Valentino Rossi: A Moving Revelation About Marco Simoncelli from His Father, Paolo

Nearly 15 years after the death of his son Marco Simoncelli in the tragic accident at the Sepang circuit, his father Paolo shared some memories and reflections in an interview with Fanpage.it. “It’s an immense pain; it suddenly changes your life from one moment to the next—it clearly throws you off balance. I have to say that having Martina, Marco’s sister, has helped us a great deal. And above all, the thing that has helped my wife and me the most is knowing that we did the right thing—to continue in the world of motorcycles.”

“We have no regrets—no real regrets. In the sense that we did… I went begging to find the money; we did everything necessary to make Marco happy. When Marco died, he was happy, because he was doing what he truly wanted more than anything else. And that… that’s what gave us our strength.”

The revelation about Valentino Rossi: “I believe they lived through their own story, and Marco considered him a friend; he cared deeply for him. Clearly, what happened and how it happened was difficult for him too, because, well, life is strange, after all. Incredible coincidences. Every now and then we talk, we see each other, we hug—he tells me he dreams about him sometimes. It happens to me too; it’s normal.”

“I have to say that Marco and Vale have always had a really great relationship. Later, there were a few comments when they arrived in MotoGP—since they were clearly competing against each other—but there was always respect. In fact, I’d say that at La Cava, the original track, they had a really great time, and Marco learned a tremendous amount during those moments. At first he got beaten, but after two or three times he was already battling with the leaders. So he was a quick learner. Then, after a few races, he and Vale would really go head-to-head in a no-holds-barred battle; I’d say they both enjoyed it, and it was truly one of the best moments of our sporting lives, in short.”