Sports

Stunning Video: Motorcycle Racer Killed After Being Run Over by Fellow Competitors

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Italian rider Marco Simoncelli died Sunday after crashing and being hit by two other riders at the Malaysian MotoGP motorcycle race. He was 24.

After the crash, Simoncelli was taken to the medical center at the Sepang circuit where he died of chest, head and neck injuries, organizers said.

“He was already unconscious when the medical team arrived,” MotoGP medical director Michele Macchiagodena said. “We attempted to resuscitate him but failed. He died 45 minutes later.”

The race, the second to last of the season, was canceled.

Simoncelli died a week after Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was killed in a 15-car accident in the IndyCar finale at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Simoncelli lost control of his Honda at turn 11 four minutes into the race, but his bike regained partial grip and swerved across the track and into the path of American Colin Edwards and Italian Valentino Rossi.

Simoncelli’s helmet was ripped off in the collision and he lay motionless on the track. He had been fourth at the end of the first lap.

“Quite clearly the consequences and circumstances surrounding the accident will be thoroughly investigated,” race director Paul Butler said.

Edwards dislocated a shoulder in the crash. It was reset under anesthesia and the American was “fine,” Macchiagodena said.

The Italian‘s death was first fatality in MotoGP since Japan’s Daijiro Katoh died from injuries sustained at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix. The number of deaths in MotoGP since it was founded in 1949 is now at 47, MotoGP said.

Last year, Japanese teenager Shoya Tomizawa died after crashing in a Moto2 race at San Marino.

Sepang circuit chairman Mokhzani Mahathir voiced his condolences and said it was unfortunate that a death occurred for the first time since the circuit opened in 1999.

“We had our standard operating procedure … this is one-of-a-kind freak incident where the helmet came off and I am sure (motorcycling body) FIM and MotoGP will be looking into this,” he said.

Newly crowned MotoGP champion Casey Stoner said that he feared for Simoncelli after seeing video of the crash.

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

The Italian motorcycling federation canceled all events planned for Sunday at the Mugello circuit near Florence.

The Italian Olympic Committee said it would honor Simoncelli by requesting a minute of silence at all Sunday’s soccer matches, with AC Milan, his favorite team, planning to don armbands in his memory.

Italian Olympic Committee President Gianni Petrucci said Sunday marked the saddest day of his presidency.

“Life is sacred; you shouldn’t die at age 24 just for a race,” ANSA news agency quoted him as saying.

Comments (62)

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  • squarepong
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 4:49pm

    This is the second horrible crash for the racing community. You see the helmet come off his head and roll away and yet he is still sliding face down on the pavement. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family….

    http://www.squarepong.com

    Report Post »  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:27pm

    Just before he drifted into the lane of the bike on his right he was leaning so far to the right he was almost off of his bike and his head was inches from the cement. Something happened to him before the fatal crash.

    Report Post »  
    • AB5r
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:46pm

      Here is a video on LiveLeak that shows more of what happened. No one was near him when he first had trouble. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cee_1319365525

      Report Post » AB5r  
    • greensteam
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:59pm

      he was slipping off his bike. they lean so hard these days their butts are way off the seat. at some point he couldnt get back on the seat. and he got hit strait in the back before getting back up on the bike.

      Report Post »  
    • motonutt
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 4:18pm

      Looks to me like he loses his front end on the painted part of the inside of the corner or as some call it the rumble strip. If Edwards and Rossi weren’t behind him it would have been a nothing crash. Just a fall on the low side. In his mind he was most likely trying to avoid a hi side crash that at the moment he thought would be much worse. I have run over other riders just like this and have been run over just like this, but without the tragic results that this had.

      Report Post » motonutt  
    • Phantom II
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 5:15pm

      This type of fall is a common occurrence when a bike is pushed to its limit and rarely results in death. The limit is tire grip. Simoncelli‘s bike slid out from underneath him after the front tire lost it’s grip. That’s all. It happens to every bike rider at some point. A bike can only turn at 1 G because there can be no aerodynamic down force placed on the bike that would increase tire grip. There is no camber thrust as there is on a car either. The rider has to alter the CG of the combined mass to balance the mass acceleration (centripetal force) against the opposing force which is tire Mu.(grip). This is called ‘Body English’ even if an Italian is riding the bike. It is a fine art and there are many factors that can upset this balance. Sometimes, when a tire looses grip unexpectedly, the location of the rider is altered sufficiently as to regain this grip. This usually results in the rider being thrown off the bike or a ‘Tank Slap’ recovery which 9 out of 10 times, fails, depending if there is a positive or negative dynamic oscillation. Marco was trying to hang on beyond the point of where he should have. This decision is based on an infinite amount of variables and tons of experience may not even help you. The bike’s front tire regained grip as Marco was no longer in a position to control the bike but had caused the bike to become upright. Had he let go, he would have been OK but that is not the nature of a racer. RIP Marco.

      Report Post » Phantom II  
    • motorcycleboy
      Posted on October 25, 2011 at 12:03am

      Hey Phantom, if Joe Biden had written an off-the-cuff analysis of this low side crash it couldn’t have been funnier.

      Report Post » motorcycleboy  
  • Jerbear1098
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:36pm

    Tough month for racing of all kinds. RIP…

    Report Post » Jerbear1098  
  • BORDERMAN
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:19pm

    man thats too bad, I hate to see good people get killed.
    R.I.P. – RIDE ON

    Report Post » BORDERMAN  
  • sillyfreshness
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:04pm

    The video shows that rider hanging on the side of the bike before being hit. I’m sure he hit something as he was several bikes ahead of the two that hit him. Next thing you see is some guy riding on the side of his bike almost ready to fall off just before he was hit. He was probably unconscious before he was even ran over.

    Report Post » sillyfreshness  
    • patriot308
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:23pm

      It‘s obvious you have never pushed a machine to it’s limits (bike or car). Maybe you should avoid looking like an idiot. Just saying………..

      Report Post »  
    • nappy
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:46pm

      Yes.. I saw that too. He was hanging off the bike very low ( been riding sport bikes for 35 years) … Also.. I can see the helmet straps flailing as the helmet rolls away.

      Report Post »  
    • nappy
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:47pm

      @Patriot.. you’re talking out your a$$. Watch the video. He was either unconscious or hanging way off his bike to check something. His course wasn’t proper either.. as if he was drifting aimlessly.

      Report Post »  
    • AB5r
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:11pm

      You are correct, these other clowns attacking you need to get lost, or watch the video. He wasn’t just hanging off the bike with his knee dragging trying to maintain speed and direction, he was literally hanging off the side.

      Here is a video that shows something happening to him before the crash: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/motorcycling/8844269/Marco-Simoncelli-dies-in-MotoGP-crash-in-Malaysia.html

      Report Post » AB5r  
    • greensteam
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 4:04pm

      when you see the wreck from an on board cam of the bike directly behind him, he was not unconcious. he was leaning as they do in moto gp and started slipping off his bike. it is part of the bike racing to lean so far off the bike you litterally fall right off if you are not careful. his foot on the left side of the bike came up over the seat and he was trying to get back on until he got hit in the back. he was not unconcious.

      Report Post »  
    • patriot308
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 4:31pm

      Nappy… look again…. His inside knee gets caught under the peg…. he is struggling to get back on….. not unconscious. And his helmet strap most likely tore loose from the side of the helmet. I race, professional class, superbike; more years than I like to admit.

      Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:28pm

    “On the Beach”!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • elihu
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:04pm

    Hey, you play the game; you may pay the price. They should know this going in…

    Report Post » elihu  
  • J_Dub
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:26pm

    LOL… gotta love some of the comments.

    RIP Marco. :(

    To those who do not understand (as you sit in the comfort of your chair)… some humans are driven to push the boundaries. I thank God for these people. They explore, they discover, they raise the bar, they entertain us, etc. It doesn’t make them “heros”. Heros selflessly do what they do for the benefit of their fellow man. But it doesn’t make them “stupid” or “criminal” either, and the smug dismissal of the lives of risk-takers is pathetic. I ride the line between risk-taker and armchair commentator. I don’t have the guts or skill of these athletes. But I dabble with life’s more exhilerating pursuits and I understand the feelings of being ALIVE that such pasttimes create. People who push these boundaries have made life more interesting for humankind. Stop pretending that you somehow exist on a higher and more important plane as you smugly comment from your computer keyboard.

    Report Post »  
    • chfields62
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:43pm

      Well said!!!

      Report Post »  
    • esv
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:58pm

      nicely done

      Report Post »  
    • Rightallalong
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:01pm

      Agree completely – As one that used to do some club racing down in Texas; until you have pushed your life and felt the surge of energy and fire of life that comes with such an activity you cannot truely understand why racers race (or sky divers dive, etc etc). In some ways that lack of fire is the crack in the foundation of humanity – too many soft, weak fearful people that are too afraid to live. I guess its easier to sit at home and watch everyone else do it on TV …

      Report Post » Rightallalong  
    • Epic Fail
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:02pm

      EXACTLY. How many people have we lost in the space program? Should we stop exploring space? How many people have died in airplanes? Should we stop flying airplanes? How many people die in car crashes? Should we stop driving cars? Many things are dangerous. I don’t want to live in a world where you have to sit in your living room wearing a helmet. Or California :)

      Report Post » Epic Fail  
    • WatchingThePuppetShow
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:18pm

      Exactly!

      Report Post »  
    • paulusmaximus
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:43pm

      U 2! How do you have so much knowledge of those who comment? Losing a life is always sad, and to use it to express your opinion of you is far more a waste.

      Report Post » paulusmaximus  
    • AB5r
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:11pm

      There were a lot of similar comments on the thread about the bullfighter who was gored.

      The larger liberal belief system that is being pounded into the heads of tragically miseducated children is what is causing the strange reaction to risk takers. The modern liberal expects everything to be safely decided, equal outcomes, all who are damaged made whole. They remove the grandeur of the racer taking his life in his own hands to push the limits further than hicompetitorsrs, further than maybe he can handle, they also remove the grandeur of life as someone takes a risk and fails in some mundane endeavor and then expects the state to make them whole. Staircases need to be encased in foam so that no one gets hurt if they fall down the stairsChildrenen all need to be FORCED to wear a helmet even when they are on a tricycle. Here’s to all of the risk takers, even those who lostheirer life in the challenge.

      Report Post » AB5r  
  • ilikai
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:23pm

    no one has said anything about the driver being on the front end of his bike, resting on front fender. How the hell did he get flipped over the handlebars?

    Report Post » ilikai  
    • IvanK
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:33pm

      It‘s quite common to be flipped over the handle bars when the bike’s rear end gets loose. What happens is the rear wheel begin a side to side wobble, the rocking motion and sudden slow down flips the rider up and over. As a Moto GP fan, I’ve seen this happen many times.
      One reason of many I quit riding super bikes 20 years ago. Being a family man, I didn‘t want to be an organ donor in my late 20’s like a friend of mine was.

      Report Post » IvanK  
  • itsmyfirstday
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:55am

    May God be with him and his family.

    Report Post » itsmyfirstday  
  • oeaoho
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:53am

    I have been around gun’s my whole life. I am a skeet shooter. I have never even heard of a fellow skeet shooter being shot during a shoot. There would be protesters everywhere crying to outlaw the sport-where are the protesters here???

    Report Post »  
    • hippocritic-us
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:55pm

      Oh yeah, because skeet shooting is exactly like MotoGP racing in every aspect!

      Report Post »  
    • patriot308
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:14pm

      Because…….. it would require a mentally deranged person to connect the two…….

      Report Post »  
  • Epic Fail
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:53am

    I’m a big fan of MotoGP and have watched since 1988 or so. This is a terrible loss. Marco was a very competitive and liked racer. It looks like he lost the rear tire in the turn and tried his best to get it back under control, but unfortunately in doing so the bike came back across the track in front of Edwards and Rossi. My thoughts go out to his family and all of MotoGP.

    Report Post » Epic Fail  
    • sarainitaly
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:08pm

      I have been a fan since moving to Italy ten years ago. My husband got me hooked. This just ruined our day yesterday. We woke up all ready to watch, and then sat stunned. My heart just broke for his family and for Edwards and Vale. For everyone there. It was so awful.

      It definitely looked like his tire grabbed back on to the track, and pulled him back into the curve. It almost looks like he was stuck under the bike, with his other leg over the saddle.

      I just can’t imagine how Edwards and Rossi feel. Totally not their fault, but UGH! So sad. It can be a dangerous sport…

      Report Post » sarainitaly  
  • Thatdrewguy
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:29am

    I have seen a lot of crashes watching the AMA Superbike Series, and Moto GP in my time. This one is brutal. There was nothing anyone could have done about it however. There was no time to react at those speeds. My heart goes out to his family.

    Report Post » Thatdrewguy  
  • PApeacemaker
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:28am

    Theres nothing to investigate he wrecked & died let it go people. They know the risks when they get on those bikes just like everytime I get on my Honda CBR F3 I know I could wreck & be killed or someone could hit me.

    Report Post » PApeacemaker  
    • hippocritic-us
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:40pm

      Yep, there’s absolutely no reason whatsoever to investigate this accident – especially because someone died. We should only investigate the ones where people live. We don‘t need to know if there was a problem with the helmet strap or if there was a mechanical problem with the bike’s traction control. We don’t need to know how this type of accident can be avoided – if it can – or how to reduce injuries and fatalities. We don’t need to know any of it, we should all just move on.

      Report Post »  
  • RodT82721
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:21am

    IMHO the motorcycle is a death trap. I happen to live close to Sturgis SD, where they come from all over the nation, on their bikes, to drink beer and tell their tales of near death to each other. The sad thing is every year far to many fall pry to their beer and/or other motorist, and never make it home.
    The human body can not stand being driven through a fence at 80 mph and still survive. JMO.

    Report Post »  
    • Epic Fail
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:48am

      What you are describing has nothing to do with competitive profressional motorcycle racing or this article.

      Report Post » Epic Fail  
    • patriot308
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:21pm

      Y e s siree, death trap I say….. In my dayyyy….. we didn’t need to go over 5 mph…. don‘t know what got’s into these youngsters these dayyyysssss……..

      Report Post »  
    • motorcycleboy
      Posted on October 25, 2011 at 1:20am

      You’ll never see a motoGP bike at Sturgis — and you’ll never see a drunk pot-bellied one-percenter racing in Italy.

      But those of us who don’t fear motorcycles all agree: Live to ride, ride to live.

      R.I.P. Marco.

      Report Post » motorcycleboy  
  • esv
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:18am

    Blaze. Thank you for the story. Marco was a great racer and heading to the top. Regardless of what any idiot on here says, I like racing and hate accidents. Especially one like this that ends in someone dying. It was a freak accident and I feel for Edwards and Rossi. Rossi and Marco were friends and fellow countrymen. Couldn’t imagine knowing I had run over one of my friends.

    Report Post »  
  • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:12am

    Lord, please take this man. He most likely died from head injuries as he lost his helmet. Sad to see, but those are the risks racers take and they know it.

    Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
  • motonutt
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:50am

    Motorcycle racing is one of the things that brought me to the Lord. When I was younger and racing, the last thing I would do on the starting line is pray to God that if I died in the next two hours that He would take me to heaven. And I mean a fervent prayer, not half hearted.

    Death is real for these guy’s. Every time you put your helmet on, may be the last time.
    That’s why I have always said one of the biggest highs in racing is not just winning, it’s living to do it again the next week. It’s an addiction.

    Report Post » motonutt  
  • brian8793
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:42am

    This is what happens when you want to be a bada$$ racer. One minute you’re poppin champagne bottle and having orgies with French girls, the next minute your brains are splattered all over the road.

    Report Post » brian8793  
  • PATRIOTGRUNT
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:38am

    R.I.P When you ride the Tiger You will get bitten.

    Report Post » PATRIOTGRUNT  
  • AB5r
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:32am

    The headline is misleading, it makes it sound like the other riders rode over him carelessly like the story from China recently and the toddler that was run over. This was just a crash, no one involved could have done anything different.

    Report Post » AB5r  
    • FoeHammer865
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 11:04am

      Can you say that he wasn’t “run over”? Racers would never “carelessly” run over anyone. To assume that you must assume the worst in your fellow human beings. I read it and got exactly what happened from the headline.

      Report Post »  
    • AB5r
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:45pm

      I’m a big race fan, I was at a race where a motorcyclist was killed, I don’t assume the worst of anyone. Perhaps you missed the earlier story about the girl run over in China. That is being run over. This headline suggests something similar but in reality it was just a crash, if anything the guy who was killed swerved directly into the other riders. It doesn’t seem correct to say he was run over. There are cases, especially in motocross, where someone crashes and riders following hit the rider directly either not having time to change course or not seeing the rider over a hill. This was not like that at all. So on two counts, the reference to regular readers of the prior story of the girl being literally run over, and the technical difference here where the rider was not run over but rather involved in a crash with other riders that he caused, makes the headline misleading.

      Report Post » AB5r  
    • AB5r
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:48pm

      And the use of the word “stunning” is inappropriate as well.

      Report Post » AB5r  
  • Deanna in Missouri
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:30am

    Blaze…. Are you kidding me? This headline “Stunning Video: Motorcycle Racer Killed After Being Run Over by Fellow Competitors” is sick. You make it sound like people should be excited about watching someone getting killed. I did not watch the video. Is it just me or is anyone else disgusted by this story. Poor guy. God bless him and his family.

    Report Post » Deanna in Missouri  
    • mtnclimberjim
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:48am

      Yep, just a bit disturbing. My day was not improved by watching this. But then again ya got to ask yourself why did I watch it?

      Report Post » mtnclimberjim  
    • rockstone
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:50am

      Some people are! That’s the twisted thing. People eat, sleep and breath this crap. Think the Blaze is bad? This thing is running over and over and over and over…. on ESPN and other outlets.

      That poor schmuck in Vegas? Over an over and over and over………….. They’ll be playing that one for years.

      Race fans love this. They’ll deny it all day long. But they do. It’s a blot on our society.

      And I just love when they try to justify with, “Hey…. He died “doing what he loved…..”

      Yeah right……

      Report Post » rockstone  
    • Rightallalong
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 12:55pm

      @rockstone – You are an idiot.

      Report Post » Rightallalong  
    • motonutt
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 2:58pm

      @ROCKSTONE…..I agree with RIGHTALLONG….Ditto that.
      A true race fan hates the wrecks, and much less anyone even getting injured, much less killed.
      The phonies are the ones that just watch for the carnage.

      Report Post » motonutt  
  • Drakkhanlord
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:27am

    sure , show the video of the man dy ing …

    freakin a $$ hats …

    Report Post » Drakkhanlord  
  • Drakkhanlord
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:26am

    sure , show the video of a man dying …nice.

    freakin a $$hats…

    Report Post » Drakkhanlord  
    • Epic Fail
      Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:04pm

      It’s life buddy. Maybe you should stick to Nickelodeon.

      Report Post » Epic Fail  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on October 24, 2011 at 10:17am

    .
    God Bless you…………..

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
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