Mourning Shoya Tomizawa - Tragic accident overshadows Moto2 Race in San Marino

Spanish Suter MMX rider Julian Simon scored a hard-fought second place at the San Marino Grand Prix in the Moto2 category, but this success for Suter Racing Technology with six riders within the top ten was overshadowed by a tragic accident.

On the twelfth of 26 laps, Shoya Tomizawa lost control of his Suter-MMX at the exit of a highspeed corner, and was hit by Alex de Angelis and Scott Redding who were following very closely and didn’t have a chance to avoid the impact.

The 19-year-old Japanese winner of the season-opening Grand Prix in Qatar suffered severe chest injuries and sadly was declared dead when all re-animation efforts at the trackside medical centre and later in the hospital of Riccione failed.

“Shoya was more than a friend. He was like a family member to us - kind-hearted, nice and friendly. He was loved by everybody in the paddock, and I am terribly sorry for his family and his team who suffered this tragic loss”, said Eskil Suter, CEO of Suter Racing Technology. “I also feel sorry for De Angelis and our rider Scott Redding. After the initial suspicion of a fractured pelvis, Scott was cleared of serious injuries, but mentally, he is completely shattered even though nothing that happened was his fault. Today was a sad reminder that racing remains dangerous despite all improvements in track safety.”

Everyone from Suter Racing would like to express their deepest condolences to Shoya Tomizawa's family, his friends and the team at this tragic loss. Our thoughts are with them.