Marco Simoncelli

Marco Simoncelli was born on January 20, 1987, in Cattolica, Italy, and grew up in Coriano. Beginning on minibikes at age seven, Simoncelli won the Italian Minibike Championship twice before claiming the 2002 125cc European Championship. Entering the Grand Prix World Championship, Simoncelli’s breakthrough arrived in 2008 in the 250cc class riding for Gilera, winning six races and clinching the 250cc World Championship in Malaysia.

Graduating to the premier MotoGP class in 2010 with the San Carlo Honda Gresini team, Simoncelli rapidly emerged as the future of motorcycle racing. Riding alongside close friend and mentor Valentino Rossi, Simoncelli’s fearless, shoulder-to-shoulder racing, towering 6-foot frame, and exuberant joy endeared him to millions of fans. During the 2011 season, he scored two MotoGP podiums, finishing second at Phillip Island in Australia.

Tragically, on October 23, 2011, during the second lap of the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, Simoncelli lost control of his bike and suffered fatal trauma in a racing accident. In his honor, the Misano World Circuit was officially renamed the 'Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli', his racing number 58 was permanently retired from MotoGP, and he was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame.