Marco Simoncelli has died from injuries sustained in a MotoGP accident at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The Gresini Honda rider lost the front of his bike and slid across the track, collected by Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.
The impact ripped the helmet off the 24-year-old’s head as he lay stricken on the circuit.
The accident occurred on the second lap of the race.
He was taken by ambulance to the circuit’s nearby medical centre, but at 4.56pm local time, it was announced that he had succumbed to his injuries.
Simoncelli’s passing comes at the end of a horror week for the worldwide motorsport community which is still reeling from Dan Wheldon’s fatal accident at Las Vegas last Sunday. Simoncelli was regarded as one of MotoGP’s most exciting talents.
After winning back-to-back 250cc titles in 2008 and 2009, Simoncelli moved up to the premier MotoGP class with the San Carlo Gresini Honda team. While unquestionably fast, his aggressive style raised eyebrows. In the past months, Simoncelli tempered his on-track ways, earning a career-best second place at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
