MISSING MARCO
Marco Simoncelli wasn’t the first motorcycle grand prix rider to lose his life doing his job. And neither was he the last. To be precise he is the 105th of the 107 riders lost in action since the birth of world championship racing in 1949.
However, Simoncelli’s death had a bigger impact than anyone else’s demise, for several reasons.
The 24-year-old Italian was a larger-than-life, louder-than-life character whose shambolic appearance jarred with the manicured, hair-gelled masses of 21st century MotoGP paddock youngsters. He was funny in the paddock, fast and furious on the racetrack, and probably most famous for these words, which he uttered just months before his death, “During the race you want to kill the other riders”.
His words are immortal. He
