Motorsport: Inquiry to consider if Simoncelli was at fault

The post-mortem into Marco Simoncelli's fatal crash at Malaysia's Sepang MotoGP round last week will look into whether the charismatic Italian was the architect of his own demise.

You can't miss the spot where he died. Among the rubber scrawls that scar the exit to turn 11, a pair swing right then hook where the Honda's tyres gripped as Colin Edwards hit while hard on the brakes.

Wilting flowers mark the spot where fourth-placed Simoncelli lost control and cut across Edwards and Valentino Rossi. Simoncelli lost his helmet in the impact.

A fellow journalist saw the crash and says Simoncelli died on the tarmac; protected by bolsters, he was briefly unattended while marshalls cleared debris and awaited medics, who in their haste to cross the small wall separating them from the infield ambulance dropped his body - a carelessness unlikely had he been alive.

AGV will examine his helmet and Sepang its track and procedures. Dorna will no doubt look into what caused the crash, with aggressive rivals Simoncelli and Hector Barbera elbow-to-elbow after lap one. But had it taken a tougher line with riders seen as dangerous, it's possible Simoncelli would be alive today.

His flamboyant style made him popular with spectators but drew controversy. His first 250cc win, at Italy's Mugello on June 1, 2008 en route to the title, came after he leaned into Barbera at the end of the long straight.

The pair hit, Barbera crashed and Simoncelli escaped with a verbal warning from the MotoGP Riders Safety Commission.

Further controversy erupted in April 2011 at Estoril, when defending MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo - who had an on-track clash with the frizzy-haired Italian at Valencia in November 2010 - said: "I don't like the way he overtakes, he is too aggressive. I can't say anything negative about his speed, he is a very fast rider, a talented rider, but he is too aggressive and most riders think like me."

Then came the Dani Pedrosa crash at Le Mans in May this year while fighting for second which earned Simoncelli a ride-through penalty and criticism he cut across the other rider. Initially writing it off as 'a racing incident' he later admitted: "Overall, on reflection, I have realised where I have gone wrong and in the future I will try at certain times to evaluate the situation better and be a little more cautious."