San Carlo Honda MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli has died.

The Italian succumbed to the head, chest and neck injuries he sustained in an accident on lap two of today's Sepang MotoGP round. Simoncelli, who was 24, was taken to the circuit medical centre following the crash but was declared dead at 16.56 local time.

MotoGP medical director Michele Macchiagodena said in a subsequent press conference: “I’m very sad to be here to report about the death of Marco Simoncelli, a friend. Because of the crash he had during the race, in which he was hit by other riders, he suffered a very serious trauma to the head, to the neck and the chest. When our medical staff got to him he was unconscious. In the ambulance because there was a cardiac arrest they started CPR (cardiac pulmonary resuscitation).

"Immediately in the Medical Centre, with the help also of the Doctor of our staff at the Clinica Mobile and local Doctors, he was intubated and it was possible to take off some blood from the thorax. The CPR was continued for 45 minutes because we tried to help him for as long as we thought it was possible. Unfortunately it was not possible to help him and at 16:56 (local time) we had to declare he was dead.”

A former 250cc World Champion, the Cattolica man has courted controversy for most of his vcareer but was a rider with superstar potential and a close friend of Valentino Rossi, who lived just a few kilometres away on Italy's Adriatic coast.

Simoncelli won his first series in 2002 with the European 125cc Championship and also raced in selected Grands Prix, moving into the world series full time the year after with the Matteoni Racing team. In 2004, he took his debut win with the Rauch Bravo team at Jerez. He did one more year before moving to 250s in 2006.

He stayed with the Metis Gilera team for three seasons, taking his first win in 2008 at Mugello and then his fifth win, and the title, at Phillip Island before moving into MotoGP in 2010.

Joining the San Carlo Honda team, Simoncelli quickly confirmed his reputation as a genuine superstar. He brought with him a reputation as a hard rider but was widely recognised as a man with enough personality and talent to carry on when Rossi left off.

Unfortunately, we will never know just how good he would have become.

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