Today, October 23rd 2011, we lost one of the greatest riders in motorsport and one of my personal heroes, Marco Simoncelli, who was killed as a result of head, neck and chest injuries merely four minutes into today's race in Sepang, Malaysia. Without going into too much detail, he lost control and colided with Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi, his helmet being ripped off in the process and left lying motionless in the middle of the track.
I watched it happen and just screamed at the TV. There were no words. The race was red flagged as he was strapped to a stretcher and cancelled minutes later once the severity of the crash was soon realised. Other riders saw the footage and were interviewed. Current champion Casey Stoner told interviewers 'When the helmet comes off, you know it's not good. I saw the footage and felt sick to my stomach. We are all praying for him.'
Simoncelli or 'SuperSic' to his fans was pronounced dead at 16.56pm as a result of his injuries. I have not felt this upset in a very long time, or ever for that matter. As soon as I read the news I felt an immense sense of loss and have found today very hard to get through. I sat in silence with my Dad for about an hour and we just had a cup of tea and cried. I'm lucky that I have a group of friends on Twitter (or my MotoGP family as we call ourselves) who were feeling the exact same sadness as me. We have talked all day and sent the riders messages of love and support.
When I interned earlier this year at Viva Magazine in Manchester we did an interview with Marco and he truly was a wonderful, charming soul. I never met him personally but he had a big impact on me and was the reason I got excited every Sunday morning to see what he would bring to the race that week. Often targeted for his aggressive racing style, Simoncelli was a breath of fresh air in MotoGP and a world champion in the making.
24 is too young to die. If today has taught me anything its that life is precious and you never know when it will be snatched from you. So live your lives to the fullest, seize every opportunity given to you and live without hate or anger. Life is too short to be mad at people or to feel resentment. Just live, laugh, love.
Goodbye Marco, I will miss you more than you will ever know.
My two favourite riders enjoying happier times
That is such a lovely tribute to Marco darling, tears are rolling down my face as I read it. My heart goes out to his parents and may Marco rest in peace. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteMummy xx