Nicknamed “Super Sic” and sporting a mop of curly hair, Simoncelli was predicted by many to be a future MotoGP world champion. He died a week after two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was killed in a 15-car accident in the Izod IndyCar Series finale at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Simoncelli lost control of his Honda at Turn 11 four minutes into the Malaysian MotoGP. After regaining partial grip, Simoncelli’s bike swerved across the track — and into the path of American Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi of Italy.