Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli died of head and chest injuries due to the accident at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit on Sunday.

Selangor police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said this was based on the post-mortem findings at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

The case, he said, had been classified as sudden death.

The body was claimed by his father, Paolo, who made preparations to fly it home yesterday.

Italian Ambassador to Malaysia Folco de Luca Gabrielli and embassy officials sought the assistance of Wisma Putra to expedite the release of Simoncelli's body for burial at his hometown in Cattolica, near Misano Adriatico, Italy.

Simoncelli's mother, Rossella, and girlfriend, Kate, who witnessed the horrific crash with Paolo, accompanied the body on the Malaysia Airlines flight for Rome last night.

The news of Simoncelli's death was splashed all across Italy as he was a rising star in the sport. Hundreds of bouquets were placed under his race number "58" at a square in Cattolica to mourn his death.

Sic, as he was popularly known, was the 2008 250cc world champion.

The Italian, who was 24 when he died, broke into the racing scene as a 9-year-old when he finished second in the Italian Minimoto Championship. Simoncelli went on to win the European 125cc championship on an Aprilia in 2002.

In 2008, he won the 250cc World Championship after a successful season with Gilera with a third place finish in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

Media reports stated that the Italian lost control of his Honda at turn 11, four minutes into the race, and swerved across the track, straight into the path of American Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi of Italy.

Marco Simoncelli had some very dedicated fans, something you normally only see with Valentino Rossi or Casey Stoner....

Valentino Rossi shows respect for Marco Simoncelli at MotoGP Valencia. Picture is Valentino's bus