Everyone who follows MotoGP knows Simoncelli. Not always a good performer, but often involved in great fights for position that was more interesting than what was going on at the 1, 2, and 3 spots.

I was watching MotoGP on Speed (or was it ESPN, I forget now) when Simoncelli got involved in a 3 bike wreck that killed him.

He will be sorely missed in MotoGP, and as a person.

So there must be a lesson here. I can't rememeber the last time someone died in MotoGP.

Racing leathers let you walk away from almost all lowsides, and the majority of high sides, in MotoGP racing. In this case, where impact was involved with other vehicles, the leathers did nothing to save his life. He could have been in jeans and the result would have been no different.

Leathers are for sliding, or bouncing off the front in a high side before you start to slide. They won't save you when you hit something, or something hits you.

His helmet came off early in the crash. (I didn't know they could if properly fastened.) The fatal injuries were head and neck injuries, I understand. -bg

if a helmet can't come off but it did, that right there might explain. Something had to give. If the helmet strap broke from the stress, that force was also applied to his neck. I have to think that amount of force on his neck would be fatal.

just like seat belts sometimes (often, actually) cause injury. most of the time those things save lives.

Airbag suits will be the norm some day. At least for race track use.

I don't actually follow the sport as much as I would like to but have a great admiration for all of the racers. RIP, Simoncelli.

Ya, geeze, just viewed the vid. it's on youtube, a few dif angles. He lowsided and just started to slide behind his bike. Two oponents came up on him hitting his body almost simultaneously. The second impact was on Marcos head. Looks like it was hammered between the bike and the tire of the bike that hit him. The helmet was torn right off. IDK the shell broke but the strap must have. the other rider that went down also took a bad blow to the head when he fell on Marco's bike but his helmet did not come off.

I also feel for the other rides involved in the crash. Bumping, impact, crashes, That is real racing sometimes. Still must be very hard to survive one of these things when someone else dies in the crash.

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/24/2011 @ 12:44 PM *

R.I.P. dude was fast!!!

is helmet came off early in the crash. (I didn't know they could if properly fastened.) The fatal injuries were head and neck injuries, I understand. -bg

I read a couple weeks ago about a guy in england who got T-boned by a deer, his helmet came right off and they actually found some deer fur in it. He was traveling at about 45 mph and walked away with broken ribs and punctured lungs. I'm not sure but I think helmets come off because of those removable pads. Aren't the straps attached to those? I will check when I get home!

Simoncelli also had internal bleeding in the torso area. He died at the hospital as they were trying to pump blood out of his lungs (probably) and resuscitate him.

Lost of people think of death as the only risk when they get on a bike, especially the ones riding in sandals and shorts. They know gear is not a life saver so they don't bother. I'm not afraid to die, especially if I can go like Simoncelli (without pain and agony). I gear up because I'm afraid I may survive and I don't wanna spend the remaining half of my life in a wheelchair drooling on myself or waiting for a skin graft.

* Last updated by: dragking on 10/25/2011 @ 11:24 AM *

I wear gear for the chance of low or high siding followed by a slide. Gear let me walk away from a bad one in 1992 when I threw my ZX11 away.

I don't expect my gear to do much more than that, besides keep me dry in the rain and more visible at night.

Interesting question about helmet straps, drag. My Schuberth C3 has straps which are anchored to the shell, and form a cradle web in the back tied into the very beefy chin strap.

Schuberth put a lot of work into making it so the C3 will not come off.

* Last updated by: privateer on 10/25/2011 @ 10:53 AM *

I may have been wrong. I couldn't remember if the straps came off when I wash my pads. I think my Arai and Shoei straps are also fastened to the shell. I don't get how the helmets come off with that system? The straps probably break where they are anchored to the shell. If you tie your straps tight to the chin like I do, your head follow your helmets and you can twist your neck, you have them loose, more chances for the helmet to come off. SCARY! In Simoncelli case, you have 200 lbs going at 60/80 mph add to that the force of a rotating tire...

Interesting fact: Mike Tyson (in his prime) punches travelled at 70/80 mph, a motorcycle or a CAR traveling at that speed...

Mike Tyson : 5 pounds (mass, his hand plus fudge for arm/shoulder/etc.) x 80 (velocity) = Force (ft.lbs) = 400 ft.lbs.

Car : 3,000 x 80 = 240,000

Motorcycle : 600 x 80 = 4,800

I'd much rather piss Tyson off and have him hit me, than the other two alternatives.

I saw a Discovery Channel documentary last year where a Chinese man who was a 5th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo (a "Perfect Master") hit a sensor with a front fist strike and the force read 1,200 ft.lbs. OMFG!

I wonder if all that hair prevented him from tightening the helmet enough. I don't think he would've done very well, even if the helmet stayed on. That was a nasty impact to the back of his head/neck/spine.

The second rider/opponent was V Rossi.... not that it makes any difference. just all the more remarkable.

Aren't the straps attached to those? I will check when I get home!

nope. Never took my Shoei apart yet but the icon, the straps are resined and riveted to the inside of the shell.

Privateer, on the master with the one tone punch, yah dude, we call this channeling chi, energy. I got hit once by a tenth dan, Peter Urban and it felt like he picked up a 30lbs dumbell and swatted me with it.