Arrivederci Marco....

In the space of one week, Motorsport has lost two of it's own champions. Indy Car last week suffered the loss of Dan Wheldon, and today Marco Simoncelli succumbed to injuries sustained in a freak MotoGP crash. 

I guess I write this post today because, I wanted to share with you some thoughts after a days worth of reflection on motorsport, because I fear that some journalists who have never seen a race in their lives will write something completely untrue and tarnish a sporting genre I have come to love. 

I used to race karts, and eventually tested single seater cars and then moved into closed car competitions for part of a season. In all my time, I had some big accidents, and walked away un-scathed - luckily! 

The complexity of a racing driver

A racing driver is programmed to understand the risks. When they put their overall's on and the helmet gets fastened, it remains in the back of their minds, and that's where it will stay. The moment it becomes their primary concern they tend to retire. 

As a breed, they are unique. For most people going over the speed limit on the road provides enough adrenalin rush, but to the racing driver that's not enough. Their ability to control complex machinery be it a car or a bike, and do it consistently whilst battling wheel to wheel is part of the joy. 

What I am trying to get at is, a racing driver/rider is fully aware of the risks, but they balance that with what their passion gives them, with what their ability allows them to do and they should never be questioned for it. 

Yes, motorsport has become safer, but it remains dangerous none the less. This was a freak accident, actually two freak accidents in the space of a week. I'm not sure about the statistics but you could probably win the lottery more times than have such a sequence of events in 7 days. 

They love what they do, they are passionate about what they do, and their days are sometimes numbered. In the last seven days we have lost two sportsman doing what they loved. It's a reality of motorsport, not a palatable one, but a reality. 

Marco Simoncelli was the heir to Valentino Rossi, the man that could carry a nations expectations on his shoulders on the track and be a complete loveable maverick off it. He will be missed by those that loved the sport, and those that loved the attitude. 

Arrivederci Marco, grazie per i ricordi.