The body of Marco Simoncelli arrived at Fiumicino airport this Tuesday morning following the tragic accident that took the rising star's young life at the MotoGP race in Sepang last Sunday. Representatives of several sporting organizations—among them Gianni Petrucci, Secretary of the Italian National Olympic Committee and Paolo Sesti, President of the Italian Federation of Motorcycling—awaited the arrival of the casket, along with a crowd of fans who gathered in Rome airport facilities to greet the arrival with prolonged applause.

The late rider’s father, Paolo, and Marco Simoncelli's long time friend and compatriot, Valentino Rossi, traveled together on the same Alitalia flight from Kuala Lumpur with the fallen rider’s casket.

A public viewing of Simoncelli's body is planned for Wednesday in the city theatre of his hometown, Coriano, with the funeral scheduled for Thursday, October 27 at 3:00pm in the church of Santa Maria di Coriano. The Italian will be buried in the cemetery of this town, near Riccione, where he was born 24 years ago.