• Public attend viewing in Coriano ahead of funeral
• Simoncelli died during Malaysian Grand Prix

Thousands of fans have queued to pay their final respects to the MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli during a public viewing in his hometown of Coriano in the province of Rimini.

Simoncelli died of chest, head and neck injuries on Sunday after he lost control of his Honda during the Malaysian Grand Prix and swerved across the track, straight into the path of the American rider Colin Edwards and the seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi.

Simoncelli's body was placed on show in an open coffin in a theatre before his burial. Behind the coffin were two motorcycles – one of them the bike he rode to victory in the 250cc championship in 2008.

Following the incident Gresini Racing withdrew their MotoGP and Moto2 teams from the season-ending races at Valencia.

"Everything happened so fast. I'm lost for words," said Fausto Gresini, the team manager. "Marco was spontaneous, he would always do what he thought, with a great heart and always radiant. I can't remember him getting angry even once.

"He was always honest with himself and with the others, a guy who loved challenges, and we, his team, were just an instrument to realise his dreams and to unleash his passion."