‘My Moto3 team keeps me alive’
Since losing his only son, Paolo Simoncelli has thrown himself into good works: establishing a Moto3 team and a humanitarian charity. “I like to keep the two well separated,” says Simoncelli. “Sic58 Squadra Corse allows me to follow my passion, to keep living those emotions that only the track can give you. But most of all, the team keeps me alive.” Simoncelli established Sic58 Squadra Corse soon after Marco’s death. The team contested the Italian Moto3 championship, then the Spanishbased Moto3 junior world series. In 2017 Sic58 moved into GPs, with Tony Arbolino and Tatsuki Suzuki. The next year Arbolino was replaced by Nicco Antonelli and in 2019 Simoncelli took his first GP win as a team boss at Jerez, where Antonelli and Suzuki finished first and second. Since then he’s won a further two GPs, both with Suzuki, who became like a second son, but moves to Leopard Honda for ’23. “We have helped some riders find their own way,” Simoncelli adds. “Some did it, like Arbolino, who is an artist on the bike. Then I had the luck to meet Tatsuki. We’ve done a great job together – me teaching, him listening. I get emotional when I watch him ride. Also, Nicco is special to me. He is the kindest guy, who deserves all the best that can happen to a rider. Now we have a new challenge with Lorenzo Fellon and another young rider.” Meanwhile the Fondazione Marco Simoncelli funds projects in Italy, Africa and the Caribbean. “The foundation helps us reflect on what life means for people who aren’t as lucky as we are,” says Simoncelli. “I want to thank all the people that believe in us, because it’s thanks to them that we’ve been able to create such amazing project. Seeing the smile of those kids and the light in their eyes is the best reward.”