Marco Simoncelli's father calls for 'minute of noise' in tribute to his son

Marco Simoncelli's father calls for 'minute of noise' in tribute to his son

Marco Simoncelli's father Paolo has requested that a 'minute of noise' is held during this weekend's Valencia Grand Prix in memory of his son, rather than the traditional minute's silence.

Simoncelli died when he crashed on lap two of the Malaysian Grand Prix and was struck by the following bikes of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. His funeral took place in Coriano last Thursday.

"Next Sunday during the Valencia GP, instead of there being a minute's silence to honour Marco, I would prefer that there was a minute of total chaos with all the engines of the bikes of MotoGP, Moto2 and 125 all on and roaring together," Gazzetto dello Sport quotes Paolo Simoncelli as saying during an interview on television programme Domenica Cinque.

Simoncelli's father added that he continued to be comforted by the affection shown by fans and colleagues in the wake of his son's death.

"People have come from all over Italy and from abroad to say goodbye to Marco," he said. "They cry and it's me that has to console then. Sometimes I think that Marco was an angel. All this affection makes me feel better and it is helping all of us. I think that the key to all this affection is his smile."