Marco Simoncelli was one of the fiercest (sometimes, too fierce) competitors on any Grand Prix grid. The Italian rider’s aggressive style didn’t rub ever rival the right way, but it achieved results nonetheless. Simoncelli put that grit to good use too, wrestling the 250cc Grand Prix title from current WSBK champ Alvaro Bautista in 2008.
When he moved up to the MotoGP class in 2010, he ruffled even more feathers with his overly-ambitious overtakes and relentless riding style. By 2011, though, he settled in, notching the first MotoGP podium of his career at the Czech Grand Prix. Just six rounds later, the Honda rider lost his life in a crash at the Malaysian GP. The 24-year-old rider may have perished in the incident, but his tenacious spirit came to define the SIC rule.
