Valencia MotoGP 2011: Perfect ten for Casey

TRIBUTE: Marco Simoncelli was remembered all weekend in Valencia

ON A tricky and poignant weekend for motorcycle racing, Casey Stoner produced the perfect finish to win the final round of the season in Valencia.  This weekend’s events were the first chance for MotoGP to remember the life of Marco Simoncelli, the charismatic Italian who lost his life at the last event in Malaysia.  Stoner produced a finish that Marco would have been proud of, by out accelerating the Yamaha of Ben Spies out of the final corner to snatch the win by 0.015seconds.  Third place for Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso saw the Italian wrap up third place in the point’s standings.

     This morning saw a fitting tribute to Simoncelli as all the riders from MotoGP, plus junior categories went out on a parade lap to pay their respects.  Former champion, Kevin Schwartz led them out on Simoncelli’s No.58 bike.  They met Marco’s family on the grid, before on the family’s request; a fireworks display was put on by the organisers.  In his final event after 22 years in the premier class, Loris Capirossi took the No.58 plate on his Premac machine.  Many of the other riders had tributes on their bikes and racing overalls to Simoncelli, who will never be forgotten in the paddock.

      However, the show must go on, but one thing that wasn’t required was a startline accident and that’s exactly what happened.  In tricky conditions, Alvaro Bautista dropped his Suzuki in the first bend and took out Randy de Puniet and both works Ducati’s of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden.  Bautista blamed Dovizioso for squeezing him into the first bend but more importantly, it was a relief that all four riders got up from the gravel and walked away unscathed after recent events.  For Rossi, it cements him in seventh place in the finishing positions; his worst championship position since moving into the premier form of motorcycle racing in 2000. 

      Having started from his 12^th pole of the season, equalling Mick Doohan’s record yesterday, Stoner opened up a massive lead.  The crowd were entertained by a thrilling dice for second place between Honda team-mates Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa and Spies.  Pedrosa backed out of the battle when conditions worsened, mindful of not picking up another damaging injury with testing for 2012 beginning on Tuesday.  Spies, nursing injuries from a spate of recent tumbles, moved into second place and closed in on the new world champion, who was taking it easy himself in the drizzle.  With three laps to go, Stoner selected neutral by mistake, ran wide and was passed by Spies.  However he had one final attack on the exit of the final corner and the horsepower of the Honda took him over the line just ahead of the American.  Dovizioso, who has been given his marching orders by Honda next season, came home in third, pleased to beat Pedrosa in the final standings.

       Not only did he take the rookie of the year prize, but Cal Crutchlow held off Karel Abraham and a slowing Pedrosa to take a career best fourth place finish.  In desperation to beat the fellow newcomer, Abraham crashed on the last lap, but still remounted to finish eighth.  An emotional Capirossi came through to finish ninth in his final motorcycling event, which has seen him finish with 329 Grand Prix, 99 podiums, 29 wins and 3 world championships, nine of those victories coming in MotoGP.

     For many personnel within MotoGP, 2011 will be a season that will never be forgotten, sadly for the wrong reasons.  Casey Stoner's dominance is my personal highlight and the struggles of Valentino Rossi surprised me.  However, it will be the legacy that Marco Simoncelli has left on motorcycling racing and his presence in the paddock will be sorely missed by everyone.  Hopefully, 2012 will produce a stronger and happier season for all.


Ciao Marco!

MotoGP shock as Simoncelli dies in Malaysia

LESS than a week after the tragic crash in IndyCars that claimed the life of British racing driver Dan Wheldon, motorcycling has its own shock to deal with.  Promising Italian rider Marco Simoncelli died from injuries sustained in a crash during the penultimate round of the championship this morning in Malaysia.

Marco Simoncelli: 20 January 1987 - 23 October 2011

     Simoncelli, 24, was riding for the Gresini Honda team when he came off his bike on the second lap.  The incident happened on turn 11 of the Sepang International Circuit.  He bounced back onto the road, only to be collected by two other riders; Yamaha’s Colin Edwards and the Ducati of Valentino Rossi.  Edwards also tumbled into the gravel and fractured his shoulder, whilst Rossi nursed his machine back to the Ducati pit.  The impact with the other bikes saw Simoncelli’s helmet ripped off and it soon became clear that this was a serious incident.  The race was stopped.

      Paramedics got the scene quickly to attend to the Italian, who is thought to have been in cardiac arrest when the medics got to the crash scene.  It soon became clear that the race was going to be abandoned.  Recently crowned champion Casey Stoner told the BBC of his fears when seeing the crash back on the world feed;

     “As soon as I saw the footage of it, it just makes you sick inside.  Whenever the helmet comes off, that’s not a good sign.” 

      When announcement of the decision to abandon the race came through, the crowd reacted with frustration and annoyance, although the organiser’s decision to postpone the event was hailed by many insiders within the paddock.  Simoncelli succumbed to his injuries around an hour later.  His fatality is the first in MotoGP since Japanese rider Dajiro Kato died at an event in Suzuka in 2003.

     Tributes have poured in from around the racing world to the charismatic Italian; MotoGP fan and Red Bull Racing F1 driver Mark Webber tweeted; “RIP Marco.  A special talent that will be missed.  Thinking of your loved ones and all the MotoGP paddock.”  Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who was on pole position for the shortened event had a publicised run-in with Simoncelli earlier this season in France; an incident that fractured the Spaniard’s collarbone.  However, he also was in severe shock at what happened to his colleague;

    “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 we all do what we like, what we love, but on days like today, nothing matters.”

     Marco Simoncelli was one of the brightest stars in motorcycle racing, who seemed destined for great things.  He won the 250cc championship in 2008, claiming the title in of all places, Malaysia.  He joined the premier class of motorcycling in 2010 and had already achieved success this season; lying sixth in the standings before this event.  Marco took a pole position in Catalunya and two podium results.  That included a career best second place finish in the Australian round only last weekend.  He had just signed with the Gresini team again for next season in a factory deal and was expected to launch a severe championship assault to the likes of Stoner, the absent Jorge Lorenzo and Pedrosa in 2012.  Despite some criticism for his riding style from his fellow riders this season, Simoncelli had put aside the errors of judgement he made in Jerez, Estoril and Silverstone and was putting together a string of consistent points finishes. 

      At just 24 years of age, Marco Simoncelli had everything going for him.  The world of motorsport has lost another colourful and flamboyant figure for the second Sunday running and MotoGP will be a poorer place without the flair and style he brought to the class. 

Thoughts go out to his family and everyone in the MotoGP paddock.

Marco Simoncelli – 20 January 1987 – 23 October 2011, RIP

Tomizawa Tragedy At MotoGP Meeting

Motorcycling is in shock tonight, after the tragic death of promising 19-year old Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa.  Tomizawa died in hospital from fatal head injuries, suffered during a Moto2 event on the Misano circuit in San Marino. 

Moto2, which is the class below the premier MotoGP circuit, was hosting the twelfth round of the season and Tomizawa was 7^th in the championship standings, having won the season opening event in Qatar.  He was in the leading bunch when he came off his bike on Lap 15.  Tragically, he was then hit by Italian Alex de Angelis, an experienced MotoGP rider and Britain’s Scott Redding.  Both Redding and de Angelis were propelled into the gravel trap and though Redding suffered minor concussion, both riders escaped serious injury.

When medics got on the scene though, it was quite clear that Tomizawa was in an awful state, with reports circulating that he had hit his head on the track, before being struck at full speed by the other riders.  He was rushed into hospital and quickly got placed into an induced coma, but a statement on the MotoGP website confirmed his death at 1.20pm UK time from “subsequent cranial, thoracic, and abdominal trauma.”

The Moto2 race was stopped and restarted, won by Spain’s Toni Elias.  Despite the reluctance of some MotoGP riders, it was agreed that their race went ahead, which was comfortably won by Honda’s Dani Pedrosa.  Jorge Lorenzo finished second to keep a comfortable championship lead, with his Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi on the podium at his home event.  Despite all the top-class riders knowing that the accident was bad, none of them knew the severity of Tomizawa condition until after the race.  As a mark of respect, celebrations were muted and no champagne was sprayed on the podium.

This is the second death at motorcycle events in two weeks, after 13-year old Peter Leinz was killed in a warm-up event for the Indianapolis MotoGP event last Sunday.  Like Tomizawa, Leinz was also hit by another rider.  It is the first death on the proper MotoGP circuit since Dajiro Kato lost his life two weeks after a smash in the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Like the rest of the MotoGP paddock, my thoughts go out to the family and friends of Shoya Tomizawa.  A promising talent, whose dreams of success will turn out to be tragically unfulfilled.

SHOYA TOMIZAWA (December 10^th 1990 – 5^th September 2010) RIP