Just last week, IndyCar fans were shocked by the death of driver Dan Wheldon when a massive 15-car pileup during a race proved too damaging and killed the young star. Now, just 8 days later, we see another tragic death in racing – and this time it’s motorcyclist Marco Simoncelli.

At the MotoGP in Malaysia yesterday, 24-year-old Simoncelli slid from his bike during a turn and was hit by two other riders early in the race, in full view of his mother, father, and young girlfriend. According to the Daily Mail, he was taken by ambulance to a hospital nearby, but his injuries were two severe to save him.

From Simoncelli’s fellow Honda rider, Dani Pedrosa:

‘I’ve been with his father and all we could do was to hug, nothing else matters.

‘Everybody in the paddock remains in shock. Many times we ourselves forget how dangerous this sport can be and when you lose people on the way nothing has any meaning. It’s clear that we all do what we like, what we love, but on days like today nothing matters.’

With the recent death of Dan Wheldon and now this tragic accident, it’s hard not to wonder if sports like this are just plain too dangerous to continue. We’re sure that matters of safety will be considered after this horrific pair of deaths.

RIP Marco Simoncelli. See more images of the moment of the crash at TheDailyMail.