Ex-F1 driver Andrea de Cesaris dies in motorbike accident - MotorSportsTalk

Former Formula 1 driver Andrea de Cesaris has died in a motorbike accident at the age of 55, a report in Italy has revealed.

As per the Roma Repubblica, de Ceseris died when riding his motorbike in Bufalotta, Rome on Sunday afternoon, colliding with the guard rail at high speed.

The Italian racer was one of the sport’s most experienced drivers, starting 208 grands prix across fourteen years for ten different teams.

De Cesaris held the obscure record of being the driver with the most race starts not to have claimed a grand prix victory, recording a best finish of second place in the 1983 German and South African Grands Prix. Having made his debut in 1980, the Italian eventually retired in 1994 following a journeyman’s career.

On the same day that the F1 paddock was rocked by Jules Bianchi’s accident during the final stages of the Japanese Grand Prix, this will come as a bitter blow to those within the sport’s community.

Following the news, many took to Twitter to pay tribute to de Cesaris, with McLaren and Ferrari confirming the news.

All at McLaren send condolences to ex-McLaren #F1 driver Andrea de Cesaris, who sadly passed away today. pic.twitter.com/iS4M4N6Hrt

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) October 5, 2014

RIP De Cesaris. Our thoughts are with the family of Andrea.

— Scuderia Ferrari (@InsideFerrari) October 5, 2014

More sad news with the passing of Andrea De Cesaris in a motorbike accident. — Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsF1) October 5, 2014

Sad to hear about Andrea de Cesaris, an underrated driver and real character who found a new life after F1 playing financial markets

— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) October 5, 2014

Follow @LukeSmithF1

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Read more about SuperMotocross