Assen Lorenzo/Simoncelli Crash
First there was the controversial crash at Le Mans that sent Dani Pedrosa to the pavement, breaking the Repsol Honda rider’s shoulder. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Marco Simoncelli apologized, saying he was sorry for the incident.
Then came Sunday’s Assen MotoGP crash. The Italian was too aggressive on the cold circuit, crashing on the first lap. During the wreck, he took out the reigning MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing). Both riders rejoined the grid, Lorenzo finishing sixth, Simoncelli 11th.
Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V MotoGP) says: “My first reaction when I came into the box after the race, as well as bitterness and disappointment, was that I had been a fool because I could have waited.
“I made a mistake and it cost me dearly as well as involuntarily taking Lorenzo down too. I was sorry for him but more than that I am was for myself because I had thrown away a big opportunity. It was probably my biggest mistake of the season, I have reflected a lot on it and it will help me to grow. Now I just want to look ahead to Mugello with calmness and motivation.”
The San Carlo Honda Gresini MotoGP team released a statement discussing the “mistake” that had cost Simoncelli dearly.
The MotoGP team says “It was possibly his first real error of the season and it involuntarily involved Jorge Lorenzo. The correct strategy would have been to wait and not doing so led to another potentially exciting race going up in tire smoke.”
The sophomore rider is now looking ahead to this weekend’s Mugello GP, Round 8 of the 2011 MotoGP Championship.
Marco Simoncelli says: “Everybody is expecting big things from me and I have to repay that faith with a positive result that will put recent history firmly behind us. I am fast, I have found a perfect feeling with the bike and I am extremely determined to prove it in a race.
“There will be a lot of fans packed around the hills of Mugello and I don’t want to, and cannot afford to, disappoint them. I love the track, it is one of my favourites and I won my first race here in 2008 in 250 before finishing second to Pasini in a great battle in 2009. I can’t wait to get back on track!”
