Such a character! Terrible accident ...

So sad he was a joy to watch!
To his family and friends my heart goes out to you all!

Please elaborate for the lesser informed...

MotoGP rider ... got run over a Sepang yesterday.

GP Motorcycle Rider. Most recently riding for Team Honda.

Died October 23rd at 2011 Malaysian GP at the Sepang International Circuit in an accident involving Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.

Wikipedia entry here.

Crash footage here. Fairly graphic so I won't do an inline video. Simoncelli's bike (white) comes into the frame at around ~0:33. It already looks out of control and veers into the path of two other riders. One goes down, and the other is forced off the track before recovery. Crash shears his helmet off and leaves him on the track after the impact. The race is immediately red-flagged. Pretty brutal.

ATB,
Sam

Didn't he high-side before the crash, and the veering was "recovery"? I wonder if he hadn't been dazed already and didn't really know what was going on ... brutal crash either way.

And Rossi and he were best of buddies too - that'll suck

Wow, just got back from WWBB and find this terrible news. Talented charismatic young rider with champion potential.

Looks to me like he low sided and was hanging on to try and keep the bike from crashing out of the race....but after sliding and going wide, the tire regained traction and sent him into the race line. I don't know how Rossi kept it on two. Hope Colin is OK.

Godspeed Marco

this has not been a good week in motorsports at all....

Unless the web reports have let me down again, Colin has a busted up shoulder.

I did a search and according to his FB page he said:

"A dislocated shoulder & ligaments involved, think both wrists & left heel have fractures too, getting X-rays on Wednesday"

Terrible about Simoncelli...He was a damn good rider.

His helmet came off. Not good. I wonder if he didn't fasten his chin strap? I have been guilty of the same by accident. He was a great rider and will be missed. Dan Wheldon and now Simoncelli.....bad week for sure. Both were such great talents!

I think if you get hit hard enough, the helmet will come off no matter how well done up the strap are - he got nailed pretty hard

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamikuza I think if you get hit hard enough, the helmet will come off no matter how well done up the strap are - he got nailed pretty hard

No doubt...I only say that because you can see one side of the strap (the long side) completely intact and not through the buckle side. It was visible and flapping as the helmet rolled. It either came unfastened by the hit or was never done in the first place.

Here is onboard video right before the impact showing Marco lowsiding and holding onto the bike. His body mass was so far off the bike causing it to veer right.....unfortunatly across the race line.
I would not even second guess that the helmet was fastened correctly, and the best money could buy.
The impact was brutal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj72fPOubhI&feature=relat...



Marco's father Paolo Simoncelli pays his respects to a 'special, honest and pure' son

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95668

Quote:

Originally posted by Jaymz I would not even second guess that the helmet was fastened correctly, and the best money could buy. The impact was brutal.

I would not disagree that the helmet was the best money could buy....but watch the video. The strap is clearly not fastened to the other side.

One of two things happened....the strap broke or it was never fastened.

I would not disagree that it was a brutal hit but the webbing they use on those helmets is incredibally strong. It seems unlikely that it would fail right in the middle. At an attachment point maybe....

If the helmet had "peeled" off from the back (the most common way for one to come off after fastened correctly) the strap would have still been buckled. Again this would be an unlikely failure b/c their helmets are fitted to perfection I am sure.

It is a human factor to remember to fasten your helmet....and humans make mistakes.

If the space shuttle can turn into a roman candle....a helmet strap can get forgotten.

I'd say it broke. Looks to me like Rossi's wheel hit the base of the helmet ...

Apparently, the track-workers dropped him when they were stretchering him off too :o

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamikuza I'd say it broke. Looks to me like Rossi's wheel hit the base of the helmet ... Apparently, the track-workers dropped him when they were stretchering him off too :o

That's really bad. EMT's talk about the necessity of maintaining c-spine to prevent further injury....but dropping a patient??? That's unacceptable.

Track workers not EMTs - apparently ... if what I read was correct, there was only one EMT there. But I'm betting he was dead by that time

Well that is better than an EMT dropping him....even though it is still bad. He was lights out on the track for sure so you may be right...he may have already been gone.