Motorcyclist dies in Indonesia.
Fatal accident involving Marco Simoncelli, the first in MotoGP since 2003.
Italian Marco Simoncelli, 24, died on Sunday as a result of a serious accident at the start of the Malaysian MotoGP race at the Sepang circuit. According to race organizers, the rider's death was due to multiple injuries sustained during the incident, which also involved American Colin Edwards and Italian Valentino Rossi.
Simoncelli lost control of his Honda at turn 11 of the Sepang circuit, still on the first lap of the race. The rider, with his bike, slid across the track and ended up being hit by Edwards and Rossi. The Italian's helmet was ripped off in the accident and the rider remained motionless on the track. The other riders involved in the accident escaped unharmed.
After the accident, Simoncelli was removed from the track by the medical team and taken to a hospital by helicopter, but he did not survive his injuries. Following the serious accident, the Malaysian MotoGP race was stopped with a red flag. Later, upon receiving news of the Italian's death, the organization cancelled the race.
Simoncelli's death is the first in MotoGP since the fatal accident involving Daijiro Kato in 2003, at the Japanese Grand Prix. Last year, Shoya Tomizawa died after an accident at the San Marino Moto2 Grand Prix – a support category for MotoGP.
Simoncelli was the 250cc world champion in 2008. In 2010, he made his MotoGP debut, but only managed to reach the podium this season. His best result was obtained in the race before his fatal accident. The Italian finished second in the Australian round, at the Phillip Island circuit, held on October 16th.