"The weekend that turned tragic...R.I.P Marco Simoncelli." - 2011 Malaysian MotoGP

Exarkun

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"The weekend that turned tragic...R.I.P Marco Simoncelli." - 2011 Malaysian MotoGP

This thread contains 83 photos. Please allow ample time for the photos to download.

This thread also contains my emotional account of the greatest tragedy Sepang International Circuit had ever seen. Took me a while to get the courage to write the essay.


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I admit I was never a big MotoGP fan. I barely know the riders and the teams participating in MotoGP. However, when the opportunity to shoot MotoGP for Sepang International Circuit as one of their official photographer came I couldn?t pass it up.

I was there to cover three days of MotoGP, Friday until Sunday, and on Friday I was a bit like a fish out of water, not knowing who to shoot, who to concentrate on and so on. Mind you I did cover the MotoGP Test Sessions earlier in February but that was a relaxed unorganized shoot. The riders went on and off the track as they please and there were no specific events and timings. I was free to shoot who and however I wanted to.

As the days went on during the week, I began to appreciate MotoGP. One thing that differs MotoGP and my all-time favourite motorsports, Formula 1, was that no matter how high you set the shutter speed, they always look dynamic and in-motion in the photos. You could snap them at 1/2000s and they still look like they are moving fast. Same shutter speeds for F1 and the cars will look like it?s parking on the track.

I also began to get a grasp on the sport. I now recognise riders and various important team personnel. I got a grasp on how MotoGP function.

MotoGP seems to be more accessible to the public compared to the high-security, high celebrity quotient of Formula 1. Formula 1 seems to be catered for the high and mighty, access to the drivers are only for the privileged few.

I was quickly becoming excited about MotoGP. Friday and Saturday were actually fun days for me.

Little did I know things would turn horribly tragic on Sunday?



FRIDAY, 21st October 2011

As usual, arrived at Sepang International Circuit early to collect my Media Pass.

#1. The Media Pass.
http://img51.imageshack.**/img51/8167/29955310150422030682238.jpg

I rushed to the Media Centre and set up quickly. I was already missing 125cc and Moto2 practice session and I didn?t want to miss MotoGP practice. Strapped on my gears, slather a generous amount of sun block, loaded up on water bottles and headed out to Turn 1 inside. Yes, that?s my usual go-to corner the first day of any event.


#2. Alvaro Bautista of Rizla Suzuki and Colin Edwards of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team heading out for practice.
http://img194.imageshack.**/img194/9168/2011motogp02.jpg


#3. Valentino Rossi of Ducati.
http://img705.imageshack.**/img705/4825/2011motogp06.jpg


#4. Dani Pedrosa of Repsol Honda Racing.
http://img41.imageshack.**/img41/3287/2011motogp08.jpg


#5. Newly crowned 2011 MotoGP Champion, Casey Stoner of Repsol Honda Team.
http://img197.imageshack.**/img197/6691/2011motogp10.jpg
 
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#6. AP Photographer taking a break.
http://img4.imageshack.**/img4/7447/2011motogp01.jpg


#7. Colin Edwards.
http://img707.imageshack.**/img707/1719/2011motogp03.jpg


#8. Ben Spies of Yamaha Factory Racing.
http://img833.imageshack.**/img833/7977/2011motogp05.jpg


#9. Loris Capirossi of Pramac Racing Team. Sepang was his penultimate race after decades in motorbike racing.
http://img857.imageshack.**/img857/3875/2011motogp09.jpg


#10. Valentino Rossi.
http://img405.imageshack.**/img405/8294/2011motogp07.jpg
 
#11. John Hopkins of Rizla Suzuki.
http://img41.imageshack.**/img41/4236/2011motogp04.jpg


#12. Katsuyuki Nakasuga of Yamaha Factory Racing bike on the trailer after crashing out. He's subbing for Jorge Lorenzo who was injured at the previous race.
http://img690.imageshack.**/img690/8593/2011motogp13.jpg


#13.Muhammad Farid Badrul Hisham, wildcard rider for 125cc category.
http://img267.imageshack.**/img267/7761/2011motogp12.jpg


I was tasked to shoot all catagories, 125cc, Moto2, MotoGP, MSS Superbike and MSS Superstock for SIC. But I?ll be posting MotoGP more than the rest.

After lunch I headed to other turns.


#14. Casey Stoner.
http://img607.imageshack.**/img607/9236/2011motogp15.jpg


#15. Karel Abraham of Cardion AB Motoracing.
http://img213.imageshack.**/img213/7849/2011motogp14.jpg
 
#16. Moto2 bikes after Turn 15.
http://img823.imageshack.**/img823/1742/2011motogp16.jpg


#17. Kenan Sofuoglu of Technomag-CIP Moto2 sliding off at Turn 15.
http://img4.imageshack.**/img4/9778/2011motogp17.jpg


#18. Aleix Espargaro of Pons HP 40.
http://img259.imageshack.**/img259/3053/2011motogp20.jpg


#19. Andrea Iannone of Speed Master
http://img6.imageshack.**/img6/6939/2011motogp19.jpg


#20. Yuki Takahashi of Gresini Racing Moto2 limping back to the pits after collecting grass somewhere.
http://img823.imageshack.**/img823/9199/2011motogp22.jpg
 
#21. Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah of Team Petronas Malaysia as Moto2 Wildcard.
http://img839.imageshack.**/img839/980/2011motogp18.jpg


#22. Jordi Torres of Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2.
http://img33.imageshack.**/img33/8118/2011motogp21.jpg


After the end of the all the practice session, I went back to the pit lane for the PitWalk Session.


#23. BMW 1 Series M Coupe and the BMW X6M as MotoGP safety cars.
http://img163.imageshack.**/img163/2923/2011motogp23.jpg


#24. The pitlane in the evening.
http://img97.imageshack.**/img97/3438/2011motogp24.jpg


I stayed on for a few hours and processed some pictures for SIC and then headed home to rest and prepare for Saturday.

To be continued?
 
SATURDAY, 22nd October 2011

Arrived early again (what else is new?) and decided to head to the Paddock gates and capture riders arrival.


#25. Hey, that?s not a rider. That?s Lauren Vickers, Randy De Puniet?s Playboy girlfriend.
http://img31.imageshack.**/img31/506/2011motogp25.jpg


#26. Randy De Puniet
http://img64.imageshack.**/img64/5011/2011motogp26.jpg


#27. Adriana Tuchyna, Casey Stoner?s pregnant wife. Stoner met Adriana Tuchyna from Adelaide when she approached him at Phillip Island in 2003 and asked him to sign her stomach. A relationship began in 2005 when she turned 16, and they were married in Adelaide on 6 January 2007.
http://img442.imageshack.**/img442/5228/2011motogp27.jpg


#28. Casey Stoner, father-to-be.
http://img713.imageshack.**/img713/8193/2011motogp28.jpg


#29. Randy Mamola, one of the most talented riders never to have won a world championship. He now tours with MotoGP to give rides to a selected few on the Ducati X2 bike.
http://img43.imageshack.**/img43/1116/2011motogp29.jpg
 
#30. Valentino Rossi arriving and quickly being swarmed by fans.
http://img831.imageshack.**/img831/2368/2011motogp30.jpg


#31. Marco Simoncelli of San Carlo Honda Gresini arriving with his trademark curly hair. Shot one day before the tragic day. He was getting more popular. Always cheerful, always has time for the fans, waves and smiles a lot to the cameras around him.
http://img585.imageshack.**/img585/586/2011motogp31.jpg


#32. Kate Fretti, Marco?s girlfriend/fianc?e.
http://img341.imageshack.**/img341/7918/2011motogp32.jpg


#33. Lovely lady of Cardion AB Racing.
http://img443.imageshack.**/img443/1659/2011motogp33.jpg
 
After I was done with the arrivals, I headed back to the Media Centre and offloaded the files to the laptop. Once all the cards are empty, I head back out for the morning practice sessions.

#34. Cal Crutchlow of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.
http://img580.imageshack.**/img580/7554/2011motogp34.jpg


#35. Hector Barbera of Mapre Aspar Team MotoGP
http://img838.imageshack.**/img838/9626/2011motogp35.jpg


#36. Ben Spies trying to stand up after crashing out at Turn 1.
http://img705.imageshack.**/img705/2253/2011motogp36.jpg


#37. Ben Spies? Yamaha YZR-M1 bike lying on gravel after the crash. It was this crash that made Ben Spies decide to withdraw from participating in the 2011 Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix.
http://img819.imageshack.**/img819/2472/2011motogp37.jpg


#38. Hahizh at Turn 8.
http://img62.imageshack.**/img62/6075/2011motogp38.jpg
 
#39. Moto2.
http://img849.imageshack.**/img849/3601/2011motogp39.jpg


#40.
http://img341.imageshack.**/img341/6011/2011motogp40.jpg


After the morning practice sessions, I walked back to the pitlane for the afternoon PitWalk.


#41. Team Petronas Malaysia posing for the press.
http://img213.imageshack.**/img213/1543/2011motogp41.jpg


#42. Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team pit garage.
http://img197.imageshack.**/img197/3907/2011motogp42.jpg


#43. ?Helllooooo??
http://img198.imageshack.**/img198/2201/2011motogp43.jpg


#44. ?HelllloooooooooooooooOOOoooo?
http://img522.imageshack.**/img522/9716/2011motogp44.jpg
 
Soon it was time for Qualifying. Took a quick lunch and head back out, this time deciding to station myself at Turn 2 Outside.

#45. 125cc Qualifying
http://img21.imageshack.**/img21/6146/2011motogp45.jpg


#46. Valentino Rossi leading Karel Abraham at Turn 1. (Picture #46 for bike #46. :-D )
http://img830.imageshack.**/img830/4798/2011motogp48.jpg


#47. Casey Stoner
http://img802.imageshack.**/img802/2070/2011motogp46.jpg


#48. Nicky Hayden of Ducati.
http://img4.imageshack.**/img4/3083/2011motogp47.jpg


#49. Karel Abraham leading Randy De Puniet.
http://img521.imageshack.**/img521/9549/2011motogp49.jpg
 
After spending almost an hour at Turn 2 outside, I decided to move to Turn 15 outside.

#50.
http://img85.imageshack.**/img85/3179/2011motogp50.jpg


#51. Rossi at Turn 15.
http://img838.imageshack.**/img838/5133/2011motogp51.jpg


When qualifying was over, I flagged a shuttle and head back to the Media Centre to process and prepare for Sunday.


#52. Managed to get a shot of Rossi meeting the press and fans from inside Media Centre.
http://img43.imageshack.**/img43/3861/2011motogp52.jpg


With that above shot I drove back home and prepared my gears for Sunday

To be continued...
 
SUNDAY, 23rd October 2011

Sunday. Final day of MotoGP weekend. It was already a gruelling 2 days before. I had one more day left. I was actually quite nervous on the way to Sepang. The schedule was tight, with little rest between races. We had to cover so many turns and get as many required shots as possible and that kind of intimidated me.

But it is Sunday. The last day. It should be a glorious day.

Or so I thought...


Again upon arriving I and the team plonked ourselves at the Paddock entrance and waited for the arrivals.

#53. Andrea Dovizioso of Repsol Honda Team.
http://img860.imageshack.**/img860/2413/2011motogp53.jpg


#54. Some jokers riding something we could not identify.
http://img37.imageshack.**/img37/9837/2011motogp54.jpg


#55. Karel Abraham.
http://img542.imageshack.**/img542/6888/2011motogp55.jpg


At this point I spotted Valentino Rossi arriving. Seeing that he?s always being swarmed by the fans the moment he steps through the gates, I decided to go up to him to get a nice closer shot of him. I abandoned the rest of my team and ran to the gates to position myself.

Alas, it was not Rossi that arrived but an old man wearing Rossi?s hat that I spotted from far.

#56. When I return to the guys they were laughing...HARD. :w
http://img444.imageshack.**/img444/1333/avi2721.jpg


I left the guys still laughing and rolling on the floor from the incident and head back to the Media Centre.


#57.
http://img72.imageshack.**/img72/9830/2011motogp56.jpg
 
Warm up was about to start and I need to top up my water supply and clear the memory cards.

After all that was done I went to Turn 4.

#58. Marco Simoncelli. Shot literally a few hours before his death. (Photo 58 for bike#58. No I didn't plan this. It just came about. Spooky.)
http://img401.imageshack.**/img401/1313/2011motogp59.jpg


#59.
http://img268.imageshack.**/img268/643/2011motogp58.jpg


#60.
http://img819.imageshack.**/img819/3633/2011motogp60.jpg


#61.
http://img607.imageshack.**/img607/5932/2011motogp61.jpg


#62. Nicky Hayden giving me a wheelie after the warm-up session.
http://img412.imageshack.**/img412/2151/2011motogp62.jpg
 
It was then time to cover the final PitWalk Session of the weekend. The crowd are expected to be busier than the previous days.


#63. Monster Yamaha Tech3 Girls.
http://img847.imageshack.**/img847/101/2011motogp63.jpg


#64. Giving out goodies to the fan.
http://img848.imageshack.**/img848/7739/2011motogp64.jpg


#65. Rizla Suzuki Girls.
http://img197.imageshack.**/img197/4663/2011motogp65.jpg


#66. Peggy Yong and Jane Kwan.
http://img217.imageshack.**/img217/7066/2011motogp66.jpg


#67. The AirAsia girls.
http://img26.imageshack.**/img26/7921/2011motogp67.jpg


After the final PitWalk Session, I went up to the Media Centre and discussed with head photographer on where I should be positioned. Others were assigned to various areas of the track. I was assigned to my ?specialty? area, the roof of the Paddock. He wanted panaromic shots of the crowd and crowd banners and reaction to the races.
 
With that I topped up my water and rechecked my gears and head up. I actually kind of glad to be on the roof. It was close to the Media Centre so if anything I can always run down should supplies get short. I was also looking forward to shoot the podium celebrations, champagne spray and all.

When it was time for the 125cc race to start, I head up to the roof.

#68. Panaromic shot of the main grandstand. Look at the dark clouds. Someone up there signalling something? It was also the highest attendance Sepang ever had. Look at the packed grandstand!
http://img198.imageshack.**/img198/2789/panorama1z.jpg


#69.
http://img819.imageshack.**/img819/5882/2011motogp68.jpg


#70. Panaromic shot K1 grandstand for the start of Moto2 race.
http://img525.imageshack.**/img525/8514/panorama2ws.jpg


#71. Moto2 Winners.
http://img14.imageshack.**/img14/9344/2011motogp69.jpg


#72. Moto2 riders spraying Ginny Gan. Poor girl. Hehe..
http://img43.imageshack.**/img43/1231/2011motogp70.jpg
 
After the end of Moto2 race, the crowd got more and more excited. The main event, MotoGP race was about to start. The grandstand was filling up. The atmosphere was lively and electric. I myself was excited to capture my first MotoGP race as one of SIC photographers.

I camped right near the start line of the track to ensure I get a good shot of the start and the finish of the race. The roof itself was getting crowded and I made sure my spot was not taken by plonking my fat butt down.

#73. With Lorenzo and Spies not racing, the Yamaha Team only need to prepare Katsuyuki Nakasuga?s bike.
http://img833.imageshack.**/img833/1521/2011motogp71.jpg


#74. I heard they come to the race dressed like this every year for years already.
http://img338.imageshack.**/img338/7428/2011motogp72.jpg


The bikes began firing up and I quickly stationed myself for the start.

#75. Valentino Rossi adjusting his leather while heading out of the pitlane. Moments later he will run over his best friend, Marco Simoncelli on the neck and head? in what can be considered the freakiest accident MotoGP had ever witnessed.
http://img607.imageshack.**/img607/729/2011motogp73.jpg


#76. MotoGP Race is a go!! The image below was the final time I caught Marco Simoncelli on my camera.
http://img6.imageshack.**/img6/4263/2011motogp74.jpg
 
After what was like 2 laps, the riders all came in to the pits and dismounted. Being on the roof and facing the main grandstand, I had no idea an incident had happened at Turn 11. Many on the roof were also clueless and began asking everyone around what happened. Some speculated that the riders noticed rain drops and were telling the officials that they needed to come in and change to wet tyres. After like 20 minutes of inactivity everyone on the roof suspected something else was amiss.

What was worse, I couldn?t call out and check with the others in the team what had happened. Somehow the mobile lines were jammed and I had difficulty dialling out. Little did I know that everyone else in SIC were calling and messaging their friends and family regarding the incident at Turn 11 which until that point I had no idea about.

When I finally managed to get to one of the team in Perdana Suite, I quickly and jokingly told him:

Me: ?Woi, please get me a bottle of ice-cold mineral water from the Perdana Suite. Thirsty as hell.?

Friend: ?I?m at the Medical Centre. Simoncelli crashed badly and looks like he?s not going to make it.?

Me: ??.?

With that I hung up and began staring at the crowd. Some were getting anxious. Some were leaving. Some were getting angry.

When it was announced that the race was cancelled, the crowd at the main grandstand were upset and grew hostile. A lot of them threw their rubbish onto the track. Pizza boxes, water bottles, plastic bags were all chucked over the fence and onto the track.

They were upset. The announcement did not mention why the race was cancelled just that it was.

After slowly recovering from the cold chill I had down my spine I slowly walked back down to the media centre.

#77. The rubbish on the track.
http://img543.imageshack.**/img543/7578/2011motogp75.jpg


The Media Centre was too quiet. Nobody talked. Everyone was either hunkered down at their laptops or looking anxiously at the monitors above us.

One by one members of the team came back, put down their gears and sat down looking white in the face. Slowly the chatter started rising. Photographers, local and foreign asked each other whether they got shots of the crash. Nope. No one did.

Why?

Because the crashed happened at Turn 11, a turn not normally frequent by photographers due to the unattractive background and angle it present. No one was there for the shot. No One.

Slowly it surfaced that some spectators caught the crash or the aftermath of the crash from the grandstand.

#78. Paolo Simoncelli going to his son. (Shot by spectator from the back grandstand).
http://img259.imageshack.**/img259/1613/38431310150346038132761.jpg


The shot above was heartbreaking. Many of us welled up when we saw the shot.

Then it was announced in the Media Centre than Marco Simoncelli, the 24 year old cheerful and colourful rider from Italy had died from his injuries. At that moment the Media Centre turned ghostly silent?
 
#79. Press conference announcing Marco Simoncelli?s death.
http://img859.imageshack.**/img859/9674/2011motogp78.jpg


#80. Medical Director Michele Macchiagodena said that Simoncelli had sustained "a very serious trauma to the head, to the neck and the chest", and was administered CPR for 45 minutes.
http://img36.imageshack.**/img36/8040/2011motogp77.jpg


After the press conference, I left the room with shaking and trembling hands. I had never been this close to a death before. This was also the first death to occur at Sepang International Circuit.

#81. A distraught Mirco Lazarri in Media Centre. *Blurry due to my trembling hands, fighting back my own emotion*
http://img64.imageshack.**/img64/7064/2011motogp76.jpg


I couldn't take anymore grieving shots after taking this one. I have the utmost RESPECT to the press and other photographers who are able to continue shooting and reporting that day.

I wanted to go to the medical centre and take pictures of Simoncelli's family grieving but I know I would have gotten too emotional and cry along with them. I ended up shooting the press conference but even then I welled up behind my camera when I saw how red the Medical Director's eyes were...

We all went back to our laptops and silently processed the photos for SIC.

Before long we all finished and said our goodbyes and left the track. I drove slowly and silently, without any music playing in the car, replaying the day. Before I knew it, I had arrived home.

Took out my gears and stored it. Took out the laptop and transferred all the photos to my main laptop.

I then slowly went through the shots I had that day, but without really paying attention to any particular photo.

Then I arrived at this photo.

#82. Marco Simoncelli waving at me after one of the practice session.
http://img338.imageshack.**/img338/5143/2011motogp11.jpg

It was at this photo that I stopped.


I couldn?t see anything anymore?


I couldn?t see the screen?


I was crying?



THE END.
 
Thanks for the write up and the beautiful pictures. It's a terrible shame that your first MotoGP experience had to end in tragedy. RIP Marco :( I hope the accident doesn't put you off MotoGP as it's a great sport full of characters and you clearly have an eye for motorsport photography. :)
 
Wow, what a terrible tragedy.

Amazing shots; I really felt the emotion in all of your pictures.
 
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