Horrific crash kills Marco Simoncelli during the Malaysian Grand Prix

The Italian was treated by doctors for a long period of time, but despite their best efforts, he succumbed to his injuries. The MotoGP and motorsport fraternity is now in deep mourning, just days after Dan Wheldon's fatal IndyCar crash in Las Vegas.

Having qualified fifth fastest at Sepang, Simoncelli was fighting for fourth place when he lost control of his Honda machinery and veered into the path of his rivals. Rossi and Edwards did their best to avoid colliding, but instead ran into the 24-year-old.

Carmelo Ezpeleta (CEO of MotoGP rights holders Dorna Sports), called off the proposed restart when Simoncelli's condition was revealed as 'critical', before the Cattolica rider was pronounced dead.

Marco Simoncelli died of multiple injuries during this afternoon's Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, MotoGP's Medical Director Michele Macchiagodena has confirmed. The Italian, who lost control of his bike on the second lap of the race, suffered 'a very serious trauma to the head', as well as neck and chest complications.

"I’m very sad to be here to report about the death of Marco Simoncelli, a friend," Macchiagodena commented. "Because of the crash he had during the race, in which he was hit by other riders, he suffered a very serious trauma to the head, to the neck and the chest. When our medical staff got to him he was unconscious.

"In the ambulance because there was a cardiac arrest they started CPR (cardiac pulmonary resuscitation). Immediately in the Medical Centre, with the help also of the Doctor of our staff at the Clinica Mobile and local Doctors, he was intubated and it was possible to take off some blood from the thorax.

"The CPR was continued for 45 minutes because we tried to help him for as long as we thought it was possible. Unfortunately it was not possible to help him and at 4:56pm local time (BST +7) we had to declare he was dead."