Marco Simoncelli remembered

Marco Simoncelli died following a crash on Sunday

The motorsport world is mourning the loss of one of their youngest and brightest stars. Italian Moto GP rider Marco Simoncelli died following a crash in Malaysia on Sunday. He was 24 years old.

CNN reports that Simoncelli sustained critical and fatal injuries when he was struck by Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards after losing control of his bike and sliding across Turn 11 of the Sepang Circuit.

Honda president and CEO Takanobu Ito spoke fondly of Simoncelli, saying, “Marco Simoncelli was a passionate rider bubbling over with a challenging spirit and blessed with a cheerful personality. With a promising future on the Grand Prix circuit, Marco had both genuine ability and a large following among racing fans. We are very thankful for his sterling results riding for Honda Racing Corporation as a factory rider. We express our heartfelt condolences to Marco’s family.”

Simoncelli’s death comes a week after IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon lost his life in a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.