Maroon92
Maroon92 SuperDork
10/23/11 8:40 a.m.

These are not the kinds of stories I was looking to begin my motorsport writing career with...

It's a damn sad week in motorsport, and I know I will miss Simoncelli's wacky hair. Crazy Italians!

http://hooniverse.com/2011/10/23/motogp-rider-marco-simoncelli-24-dies-from-injuries-in-malaysian-gp-collision/

aeronca65t
aeronca65t Dork
10/23/11 9:03 a.m.

Oh man....that's really sad. A cool, fast rider.

Luke
Luke SuperDork
10/23/11 9:12 a.m.

Sad, indeed .

(On a lighter note, congrats on the Hooniverse gig!)

93EXCivic
93EXCivic SuperDork
10/23/11 9:13 a.m.

Streetwiseguy
Streetwiseguy Dork
10/23/11 12:55 p.m.

I saw the re[play on Speed shortly after it happened. Its pretty rare that a helmet comes off when a rider goes down- I actually rewound to make sure it was just the helmet.

Maroon92
Maroon92 SuperDork
10/23/11 4:07 p.m.
Streetwiseguy wrote: I saw the re[play on Speed shortly after it happened. Its pretty rare that a helmet comes off when a rider goes down- I actually rewound to make sure it was just the helmet.

Evidently we had very similar trains of thought. I hate that my mind immediately jumped there.

4eyes
4eyes HalfDork
10/23/11 5:29 p.m.

He died at/or near his zenith, while doing the thing he loved. As I grow older, I think this is as good as anyone could hope for. I'm sure others will disagree.

RIP Simoncelli

Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon SuperDork
10/23/11 7:38 p.m.

It's always sad for someone to die like this. Let's hope that his passing is not used to try to end the sport he loved and ultimately gave his life for.

About the helmet: yes it is very possible for a helmet, even a full face, to come off easily in a crash. It's an unfortunate consequence of the design of the human head.

z31maniac
z31maniac SuperDork
10/23/11 8:42 p.m.
Streetwiseguy wrote: I saw the re[play on Speed shortly after it happened. Its pretty rare that a helmet comes off when a rider goes down- I actually rewound to make sure it was just the helmet.

Watch closely, its not that goes off once he goes down, it comes off once Rossi's front tire hits his head/neck area.

Just terrible.

ransom
ransom GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
10/23/11 11:20 p.m.

It's terribly sad. An astonishing talent, seemingly looking to put behind him his tendency to overreach and over-risk.

It freaks me out a bit how the really terrible accidents start out looking so benign... It was something somehow weirder than a lowside, and the trajectory was bizarre. You don't normally see someone not-quite-lowside for so long.

My heart goes out to his family, friends, and crew, and to Rossi and Edwards, who got caught up all too much by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Strike_Zero
Strike_Zero HalfDork
10/25/11 2:50 p.m.

RIP to Sic . . . Condolences and prayers for his fam and friends

pilotbraden
pilotbraden Dork
10/25/11 3:24 p.m.

It appears as if his leg or boot was pinned or trapped on the right side of the machine preventing the bike from tumbling away. His body, on the ground, lowered the center of gravity allowing the tires to regain traction, putting him in front of Collins and Rossi.

Does his helmet come apart after Rossi hits it?

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