Race talk - WARNING!! SPOILERS!!!

[MadDuck]

Yep, for sure. Next year should be hot too & I hope BMW gets the electronics sorted out. When you think about it, that S1000RR should be on the podium every race. Haslam and Melandri have the talent, as did Corser, but the bike needs better sorting.

[freeflydive]

Wow, Simo's accident looks bad, I pray he will be okay (I don't pray often).  He looks like he crashed & slid head first into Colin Edward's bike.  The force looks like it popped his helmet off while laying on the track.  Colin appears to have dislocated his shoulder, while Rossi was able to save his bike and rode through the gravel.  The race is now stopped (red flag) entering the 2nd lap...eerie silence.  

I'm replaying the footage by frame in disbelief...you can see a slight gap between Colin's & Rossi's bikes showing Simo's hair (w/out a helmet) striking Colin's bike while Rossi's front wheel goes over Simo's arm.  

[freeflydive]

RIP Simo.  My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.  His wild hair and colorful personality will be missed on the grid.  Below link is his post-race interview in Borneo...his interviews had an entertainment value on their own...plus he loved his fans and crew.    

Marco Simoncelli interview after the Brno GP

[DRKWNG]

RIP Marco

[MadDuck]

Sad to see him go but I believe he has good company.

[Speed 3 Pilot]

Sad to see him go but I believe he has good company.

Well said...

[MadDuck]

I couldn't get the slo-mo on the recorder to work but it looked like Marco couldn't/wouldn't let go of the bike in the low side. He probably acted like an anchor which dragged him & the bike back into the line of traffic. Rossi, being on the inside of Edwards, never even had a chance to see him coming and Edwards had no room to do anything but hit Marco. One of the more horrible crashes ever.

[freeflydive]

...it looked like Marco couldn't/wouldn't let go of the bike in the low side.

I agree...it looks like he was lowsiding, fought it-trying to recover, gained traction and got high sided to the opposite direction into race line.  I can only imagine the emotional toll Edwards and Val are going through. 

[DRKWNG]

I agree...it looks like he was lowsiding, fought it-trying to recover, gained traction and got high sided to the opposite direction into race line.  I can only imagine the emotional toll Edwards and Val are going through. 

More likely...

that's exactly what happened.  he was trying to save it; a normal lowside would have washed him off the left side of the track, out of harms way.  however the front tire suddenly found traction and whipped he and the bike back across the racing line; it was nearly perpendicular.  think the violence of a rear catching and causing a highside, only the other way around.  he was literally thrown in front of Colin and Valentino, nothing anyone could do.

[freeflydive]

More likely...

That's my guess from watching Bautista's onboard camera- Simo begins to low side at the apex, slides left towards the outside of corner as he (Bautista) passed, then the motoGP camera picks up as Edwards and Val enter the corner and Simo slides to the right back into their line.  Ironically, this happened w/in 3-5 seconds after the announcer says Simo has been having a difficult time riding through the upcoming segment of the circuit!

Below is an article based on Paolo's (his father) reflections that were posted on another forum.

"Marco was a very special person, and perhaps people have understood what he was like. If he had to swear he would, he was like that. Most of all he was honest, he was really pure," said Simoncelli Sr.

"On top of that he was a warrior, and maybe that's why he died. Had he let the bike go...but last Sunday he wanted to win. He was again the Marco we had at the beginning of the season, but now he knew what to do, he knew everything."

Greeted by hundreds of fans when he landed in Rome with his son's body, Paolo said: "Honestly I couldn't believe it: it would be bullshit if I said I'm happy, but it pleases me. We didn't realise all this, but it's a very nice thing.

"Tomorrow evening, after the end of the funeral, we'll be alone. It'll be terrible. But now I have you and all the people that come visit us. That can only please us.

"Marco was always available with all the journalists, as with all the people that would come to disturb him while he was eating. In fact he would scold me when I complained. That's how he was.

"Marco was never judged badly, he was always judged for what he was and for the way he presented himself. I loved him, and he loved me. Marco was great and that's it. What a shame.

"He needed everything around him to work. He needed Aligi Deganello - his guru and chief technician - his team, and his dad, who would piss him off sometimes, as he would say. Before the start we would shake hands and hug. I did that on Sunday too, but I guess I got something wrong. It didn't go as usual.

"He enjoyed all the simple things he had: he liked his house, his dog, the grass... in fact on Sunday he told me 'I'm tired, I want to go back home', because we had been away to prepare for Malaysia, which for him has always been difficult: nutrition, he took an ice bath to cool down before the race... It was perfect, he was sure he would do well. But he told me 'I want to go back home, dad.'"

Paolo arrived at the scene of the crash as Marco was being lifted onto a stretcher and carried to the ambulance. He says he had called to his son, but Marco was already dead. He says he also bears no ill will to the bearers, who fumbled the stretcher on their way to the ambulance.

"I was thereabouts, but Marco was dead already. I was 10 metres away, but Marco was already dead, it changed nothing.

"I helped them: when they got back up and passed the stretcher over to my side of the guard rail I took the stretcher to place it in the ambulance and held Marco's hand and called him 'Ciao Marco', but he was gone already.

"There was nothing that could be done. Nothing would have changed in that case. As for the rest, maybe more (attention) is needed, but these people try to do their best, so it's useless... But in our case Marco died on impact.

"They say God summons the best to heaven. I don't know. I wish that's how it is."

Paolo said Marco's funeral would almost certainly be held this Thursday, as a private function for relatives, friends, fellow riders and Gresini Racing staff  

[freeflydive]

The MotoGP season finale in Valencia has a few interesting twists.  Josh Hayes' first GP race (filling in for Edwards), Capirossi's final GP race (racing as #58 for Simo)  and “un minuto di casino”- a minute of casino will be observed, where the 125/Moto2/GP bikes will rev their engines on the paddock for a minute of "noise" (in lieu of silence) to celebrate Simoncelli's life.  On a similar note, there is a movement trying to get riders to rev their engines on Sunday at 1030 in their respective time zone in remembrance...Who's got their DB killers out for the JJ run?  

The Valencia race will be aired by Speed (Oceanic- 1214/214) on 6 Nov at 3AM and 12PM, with Moto2 set for 1PM.  DVR is set...  

[MadDuck]

DVR set also.

[DRKWNG]

HOLY SHIT!!!  What a finish!! 

[freeflydive]

What a finish!!  

Did you watch it under a warm blanket and hot chocolate?!    I agree, it was a great finish...and unfortunately a disastrous start entering turn 1.  Hopefully, next years motoGP changes will give the viewers a more competitive season.  

I'm watching Moto2 now and a few good riders have already wiped out w/ 22 laps remaining!

[MadDuck]

I guess the spoilers part in the title is fair warning.