The Mancunian Writes...: Tribute To A Warrior

Tribute To A Warrior: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

I was never a big MotoGP fan. I was always more of the F1 guy. But come to think of it, MotoGP and Formula1 broadly fall under the category of motorsports. Now, I know this sounds clichéd, but it’s a point I feel I had to make. Motorsports was always a hobby for me and to this day I remember my attempt at a national go-karting championship back home in India. I didn’t do too well, I was only twelve years old, but that passion always remained within me.

The other day, while channel surfing, I came across horrific news. Horrific news from the world of MotoGP. No, Valentino Rossi had not decided to call it quits but his name was in the news for other reasons. Flashback Sepang 2011: the Malaysian Grand Prix and the incident that rocked the motorsport world. Now, not being a huge MotoGP follower, I wasn’t aware of the vast number of team changes and things like that had taken place. I saw two familiar names pop up on screen, that of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. And then this: “Simoncelli lost control of his Honda early in the race. At Turn 11, just four minutes into the race, his bike regained partial grip and swerved across the track, where he ended up in the path of Italian racer Valentino Rossi and American Colin Edwards.” I was stunned. The motorsport world was left stunned. He was just 24.

Red flags waved as spectators were left stunned. The race was off, naturally. We often tend to put a gloss on motorsport: ignoring the reality of how dangerous it really is. To be willing to race, one must first overcome the fear of death and not put it out of mind. Flirting with that fear provides some of the excitement. Mastering a vehicle on the edge of possibility, at the limits of human capability, is a reward in itself. But beyond that edge lies injury, debilitation, and death--and that edge can move without warning.

The question many of us will ask is whether the tragic incident could have been prevented. To many in the sport the answer is no. Franco Uncini, the MotoGP riders' safety representative, said in a radio interview: "I think we've done plenty for safety and we are very satisfied. Unfortunately in our hands we don't have the power to change fate. When it comes, there's nothing we can do. We must accept what comes defencelessly. Nothing else can be done. There was an abundance of safety there, the circuit is perfectly inside the limits of safety as per our requests. What happened was a crash like many others. The only problem is that the bikes were close to one another so two other riders arrived and hit Marco's head and neck. That's what made the crash so dramatic." Uncini may sound a little complacent but he was left in a coma after a similar incident in the 1983 Dutch TT-Assen. He was lucky.

The sporting world mourns a tragic loss. The news of Simoncelli’s death comes days after Indy Car driver Dan Wheldon lost his life in Las Vegas. It’s hard to come up with words to write this article. It has been a grim week for motorsports fans. "Marco was a warrior. He never gave up... that's why he didn't try to leave the bike.” These were the words of Paolo Simoncelli, a dad who had just lost his son. It takes courage to say something out this boldly when all you want to do is break down into tears.

MotoGP will go on. Italy will remember a fallen hero; a warrior. People will remember him. I know I will remember him as the ‘David Luiz’ of MotoGP, for they both had similar hairstyles. Simoncelli won the 250cc world championship in 2008 ironically clinching the crown in Sepang. He stepped up to MotoGP in 2010 and he finished eighth overall last season. I end, with sorrow...

“RIP Marco … Such an exciting talent lost forever...”