£186,000 raised at Day of Champions
20 June 2008
The MotoGP paddock teamed up with thousands of race fans on Thursday 19th June to raise an incredible £186,000 (€235,965) for Riders for Health’s life saving work in Africa.
Once again the famous faces of the motorcycling world showed that they are generous as well as talented. Riders, teams, circuit officials and commentators gave up time from their hectic schedules to make the day a success.
This was the 18th Day of Champions and the event grows in popularity year on year. Tickets giving coveted access to the paddock and pit-lane areas sold out only one week after going on sale and there were a record number of advance bookings for infield tickets.
Thousands of eager fans poured in through the gates on the day. Two-hundred-and-seventy fans arrived on two wheels as they completed two laps of the MotoGP track, following a ride-in from Mallory Park. Participants were led by three-times British Superbike champion Niall Mackenzie and also enjoyed breakfast at The Victoria in Coalville.
Spectators flocked to the main stage for the Riders for Health MotoGP auction, which provided a spectacular finale to the day. The stars of MotoGP joined Eurosport’s Toby Moody and Julian Ryder, and Riders co-founder Randy Mamola, on stage for the traditional Riders for Health auction, with BBC presenter, Suzi Perry, joining the team on stage for the final GP rider of the day. The auction raised a fantastic £77,000 (€97,537) in just four hours.
Earlier in the day, the stars of the 125 and 250 championships proved to be a huge hit with the crowd, raising over £1,600 in their own auction hosted by Julian Ryder.
John Price kept the crowd entertained with an action-packed stage show throughout the day, with live music provided by two-times World Superbike champion and British MotoGP star James Toseland and his band Crash. Britain’s own JT also helped to raise an additional £5,500 when he joined 52 fundraisers in a sponsored cycle ride around the circuit.
The Question of Bikes quiz, on stage, was fiercely contested. This year a team from the general pubic pitted their wits against celebrities from the MotoGP paddock. They were all kept in order by commentators Steve Parrish and Keith Huewen.
Speaking to the crowd at the Day of Champions auction, Riders co-founder and CEO, Andrea Coleman, thanked everyone involved in the day, saying:
'Thank you to everyone for making Day of Champions such a successful day. The public, the paddock, including the teams and riders as well as Dorna, IRTA and Donington Park are making sure that Riders for Health change the lives of women and children across Africa. Thank you.'
To read all the stories from Day of Champions, click here.