Marco Simoncelli was a polarizing figure in the sport. He was a bad boy in the 125s, a lunatic according to some in 250s, and outright dangerous according to many riders and pundits earlier this season.
And he was all of those things. But he was all of those things because Sic rode the way we all dreamt of riding as kids. Marco rode purely with his heart. My personal opinion is that he never would've knowingly put anyone in danger with his moves. He simply saw an opportunity to win and he went for it. And isn't that what this sport is all about, when you get right down to it?
I was never a huge fan of his. But I could never deny that I didn't find him to be the most exciting rider on the grid and the most humorous in the media center.
We lost a great one today. Whether you loved him or hated him, rated him or not, Marco Simoncelli had that rare combination of talent and charisma equalled by only one other man in motorcycle racing.
I, for one, will miss Marco. Watching him somehow manage to fit that AGV over his enormous mane. The look of his comically oversize frame attempting to tuck behind a fairing designed with Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso in mind, knees and elbows stuck out all over the place. His wild lines. The infectios smile. The hair. His interviews. In Marco Simoncelli, there was something for everyone to like and we are far poorer today for having lost him.
Austin, as usual you put into words the thoughts so many share and feel.
For me, I am uncertain how to feel but empty is a word that comes to mind. Empty because love him or loathe him, Simoncelli was (to me at least) an enigma, someone who seemed so 'left field' to the norm that we had come to expect yet someone who seemed to fascinate us with his sheer enjoyment that he got from racing.
I was not his greatest fan, but the guy could ride and that is without question and what is more, he was fun to watch ride with his style and aggression.
I will remember his ride at PI just last week for a while as I genuinely felt it was a signal of maturity in teh way in which he battled the bike, track, conditions and later Dovisioso and a ride that I believe was his best in the category. He was destined to win races, destined to upset many an applecart, destined to be lampooned and disliked by some but loved and revered by many more.
A loss that will reverberate through the sport and will be felt by all in the paddock.
Thoughts to all his family, friends, team members and all who knew him be that in passing or in depth and I so wish I had not seen the footage of his Girlfriend in teh pits ............. that really sickened me for some reason.
Special condolences and thoughts to Edwards and Rossi for whom I feel a string sense of concern and wish them all the best as they were unwitting players in this tragedy.
Gaz
