Marco Simoncelli, nicknamed "Sic," was born on 20 January 1987 in Cattolica and grew up in Coriano. He had risen through the Grand Prix ranks to win the 2008 250cc World Championship with Gilera before stepping up to MotoGP with the Honda Gresini team in 2010. In his second MotoGP season, 2011, he was riding a factory Honda as part of the Gresini setup and was regarded as one of the most exciting emerging talents in the sport. His best MotoGP result that season was a second place at Phillip Island in Australia, and he had demonstrated he could challenge for race victories.
Simoncelli's 2011 campaign had not been without controversy. During the French Grand Prix at Le Mans he had collided with Dani Pedrosa while both were fighting for second place, breaking Pedrosa's collarbone and earning Simoncelli a ride-through penalty. The incident prompted scrutiny of his riding style, and he was required to meet with race direction before the Catalan round. At Catalunya he secured his first MotoGP pole position. His raw speed was beyond question, but the question of control at close quarters remained a point of discussion among rivals and officials alike.
During lap two of the Malaysian Grand Prix, Simoncelli was running in fourth position. Approaching Turn 11, his rear wheel lost traction and his motorcycle began to slide toward the gravel. The tires then suddenly regained grip and the bike veered sharply across the racing line into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi, who were following closely behind. Simoncelli was partially off his motorcycle, hanging on the right side as the bike crossed the track. Edwards and Rossi had no opportunity to avoid the collision. Edwards was catapulted from his bike and suffered a dislocated shoulder. Rossi also made contact.
Simoncelli lost his helmet in the collision. The race was immediately red-flagged. Medical staff reached Simoncelli on track and administered CPR for 45 minutes. At 16:56 local time, less than an hour after the accident, race officials announced that he had died from serious trauma to the head, neck, and chest.
Simoncelli's body was flown back to Italy accompanied by his father Paolo, his fiancée Kate Fretti, and Valentino Rossi. An estimated 20,000 people attended his funeral at the Santa Maria Assunta parish church in Coriano on 27 October 2011, with the service broadcast live on Italian television. His 250cc World Championship-winning Gilera and his 2011 MotoGP Honda were displayed at the memorial in Coriano's theatre.
The loss of Simoncelli had profound and lasting effects on the sport. Valentino Rossi, who was deeply affected by the death of his close friend and by his own role in the collision, later credited the event as the catalyst that led him to establish the VR46 Riders Academy, a program to mentor young Italian riders. Academy graduates include MotoGP champions and top-tier competitors such as Pecco Bagnaia, Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini, and Marco Bezzecchi.
The Misano World Circuit was renamed in Simoncelli's honor in 2012. His racing number 58 was retired from all classes of Grand Prix racing in 2016, becoming only the third number in the history of the world championship to receive this distinction, after Kevin Schwantz's number 34 and Daijiro Kato's number 74. His father Paolo founded Sic58 Squadra Corse in 2013 to support young Italian riders in the lower Grand Prix classes, a program that has since reached the Moto3 World Championship.
Sebastian Vettel dedicated his victory at the 2011 Indian Grand Prix to Simoncelli. Tributes were paid across Italian sport, with Serie A football matches observing a minute of silence. On 3 February 2014, Simoncelli was posthumously inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame as the 21st MotoGP Legend.