Gresini unveils Marco Simoncelli MotoGP tribute livery for Misano
Gresini will run a special livery at the San Marino Grand Prix
The Gresini MotoGP squad has unveiled a striking tribute livery in honour of the late Marco Simoncelli for this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix.
Simoncelli made his MotoGP debut with the Gresini team when it ran Honda machinery in 2010, competing in two seasons for the outfit and scoring two podiums.
The Italian was tragically killed in an incident at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.
In 2012, the Misano World Circuit was renamed in Simoncelli’s honour, with Gresini paying tribute to its former rider with a special livery for Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix.
Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer will sport the colours that Simoncelli raced in 2010 and 2011, when Gresini was sponsored by San Carlo.
The livery was unveiled on Thursday evening at Misano in the presence of Marco Simoncelli’s late father Paolo.
In a statement, the team said: "Gresini30Seasons returns to Misano, and the tribute was as heartfelt as it was inevitable.
“This Sunday, the fairings of Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer’s bikes will pay full tribute to the machine that accompanied Marco Simoncelli during his tragically short MotoGP career.
“In the presence of Paolo Simoncelli, Carmelo and Carlos Ezpeleta, Aldo Drudi and the entire Gresini Racing Team led by Nadia Padovani, the liveries that will take to the track this Sunday were unveiled this afternoon.”
Simoncelli finished fourth in the 2011 San Marino Grand Prix held at Misano,
Gresini typically runs a special livery at the San Marino Grand Prix, as a nod to its late founder Fausto Gresini, who died in 2021.
Earlier this year, at the German Grand Prix, the team ran a livery in tribute to Sete Gibernau’s victory at the Sachsenring in 2003.
It is part of Gresini’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
Misano has been a happy hunting ground for Gresini in recent years, with Alex Marquez third last year at the San Marino Grand Prix.
In 2024, Marc Marquez won the San Marino Grand Prix, before finishing third in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix held at the same circuit.
The likes of Ducati’s factory team and the VR46 outfit typically sport one-off liveries for the Misano round.
