A day like today 11 years ago, at turn number 11 of the Sepang circuit, Paolo Simoncelli lost his son during the second lap of the MotoGP race. Since then, the World Championship has returned to Malaysia nine times, but this is the first weekend that the race is held on the same day, October 23.
CAs every Thursday before the GP, a good part of the Italian MotoGP community walked to turn 11 where is the plaque in Sic’s memory, which is how everyone in the transalpine country knew Marco. A long time has passed since the fateful October 23, 2011. The sun has eaten the red color of #58 -the number in which Simoncelli ran- and of the heart that completes the quote “Sempre nel cuore”. Even the traces of signatures left over the years by friends, colleagues, technicians, mechanics… are now blurred. This time two rosaries that someone hung on the plate drew attention.
Paolo Simoncelli He asked those present to leave him alone with his son. He approached the plate and stared at it for a moment. The palm tree that he and Gigi Soldano, the Sic photographer, once planted is gone. It was probably removed at some point in the two years of the pandemic, when the World Cup stopped in Malaysia.
Marco is the first rider “hosted” by Valentino Rossi, until then was always jealous of sharing his training method. With Sic he made an exception and Marco should be the first to replace his mentor. A legacy that remained in the hands of those who came to Valentino’s side later: Franco Morbidelli and especially Pecco Bagnaia.
A Paolo Simoncelli you are no longer interested in this part. “I’m just interested in what my two drivers are doing. MotoGP is difficult for me to follow. The only exception is Marc Marquez. I like this. In him I see everything my son has: talent, unpredictability… I didn’t even dare to imagine what it would be like to have them both on the track, measuring each other on all the circuits in the world; both on the same computer. Because Sic you are a faithful boy and I’m sure he followed his whole career at Honda… It would have been a show.”
“Marc fell in Jerez but he got up. He fought like a lion to get back on his bike. Marco can’t. It was racing, as he said. This is life. Everyone has their own way, everyone has their own story. And no perpetrators, no remorse.”
Speaking with “Papa Simoncelli” one gets the feeling that Paol has not gotten over mourning the loss of Marco. And not just because of the tough character, rough many times, that he shows. “We always have our son in mind: at night before going to sleep and in the morning when we open our eyes. I don’t want to be pathetic, but this is the truth. And I dream of him every night. And we talked. I don’t remember what he was telling me… Or maybe I don’t want to remember.”
11 years ago, yes, but the spirit of #58 lives on in GGPPs. There is no race where you don’t see a flag with a Sic number, especially in Anglo-Saxon races like Australia or Great Britain. “It’s because people want real people,” says Paolo. “Kind of people you get to know little by little; also among the pilots. Because in life it’s not the achievements that matter, but what you can deliver.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
