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Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli tragically died yesterday during a race in Malaysia. He was 24-years old.

The horror crash took place only several minutes after the race started. The frightening scene at Sepang left onlookers devastated and the race was immediately called.

Simoncelli lost control around turn 11 and his bike can be seen skidding across the track into oncoming traffic. His body is almost indistinguishable from the bike itself until he makes contact with fellow racers Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.

The crowd on hand was forced to witness a tragic display of how dangerous racing is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkInpkx1hFE

This is the second fatality in as many weekends and has left the racing world at large utterly speechless.

Dan Wheldon, an English IndyCar driver, was tragically killed last weekend in the series' season finale in Las Vegas.

The 33-year-old was a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and won the overall championship in 2005.

Simoncelli's family was on hand to witness the tragedy and The Daily Mail quoted fellow racer Dani Pedrosa on handling the unfortunate situation:

"I've been with his father and all we could do was to hug, nothing else matters.

Everybody in the paddock remains in shock. Many times we ourselves forget how dangerous this sport can be and when you lose people on the way nothing has any meaning. It's clear that we all do what we like, what we love, but on days like today nothing matters. 

In a tragedy like this there is not much to say. I just want to give my condolences to his family and all the people who love him."

Pedrosa speaks for all of us.

The 24-year-old Simoncelli was one of the most promising talents in the sport.

It was only his second year at the MotoGP level and he was well-liked by nearly everyone in the sport.

His homeland of Italy, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports, observed a minute of silence in his honor at sporting events yesterday.

Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli died following a horrific crash in the Malaysian MotoGP on Sunday (Yahoo! News). He was 24.

It's the second fatal crash in as many weeks in the motor sports world after IndyCar's Dan Wheldon passed away in that series' season finale last weekend.

Simoncelli lost control on the second lap and ended up sliding into the path of two oncoming racers, who couldn't avoid the collision. He was known as one of the sport's most audacious racers and was still attempting to develop into a championship contender.

Fellow Italian rider Andrea Dovizioso had the following to say after the race:

"I'm thinking of his father and his mother. I've also got a child and what's happened today is the worst thing you could imagine. Out on the track we fight hard but misfortune is often just around the corner.

"Mario was a courageous rider and he always fought hard. We've battled on the track since we were kids. I often saw him fall off but without any harm. He appeared indestructible. What's happened here, it seems impossible."

Although the accident will certainly raise the requisite questions about the proper precautions being taken, there is little that could have been done to help Simoncelli. The crash put him in a precarious position and, when racing at such high speeds, Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi didn't have enough time to react.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkInpkx1hFE

In other words, sometimes an accident is exactly that.

The race was canceled following the incident, which was the right decision. It would have been too difficult for his colleagues to focus on winning a race with Simoncelli in their mind. There will be plenty of time to race in the future.

Simoncelli won the 250cc class in 2008 and finished third in 2009. He had 14 career wins in 148 races and made the podium 31 times.

His results in the MotoGP series had begun to improve in recent weeks, including a second place finish in Australia. Unfortunately, his potential will never be realized.

For the second Sunday in a row, the racing world has been rocked by a shocking tragedy. Earlier today in Malaysia, Italian motorcycle racer Marco Simoncelli passed away shortly after he was involved in a terrifying crash at the Malaysian MotoGP race in Sepang.

According to news reports (see ESPN), Simoncelli suffered injuries to his chest, head and neck, and there was simply nothing medical personnel could do to save him. MotoGP medical director Michele Macchiagodena claimed Simoncelli died 45 minutes after the crash.

He was just 24 years old.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax41CdbrKNQ

Concerning the crash that ultimately claimed Simoncelli's life, there's really not much that can be said about it. It was horrifying (you can watch the video on the right, but be warned that it is a very distressing sight). Simoncelli lost control of his bike and started veering off to the right of the track, where he found himself right in the path of American racer Colin Edwards and Italian racer Valentino Rossi. The two of them collided with Simoncelli, whose helmet came flying off.

Simoncelli's passing comes just a week after the crash that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon. The two-time Indianapolis 500 champion was involved in a 15-car wreck in Las Vegas that injured several drivers. Wheldon got the worst of it, and he died from his injuries.

In the hours and days immediately following Wheldon's death, one of the main questions being asked is whether or not his death could have been avoided. Perhaps there are additional safety measures IndyCar racing can take to avoid similar tragedies in the future.

The same questions must be asked about Simoncelli's death. Is there something that can be done to make sure nothing like this ever happens again?

Obviously, one has to be optimistic that the answer is yes. Both IndyCar and MotoGP racing have come a long way since they were originally introduced, but there have to be changes that can still be made.

There is, however, one thing that will never change: racing is, by its very nature, a very dangerous sporting activity. With vehicles going at such tremendous speeds, accidents are going to happen. And when they do, the possibility exists that the consequences are going to be dire.

But rest assured, if positive things can come out of the deaths of Wheldon and Simoncelli, they will.

For now, thoughts and prayers go out to Simoncelli's family. He has been lost too soon.

It was sad to find out that 24-year-old Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli passed away earlier today from injuries sustained on the course according to ESPN.

In just the fourth minute of the race, which took place in Sepang, Malaysia, Simoncelli lost control and swerved across the track into the path of two other bikers: Colin Edwards from the US and Valentino Rossi, a fellow countryman.

Edwards and Rossi got up immediately and seemed fine, but Simoncelli remained down with his helmet torn off. He was not moving.

Simoncelli was immediately put on an ambulance and given CPR for approximately forty-five minutes but the injuries to his head, neck and chest were too grave to overcome.

This horrific incident comes just a week after British IndyCar star Dan Wheldon passed away in Las Vegas and is another tragedy in competitive racing.

Simoncelli’s passing has had a clear impact on many racers already and fellow Honda rider Dani Pedrosa had some words for his fallen friend and warnings to fellow drivers.

“Everybody in the paddock remains in shock. Many times we ourselves forget how dangerous this sport can be and when you lose people on the way nothing has any meaning. It's clear that we all do what we like, what we love, but on days like today nothing matters.”

The thing that scares drivers, fans and casual observers the most is that his helmet came off. That is the only thing between the asphalt and riders skull in a crash during these races and they need to stay on.

“When asked about Simoncelli's helmet coming off, race director Paul Butler said at the press conference: 'I think if I may reply, that will be for another occasion. Quite clearly the consequences and circumstances surrounding the accident will be thoroughly investigated.”

Hopefully those investigating find out exactly what happened and put measures in to prevent it so we never have a tragedy like this again. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkInpkx1hFE

Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli died Sunday of injuries sustained in the accident caught in the video. He was just 24 years old.

Simoncelli died of chest, head and neck injuries after he was struck by two other motorcycles in a turn during the Malaysian MotoGP motorcycle race.

While it's unclear what happened to cause the accident, Simoncelli was leaning hard on his bike, trying to pull it across the track is if he was having steering issues.

If that is the case, that would make the fact that he was almost lying on the ground during a smaller turn less odd.

With Simoncelli parallel to the ground because he was trying to muscle the bike through the turn, the next two racers that take the corner behind him essentially run him over.

This horrible news comes just days after the tragic death of Dan Wheldon last week and shortly before the NASCAR racers take to one of the most dangerous tracks of their entire season.

This accident is not all that different from Shoya Tomizawa’s fatal crash just over a year ago. The similarities are something the port needs to look into for further safety consideration.

While it’s obvious that there is no way to make this sport safe, it is MotoGP’s obligation to look into any method of improving safety they can fathom.

There has been so much tragedy in the racing world lately, but if you ask any one of those racers in any of the major brands across the world, they will tell you that it’s all part of the sport.

After having the past two weeks go solidly for the CGH Motorsports, Chad Hackenbracht is ready to return to short track racing this weekend at Winchester Speedway to run Saturday night's Winchester ARCA 200, presented by Federated Auto Parts.

The last time the series was at a short track, the 19-year old qualified ninth and spent most of the night in the top five, before mechanical failure ended the night early. Since then, the team has bounced back well and been finishing solidly, including a fourth place finish at Michigan International Speedway last Friday.

“We’ve enjoyed these last couple of races,” Hackenbracht said as per team release. “The CGH Motorsports team has done an incredible job preparing our race cars and the experience of Rob (Torrey, crew chief) and Kevin (Reed, director of competition) has definitely propelled this team to new heights. I’m looking forward to what Saturday night may bring for us.”

After the first top—five finish of his career, Hackenbracht moved up from 11th to ninth in the points.

“We’re solidly in the top-10, which was one of our goals when the season started,” Hackenbracht said. “There’s a long way to the top, but we just need to keep performing and hope that the points will take care of themselves.” 

The success has brought Hackenbracht into the spotlight, including a newly released t-shirt released by the team (which can be purchased by logging on to store.cghmotorsports.com or CGHMotorsports.com). After SPEED made a mistake with the pronunciation of the name, they titled the shirt 'What’s A Chad Hacken-Something'. The shirt has sparked a lot of discussion as SPEED even did a segment on it.

“I’m glad that everyone is really enjoying the shirts,” Hackenbracht said. “We were trying to do something out of the box and we came up with this. We’re going to get the shirt in some more colors and fans can now purchase the shirts on our website.”

Though to keep the success, CGH Motorsports knows they need to keep digging hard and that's why they tested at Winchester, as they believe that seat time is one of the keys to success.

“Testing always helps, especially at places you’ve never been before,” Hackenbracht said. “I was able to get acquainted with Winchester and man is that place fast. It reminds me some of Salem, but it has its own character for sure. The changes we made to the car during the test responded well, so I’m antsy to get back in the car on Saturday.”

Despite the success, Hackenbracht is still seeking sponsorship for the season. Single, multi and full—season placements are available on the team’s No. 58 entries. Interested parties are urged to contact Jordan Dahl at 570.234.5449 or jordan@cghmotorsports.com. 

The Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts (200 laps / 100 miles) is the ninth of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 22nd ARCA race at Winchester is a one—day show. Practice begins Saturday, June 25 with a one hour and half practice session planned from 1:45 p.m.—3:15 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin later in the day at 4:45 p.m.

The field will take the green flag later that night, shortly after 8:00 p.m. The race will not be televised, but event coverage, including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,321st race for the ARCA Racing Series—presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953—will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com, presented by ARCANation.com.  All times are local.

For more information on Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports, please visit ChadHackenbracht.com and CGHMotorsports.com.

Tweet with Chad Hackenbracht through Twitter at @ChadH58 or CGH Motorsports @CGH5858.

Last weekend at Chicagoland, it looked like everything would be coming together for Chad Hackenbracht as he had led 45 consecutive laps and had a nine second lead over second place. Though that all fell apart when the right front tire on his automobile popped and blew those chances at winning away.

“It’s still really tough to swallow what happened last week," the 19-year-old said in the team's press release. "But we can’t dwell on it much longer, we have to get back in the saddle.”

For ARCA fans, it was almost the Cinderella story before their eyes, with the family-owned team of CGH Motorsports now heading to Pocono Raceway, ready to prove it wasn't a fluke on Saturday afternoon.

“Thankfully, we’re going to Pocono Raceway this weekend and I love that place," he added. "It’s such a different type of place but I think that’s why I enjoy it so much.”

After what happened last week, the New Philadelphia, Ohio native says that he and crew chief Rob Torrey are ready to attack and try to get the win.

“Rob, Kevin (Reed, director of competition) and the entire CGH Motorsports team are bringing another stout piece to the track this weekend and our engine should be just as strong if not stronger this weekend," he said. "It sure would be nice to get some redemption from last weekend. If we can’t, we’re hoping for a strong top-five run.”

The 20th place finish last weekend at Chicagoland dropped them to 11th in points, so he knows that while going for the win, he also has to play it smart.

“I’m going to race smart because we need to finish the race; we made some serious strides making a huge climb in the point standings," he said. "We need to continue that uphill battle and try and not have any more slides.”

Ever since the beginning of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards in 1953, they have been hitting the road courses and leaving their mark. This weekend, the ARCA cars will hit the New Jersey Motorsports Park course for their first road course race of the season.

For Maryeve Dufault, this weekend will allow her to get back to her racing roots as the Sorel, Quebec Canada native has had past success on the road courses at the open-wheel level.

“I’m very excited about this weekend,” she said. “I enjoy road racing because of its unique characteristics and challenges they present. The Tony Marks Racing (TMR) has prepared me a great Dodge Charger and I think this is one of our best opportunities to get a strong finish.”

Though while having the past experience on the road courses, she also knows that she has to watch for the differences between open-wheel and full-body cars.

“Yes, I have done a lot of road course racing but I am staying very humble for this weekend,” she mentioned. “It’s not the same type of car and there is a huge difference between open wheel and stock cars. I’m hoping though that the transition will be smooth and we can strut our stuff right from the get go.”

Regardless, she is ready to tackle the road course, whether it be in dry weather or racing in the rain.

“It’s part of the game,” Dufault said. “If we do have to race in the rain, patience is the key. You have to hit your marks every single time and be extremely careful not to make a mistake. I think it will definitely make the race more intense but I feel that we’ll be ready for whatever conditions we’ll have to deal with.”

A solid run would mean a lot to Dufault after two poor finishes the past couple of weekends due to the close racing on the short tracks.

“This is such a great team,” Dufault said. “I don’t think you will find a more determined team in the garage other than Tony Marks Racing. The guys work hard to build me fast Dodge Chargers. We were so competitive at Toledo but didn’t get the finish we wanted or deserved. This weekend, I want to make it up to them and all our sponsors with a gratifying run.”

Car owner Tony Marks says with everything put together, he has good expectations for this weekend.

“This is Maryeve’s forte," he said. "We’re all expecting a great weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park. I know that she is very excited about not only racing at a road course but also having the opportunity to put our season back on track. We have just as good of a shot as anyone for victory on Sunday afternoon!”   

The ModSpace 150 (67 laps / 150 miles) is the fifth of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The fourth ever ARCA event held at New Jersey Motorsports Park is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, May 21 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. A final “happy hour” session has been etched in from 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m.

The field will take the green flag on Sunday May 22 shortly after 1:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but event coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the weekend will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com.

For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com

All quotes used as per the article were obtained through the team's pre-race preview.

One look at the results from Daytona and Talladega, you'd think Matt Merrell is a series veteran and has practice on the restrictor plates. New Flash - you're wrong as the Portland, Texas native is only a rookie at this.

Despite that, Merrell finished third at Daytona in February and this past weekend, he finished 10th at Talladega.

Merrell qualified the car 12th, though once the green flag fell, Merrell was up to sixth 16 laps into the event.

The first caution came out on lap 16 for Terry Jones losing a motor, in which crew chief Mike Chaffee brought Merrell down pit road for fuel only. This set Merrell back outside of the top 10 as the leaders stayed out, though he was back up to fifth by lap 27.

Merrell stayed the rest of the day in positions sixth through eighth mostly, till the final restart where he got kicked back to 10th. 

“The race was pretty intense,” Merrell said. “We had a good Champion Brands Toyota Camry, we just couldn’t get lined up with the right partners at the end and it hurt us for a better finish. I continue to be thankful to Champion Brands, Nate (Thiesse, Win-Tron Racing, co-car owner), Kevin (Cywinski, Win-Tron Racing, co-car owner) for the opportunity to drive their race car. I hate that we didn’t get a win or another top-five but we’ve definitely had a good start to the season.”

Nate Thiesse, co-owner and backstretch spotter for Merrell, said that he was impressed with the performance.

“Matt continues to impress everyone at Win-Tron Racing," he said. "He does a magnificent job in the draft. He was able to come from the back to the front on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, we just ran out of time. This was our first race with Champion Brands aboard and we’re all happy with the results.”

For Chad Hackenbracht, the first race of the season at Daytona ended in a wreck, which makes this Friday's 3 Amigos 250 at Talladega SuperSpeedway more important to him.

“I’m ready to get back behind the wheel of a race car,” Hackenbracht said. “I cannot tell you the hard work that we’ve put into our superspeedway program over the last two months or so. We’re hoping that with the input of Rob and Kevin, we’ll find ourselves in contention for a good finish Friday afternoon.”

Following the wreck at Daytona, CGH Motorsports isn't sure about their approach to Talladega as they know they may need to be conservative.

“We haven’t really decided on an attack plan for Friday yet,” Hackenbracht said. “We know that we have to finish well to gain some ground in the point standings. There’s a lot that can happen in the race, but we can’t worry about that. We just need to go out there run our race and hope in the end everything falls into place.”

The New Philadelphia, Ohio native thinks he has a good shot, despite missing the test last month.

“We wanted to go and test, but we thought it over and just decided it wasn’t in our best interest,” he explained. “We’re not worried, our car should be fast and we’re looking good for the upcoming races, I just want to go out there and run well.”

The 19-year-old is riding on previous experience at Talladega as last year, he started 41st, stayed out of trouble, and finished 21st.

“I did a lot of learning last year,” Hackenbracht said. “We didn’t have the best piece, but we had a car that I was able to get in the group and draft; learn and finish the race. This year, we’ve stepped up our superspeedway program, so I’m looking forward to putting our CGH Motorsports machine in the lead pack and earning a top-10 finish.”

CGH Motorsports is actively seeking additional marketing partners for the full 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule. Single, multi and full-season placements are available on the team’s No. 58 entries. Interested parties are urged to contact Jordan Dahl at 570.234.5449 or jordan@cghmotorsports.com. 

The 3 Amigos 250 (94 laps / 250 miles) is the second of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 49th ever ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway is a two-day show. The event will take the green flag this Friday afternoon shortly after 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional live broadcasting available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. All times are local (Central).

For more information on Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports, please visit ChadHackenbracht.com and CGHMotorsports.com.

Connect with Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Chad Hackenbracht through Twitter at @ChadH58 or CGH Motorsports @CGH5858.