Jorge Martinez ‘Aspar’ & Hector Barbera Pay Tribute To Marco Simoncelli

The MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix, held at the Sepang circuit today, lasted just two laps. On the second of these laps, Marco Simoncelli lost the front end of his bike and slid onto the inside of a turn, into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. The resulting impact rendered the Italian immobile in the middle of the track, and Race Direction showed the red flag to stop the race -which was eventually cancelled. The Sepang circuit doctors attempted to reanimate Simoncelli for 45 minutes, but injuries to his chest, neck and head ultimately proved fatal. At 4:56pm local time, Marco Simoncelli was pronounced dead by the medical team. MotoGP rights holders Dorna confirmed the news in an official announcement ten minutes later.

The entire MAPFRE Aspar, led by Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’, express their deepest condolences to the family and team of Marco Simoncelli.

Héctor Barberá:
“I am in shock. We are bike riders and we are aware that there are risks involved with what we do, but we also know that every day our safety is looked after more and more by the organisers. These past few years have seen a huge amount of work done to try and make our job even safer. Despite this, there are moments in which misfortune can lead to tragedy -and we saw this happen today with Marco Simoncelli. Today is another tough day for motorcycle racing. We have lost a great companion, and I will remember Marco as a great rival with whom had some fantastic battles in the past.”

Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’:
“What has happened today is immensely sad. It should be said that every Friday before a Grand Prix, the Safety Commission convenes at 5pm with all the MotoGP riders to evaluate safety issues at all Grand Prix circuits. Marco lost the front end and attempted to save the crash, but unfortunately the inertia of the bike took him onto the inside of the corner just when Edwards and Valentino were passing. There was nothing that they could do to avoid him. Today is a tremendously sad day for the entire paddock and for those who love motorcycle racing.”

Source: Aspar Media
Photo: Vroom Media