued with the same team. His season was similar to the previous one and he was again 10th in the final standings, without a podium finish.
Simoncelli had his first 250cc win at theItalian Grand Prix held atMugello on 1 June 2008 Barberá then crashed into him and Simoncelli won the race by 3 seconds.
On 8 June 2008, Simoncelli followed up his Italian victory at theCatalan Grand Prix after overtakingÁlvaro Bautista on the last lap after Bautista ran wide with 5 corners of the race left. Simoncelli obtained his third 250cc GP victory at theSachsenring in theGerman Grand Prix on 13 July 2008 when he beat Bautista and Barberá by approximately 2.5 seconds. He also won in his class at the2008 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix held on 3–5 October 2008, narrowly defeating Bautista.
On 19 October 2008, Simoncelli won the 2008250cc World Championship after finishing 3rd in the Malaysian Grand Prix atSepang.
Simoncelli made a one-off appearance for Aprilia in the World Superbike round atImola in2009. He qualified on the second row and was one of three riders to crash out of race one at Tosa while running fifth, before fighting through to third in race two, making a forceful move to overtake teammateMax Biaggi to get onto the podium.
On 25 June 2009, it was confirmed that Simoncelli would move up to premier class racing for 2010 MotoGP championship after agreeing to ride with theSan CarloGresiniHonda team.[22]
Simoncelli got off to a slow start to the2010 season, having suffered two preseason testing crashes atSepang; the second of which cracked his helmet.[23]After finishing eleventh on début, Simoncelli improved over the rest of the season, finishing 16 of the 18 races in the points en route to eighth place in the championship with 125 points. His best finish was a fourth place inPortugal, missing a podium by 0.06 seconds toAndrea Dovizioso.
In the2011 season, Simoncelli was promoted to ride a factory Honda as part of the Gresini team, whilstHiroshi Aoyama rode a satellite Honda for the team. Simoncelli was predicted to be the surprise package of the season.[24]He finished fifth in theseason opening race in Qatar, before falling from the lead of the wet race atJerez.[25]He secured his highest starting position to that point of second, before falling on the first lap of theEstoril race.[26]During theFrench Grand Prix atLe Mans, Simoncelli collided withDani Pedrosa while they were battling for second. The resulting crash saw Pedrosa break his collarbone and Simoncelli received a ride-through penalty, eventually finishing fifth.[27]Simoncelli initially rejected blame for the crash, claiming he braked no later than normal, and that he left Pedrosa room.[28]Before the next race, however, he accepted that he needed to reflect on his riding style.[29]
Simoncelli was required to meet with race direction before the start of the racing weekend atCatalonia.[29][30]On the track, Simoncelli secured his first MotoGP pole position, 0.016 seconds ahead ofCasey Stoner.[31]However, a poor start saw him drop to seventh managing only to recover one position to finish sixth. Simoncelli earned his first podium in the premier class, with a third place in theCzech Republic.[32] His best MotoGP finish was second place in the Australian GP at Phillip Island.
On 23 October 2011, Simoncelli was involved in a collision with American riderColin Edwards and fellow ItalianValentino Rossi during theMalaysian Grand Prix at theSepang International Circuit. In fourth position during lap two, Simoncelli's bike lost traction in Turn 11 and it started to slide towards the gravel, but the tires regained traction and his bike suddenly veered across the track into the path of Edwards and Rossi, with Simoncelli hanging down on the right side;[33] Edwards and Rossi were unable to prevent collision.
Simoncelli lost his helmet and Edwards was catapulted from his bike. The race was immediately red-flagged. Edwards suffered a dislocated shoulder. Simoncelli sustained serious trauma to the head, to the neck and the chest and was taken by ambulance to the circuit's medical centre. He was administeredCPR for 45 minutes, but at 16:56 local time, less than an hour after the accident, it was announced that he had died from his injuries.[34][35][36][37]
His body was flown home to Italy, accompanied by his father Paolo, his fiancée Kate Fretti, and Valentino Rossi. The family were greeted byItalian Olympic Committee presidentGiovanni Petrucci, before the body was transported to a theatre inCoriano, Rimini, where it was placed in an open coffin. Fans and visitors were then allowed to pay their respects, in a walk-through memorial that included his 250cc World Championship winning Gilera, plus his 2011 MotoGP Honda. An estimated 20,000 people attended his funeral[38] at the Santa Maria Assunta parish church in Coriano on 27 October 2011, which was broadcast live onItalia 1 andRai 2.
Valentino Rossi was so devastated by the loss of his close friend and his role in it that it became the trigger that caused the creation of Rossi's racing Academy projectVR46 to mentor Italian riders. The Rossi academy aims to ensure that his and Simoncelli's intertwined legacies will live on far beyond their racing careers. MotoGP ridersPecco Bagnaia,Franco Morbidelli,Luca Marini andMarco Bezzecchi are VR46 academy graduates. Regarding the creation of the academy, Rossi has said "I always say that Marco was the first rider of the Academy, even if the Academy didn't exist."[39]
On 3 November 2011, theMisano World Circuit announced plans to rename itself in honour of Simoncelli, and it did so the following year.[40] At the final Grand Prix of the2011 season inValencia, Spain, a tribute lap on race morning was held in honour of Simoncelli, with riders from all three Grand Prix classes taking part along with1993 500cc World ChampionKevin Schwantz, who rode Simoncelli's bike.[41]
Tributes were made inFormula One withSebastian Vettel dedicating his victory in the2011 Indian Grand Prix to Simoncelli andIndyCar Series driverDan Wheldon, who died at theLas Vegas Motor Speedway, the weekend before, during the2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship.[42] A minute's silence was held at the Grand Prix in memory of Wheldon and Simoncelli. At the2012 Malaysian Grand Prix,Ferrari driversFelipe Massa andFernando Alonso, along with other members of the team paid tribute to Simoncelli by returning to turn 11 and having a group photo with a banner in remembrance.[43]
On the same day of the accident, allSerie A football matches in Italy held one minute of silence in remembrance of Simoncelli as instructed by the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, Petrucci.[44]
On 20 January 2012, the anniversary of Simoncelli's birth, it was announced at a ceremony in his home townCoriano that the town's sports area would be renamed "Palazzetto dello Sport Marco Simoncelli", and that one of the town's bus routes would be re-numbered 58 in his honour.[45]
In 2013, his father Paolo Simoncelli announced the formation ofSic58 Squadra Corse in honor of Marco. The team was created to help young Italian riders develop in the lower levels of Grand Prix racing. The team originally raced in Italian Moto3 series before moving up to the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship in2015[46] and later into the FIM Moto3 World Championship in2017.[47]
On Thursday 12 September 2013 in Coriano a tribute took place for Marco Simoncelli with a flame and a monument for Marco Simoncelli called "Every Sunday" and every Sunday at nightfall the flame will burn for 58 seconds.[48]
On 23 October 2013,AC Milan paid a tribute to Simoncelli by posting on theirGoogle+ profile, a photo of their jersey in their dressing room with Simoncelli's name on the back.[49]
On 3 February 2014, it was announced that Simoncelli would be posthumously inducted into theMotoGP Hall of Fame and become the 21st MotoGP Legend. The ceremony took place at the Italian round in Mugello.
On 8 September 2016, it was announced that Simoncelli's racing number 58 would be retired from all classes of Grand Prix racing competition. It was the third number to be retired from all classes of Grand Prix racing competition, afterKevin Schwantz's #34 (Schwantz's number was used byAndrea Dovizioso until he moved up to MotoGP, and was last used byEsteve Rabat during his Moto2 debut season in 2011) andDaijiro Kato's #74 (Kato's number remains available for wildcard entries in the 125cc/Moto3 class, albeit since the2013 season no one has used the number again). CEO of Dorna Carmelo Ezpeleta led a ceremony of remembrance ahead of the Misano GP 2016 race weekend stating: "Today we say to Marco's father, Paolo, that from now this number belongs to the Simoncelli family. Nobody will use it, unless they decide somebody can use this number."
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Honda | MIS1 17 | MON Ret | VAL 13 | MIS2 8 | MIS3 4 | 9th | 25 |
| Season | Class | Motorcycle | Team | Number | Race | Win | Podium | Pole | FLap | Pts | Plcd | WCh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 125cc | Aprilia RS 125 | Matteoni Racing Team | 37 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 33rd | – |
| 2003 | 125cc | Aprilia RS 125 | Matteoni Racing Team | 58 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 21st | – |
| 2004 | 125cc | Aprilia RS 125 | Rauch Bravo | 58 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 79 | 11th | – |
| 2005 | 125cc | Aprilia RS 125 | Nocable.it Race | 58 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 177 | 5th | – |
| 2006 | 250cc | Gilera RSA 250 | Metis Gilera | 58 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 10th | – |
| 2007 | 250cc | Gilera RSA 250 | Metis Gilera | 58 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 10th | – |
| 2008 | 250cc | Gilera RSA 250 | Metis Gilera | 58 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 281 | 1st | 1 |
| 2009 | 250cc | Gilera RSA 250 | Metis Gilera | 58 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 231 | 3rd | – |
| 2010 | MotoGP | Honda RC212V | San Carlo Honda Gresini | 58 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 8th | – |
| 2011 | MotoGP | Honda RC212V | San Carlo Honda Gresini | 58 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 139 | 6th | – |
| Total | 148 | 14 | 31 | 15 | 9 | 1255 | 1 | |||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Pts | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | ||||
| 2009 | Aprilia | AUS | AUS | QAT | QAT | SPA | SPA | NED | NED | ITA | ITA | RSA | RSA | USA | USA | SMR | SMR | GBR | GBR | CZE | CZE | GER | GER | ITA Ret | ITA 3 | FRA | FRA | POR | POR | 25th | 16 |
2002: Wins the European 125cc title
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