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Top finale brings MotoGP out of the shadows

The MotoGP finale looked like being a solemn affair, but became a glorious tribute to Marco Simoncelli's life, and an epic send-off for the unloved 800cc bikes, as Toby Moody explains

The final round of MotoGP 2011 had been dreaded by most in the paddock. And, arriving at a racetrack in the dark and leaving in the dark made it somehow fundamentally wrong. This is a summer sport.

The championship had been decided long ago, indeed in the first couple of races - try as Jorge Lorenzo might to knock Casey Stoner off the top of the standings - but moreover there was the memory of Marco Simoncelli still raw in people's minds. The loss of the fuzzy-haired Italian had hit the paddock hard. This is a collection of individuals who devote their summers and most of their winters to either assisting in, reporting on or promoting bikes going fast.

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