Italian rider Marco Simoncelli was killed this weekend after a horrific crash at the Malaysian MotoGP.
Simoncelli, who rode for the San Carlo Honda team, lost control of his bike on lap two of the race and veered across the track into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. The 24-year old was struck by the riders and his helmet was knocked off in the impact. The race was immediately red flagged and subsequently cancelled when the extent of Simoncelli's injuries was discovered.
While I could never claim to know the man, I was lucky enough to spend a day with Marco just a few weeks ago and found him to be an absolute superstar, completely down to earth and not only a fantastic rider but also a great person to be around.
In the increasingly dull world of MotoGP, Simoncelli was a true character and will be missed by race fans the world over.