MotoGP: No.58 retired in honour of Marco Simoncelli
Marco Simoncelli, who raced with the No.58 in MotoGP, lost his life at the 2011 Malaysian MotoGP race. As a mark of respect to the Italian grand prix rider, Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, has declared that the No.58 will be retired from MotoGP. In a ceremony at Misano, Ezpeleta stated that the No.58 now belongs to the Simoncelli family, and will hence only make a return to MotoGP, should they wish a specific rider to use it.
Paolo Simoncelli, father of Marco, was on hand at the event. It was announced that his team - SIC58 Squadra Corse - will now move from the FIM Junior World Championship to the Moto3 World Championship in 2017.
Simoncelli, who died at age 24, was a grand prix rider of great promise, had a total of 14 wins in the 250cc class, 2 wins in the 125cc class and 2 MotoGP podiums. Following his death, his home track was renamed Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.