Moto2 rider Tomizawa killed in crash in Italy

I watched the Moto GP race but they said nothing. Its very sad news to wake up too.

I also saw it 1st in the morning on the news. Nasty accident, sad that he died but same time glad that the other riders are fine.

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2010/riders+reactions+tomizawa

Have a flick around on the international newspapers and you will find footage of the incident. A very nasty accident, but it is also a very dangerous sport.

"Moto2 also generates tremendous speeds and officials said they decided not to cancel the race due to the fear of other accidents if a red flag was suddenly shown."

Huh? That makes no sense whatsoever. The race SHOULD have been red flagged immediately as it was obvious he was seriously injured. They shoveled him and Scott Redding off in stretchers as if they were just pieces of debris. They even managed to drop Shoya-kun's stretcher in the gravel trap in their rush to get him out of the way. Totally unacceptable and almost exactly the same situation as Daijiro Kato seven years ago (no red flag then either).

While I doubt the final outcome would have changed, the simple fact that race-control blew it once again under pressure to keep the TV schedules from getting delayed has me thoroughly disgusted.

My thoughts are with Shoya's family (and Peter, who I've known for the past 6 years through contact with his father), the other riders involved and the racing community in general.

This has been a terrible week. :(

Its about time we ended this stupid and dangerous sport. Motorcycles should be banned.

Was watching that race live last night, that was a terrible accident. Bike racing is safer than it used to be, with better track design, helmets and suits, but that kind of accident where the rider comes off right in front of other bikes is always going to be a very dangerous situation.

Was also very surprised that the race was not stopped and the ambulance not sent out to start treatment immediately, instead of him being moved and carted off on a stretcher by the track marshalls. It was obvious on the replay that it was a serious situation, and the ambulance should have been used I think.

Condolences to his family.

This tragic accident was unfortunately unavoidable given the circumstances. Tomizawa was pushing himself too hard to try and stay ahead of the other two guys who were right on his tail. One cannot ask for motorcycle racing to be banned more than any other sport where rivals are neck and neck like this. Hopefully something will be learned from this which will make things safer for all concerned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XsKwjWxGxs

I saw it happen live yesterday. It was a horrific crash. I feel very empty and sad today. Shoya was a great rider and a very nice person. What I find to be really sad is that Shoya wore the yellow number 74 on the back of his leathers in tribute to another fallen Japanese rider Daijiro Kato who also died whilst racing at the Suzuka round of MotoGP in 2003 (also in the intermediate category - 250cc back then).

citizen12 -

Its about time we ended this stupid and dangerous sport. Motorcycles should be banned.

What are you talking about? No one forces a rider to ride. As a fellow motorcycle rider, I can tell you we ride out of love and passion. You are showing a total disrespect by calling our sport, passion and love affair stupid and dangerous.

Yes we all know it is dangerous, but unless you are a motorcyclist you will never understand the feeling or the passion. So please keep your insensitive remarks to yourself.

Its about time we ended this stupid and dangerous sport. Motorcycles should be banned.

Nonsense - no one is forced to ride a motorbike. If you think it's dangerous don't go on one but don't make lifestyle decisions for anyone other than yourself

"What I find to be really sad is that Shoya wore the yellow number 74 on the back of his leathers in tribute to another fallen Japanese rider Daijiro Kato who also died whilst racing at the Suzuka round of MotoGP in 2003 (also in the intermediate category - 250cc back then)."

Many of us still display Dai-chan's number. Top GP riders included.

Just to clarify, Daijiro was in his second year of Moto-GP and on the 990cc RC211V when he crashed. The previous year he rode the two-stroke NSR500 and was the 250cc world champion the year before that.

Not that it matters, but I met him several times and was at Suzuka the day that he crashed.

Again, the organizers are putting the riders at unnecessary risk by attempting to clear them from the track as if they are no more than debris. In Shoya's case, it appears it wouldn't have made a difference. He suffered extreme trauma to his heart and there was no way to revive him. Daijiro's case was different, a spinal injury and there is the obvious "possibility" that dragging him off the track quickly caused further damage that may have been avoided.

There is always a great risk in moving people until you can immobilize them and provide treatment on the scene. Totally unacceptable, especially given the fact that this is the pinnacle level of the sport. It's a given part time corner workers at a local event are not properly trained medics. But this is world championship racing.

@citizen12. Not worth comment other than to say I expected that kind of garbage to be spewed early on in this comment thread. Thanks for not disappointing...

RIP, Tomizawa. At least he died doing what he loved.

As for the race, and perhaps the sport, I think it's disgusting that it wasn't stopped immediately. I realize that you don't want to disappoint the paying audience, but come on! A guy died and others were injured, and if not for that then it should have been stopped for the safety of the other riders.

Just had a look at the comments on the BBC website, there are lot of people angry about the fact the race was not stopped and the way Tomizawa and Redding were just thrown onto stretchers and carried off the track (and dropped!).

As said above, because of the seriousness of the injuries it probably made no difference. But the marshalls and race control didn't know that at the time, and they should have been immobilized and then moved with much more care. Unbelievable to see basic medical procedures ignored like that.

Also unbelievable that in a case where a rider has been hit by another bike while down on the track that the race is not stopped immediately. That seems like something that should be automatic and not discretionary, I am surprised it is not.

R.I.P. Shoya. To do what they do, these guys have b@lls that I'd never have, no doubt about that, and when they crash at those speeds the result is often tragic. I agree with our Aussie champ Casey Stoner - the race should absolutely have been stopped. I guess he went out doing what he loved most - if that's even a small consolation for his folks.

Sad news, unfortunately riding a motorbike at those speeds can never be made safe, the extreme risk is inherent to the sport. Car racing and F1 in particular have made quantum leaps in safety. No F1 driver has been killed since Senna in '94. Even in one of the most horrific racing accidents ever 3 years back involving Robert Kubica he walked away with only a sprained ankle - thanks to the cocoon a modern F1 car provides. Moto GP riders hang out there an the edge of death every a race and nothing can ever make it safe. R.I.P

It is very telling that Dorna have already removed the YouTube video "due to a copyright claim" (posted earlier by Badsey)...

@Citizen12.

What a stupid knee-jerk answer.

A motorcyclist got killed in a tragic accident doing something he loved.

People die in all walks of life, at the last Winter Olympics a Luger died in an accident, shall we ban the luge too?

How about people who are crossing the street and get hit by a car, shall we also ban crossing the street becuase people might get killed and all live in a sterile sealed bubble?

Everything carries some danger to a degree, we try and minimise the risks as much as possible but accidents will always happen.

It's very sad day for MotoGP and my thoughts go out to Shoya's friends and family, he was a good rider who has had his career cut short.

Banning the sport would fly in the face of everything he loved.