Marco Simoncelli's number 58 retired from MotoGP
The number 58 used by Marco Simoncelli has been formally retired by MotoGP on the eve of what was his home race, the San Marino Grand Prix
A 250cc world champion, Simoncelli lost his life aged 24 following an accident in the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix while racing a Gresini Honda.
Other than by close friend and fellow Italian Loris Capirossi in his final race at Valencia a fortnight after Simoncelli's death, the 58 has not featured in the premier class since.
However it has been used in Moto3 since 2012 by Spanish rider Juan Francisco Guevara.
In a ceremony on Thursday at Misano - renamed to Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to honour the rider who grew up nearby in the Rimini region - the 58 was officially retired.
Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said "his number from now belongs to the Simoncelli family".
The 48 and 74 numbers were also retired after the deaths of Shoya Tomizawa in 2010 and Daijiro Kato in '03 after accidents.
Other retired numbers in MotoGP include Kevin Schwantz's 34 and Capirossi's 65 to recognise their contributions to motorcycle grand prix racing.
It was also announced that the team of Simoncelli's father, Paolo Simoncelli, will enter Moto3 in 2017.
Share Or Save This Story
Suzuki didn't see its tough start to 2017 MotoGP season coming
Miller sick of Honda MotoGP bike's continued acceleration deficit
The winners and losers of MotoGP's reshuffle
Nicky Hayden: Remembering motorsport's much-loved "one-off" five years on
Morbidelli/Rossi relationship won’t change as MotoGP team-mates
Why Alex Marquez doesn't care about 'shutting up' MotoGP critics
Why nationality should be 'no factor' as Haas considers Fornaroli and Camara for F1 2027
F1 drivers raise concerns over 'self-learning' power units – what's going on?
What is holding back Bagnaia in MotoGP 2026?
Why the 2026 F1 cars suit Antonelli's driving style more than Russell
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments