Watching the meteoric rise of Simonchelli it was clear he was a natural successor to Rossi, his charisma and flair on track as well as off made him the future champion to watch, his refusal to back down to confrontation from reigning champions and other contenders only highlighted his champion spirit.
When Marco became embroiled in a controversial crash with fellow contender Dani Pedrosa he was ordered to back off a little and for two races it appeared he had lost his mojo, this only helped to mature him as a rider though and the spark came back in a most welcome fashion at Silverstone before he took an unfortunate excursion from his motorcycle. That is the thing though, when you learn something you make mistakes and get better, Marco was criticised for his accidents but at the same time was improving after each one and where other riders would dip a toe in Marco would jump head first, his Brno podium may have been his first in MotoGP but for what he brought to the series it was long, long overdue and great to see him finally rewarded.
One thing is for certain, MotoGP has been left with a huge void on the grid and for me personally a huge loss of someone to cheer on each race but for Marco's loved ones the biggest void will be with them as they have lost a son, a partner, a best friend and a brother and for that we should all offer our most heartfelt condolences. Marco lost his life doing what he loved to do and what we love to watch and I seriously hope every fan at Valencia shows their respect and gratitude. Ciao Marco!
Scroll down for an excellent fan made tribute video and a selection of images
-5.jpg "Click to enlarge image Marco-Simoncelli-(San-Carlo-Honda-Gresini)-5.jpg")
