Now all the figures have been totted up we can annouced that an amazing was £246,000 was raised on Thursday, rising to £271,000 by the end of the 2024 Monster Energy Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone.
The annual event, held on the Thursday of the British Grand Prix, brings fans up close to their heroes. As usual it all began early on Thursday morning with the Day of Champions Ride In, which saw 150 riders join former GP riders Niall Mackenzie and Randy Mamola ride to Silverstone, the Super Sausage Café before being led on a lap of the 3.6 mile circuit.
Niall Mackenzie and Randy Mamola lead the traditional Day of Champions Ride In. Photo by Nathan Turner at Fresh Focus.
At the famous Day of Champions auction, every rider from the MotoGP™️ grid joined hosts Michael Hill, Suzi Perry and Gavin Emmett on stage where they offered a unique selection of money-can’t-buy experiences and memorabilia donated by the MotoGP™️ paddock community and friends of Two Wheels for Life. A roaring success, the on-stage event alone raised £80,000 on Thursday evening.
A unique offering of VIP tickets to the end of season FIM gala dinner sold for an incredible £4,400, which will see the winning bidder rub shoulders with all the motorcycle world champions from all disciplines at the end of the year.
Six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Márquez kindly donated a signed race helmet, which raised £4,200 with the buyer able to meet Marc himself backstage as he personally handed over the lot before posing for a photograph.
Top: Marc Marquez shows off the helmet that raised £4,200 at the Day of Champions 2024 auction. Bottom: The helmet up close. Photos by Clive Challinor.
Highlighting the type of rare and exclusive opportunities on offer at the Day of Champions auction, three winners were able to purchase the chance to be on the MotoGP™️ grid for the build-up of either the Tissot Sprint or Sunday’s Grand Prix – with these experiences collectively raising over £11,300.
Triumph Motorcycles donated the crankshaft from one of US star Joe Roberts’ Moto2 machine, presented beautifully in a bespoke presentation case, which sold for £3,000. Money can’t usually buy an experience on Ducati’s MotoX2 two-seater, but with a ride for Friday donated to the auction, one lucky fan will jump on the back of the electric machines having paid £3,000 for the experience.
Other top-grossing items included a special, 75th Anniversary of MotoGP™️ Michelin tyre signed by the whole MotoGP grid, which brought in £2,400, a bespoke Two Wheels for Life Oil Drum Seat also raised £2,400.
Joe Roberts auctions the crank shaft, generously donated by Triumph motorcycles, from his Moto2 engine. Photo by Clive Challinor.
One MotoGP™️ fan will be rubbing shoulders with the podium finishers on Sunday in the post-race press conference, having won the bidding with a donation of £2,200.
A fantastic £26,000 was raised by a second Two Wheels auction on stage on Friday evening. And Ducati UK again supported Two Wheels for Life at their Thursday MotoGP™️ dinner hosted by TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson and with appearances from Pecco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin and Franco Morbidelli. This event raised over £11,500 for the charity, taking the total raised by auctions at this year’s Grand Prix to over £110,000.
A fantastic £120,000 was raised through ticket sales for the event, including Thursday paddock passes which this year included the chance to see the unveiling of the stunning 75th Anniversary retro liveries.
Fabio Quartararo looking cool with the custom livery designed to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of MotoGP. Photo by Nathan Turner at Fresh Focus.
More fundaiasing took to take place over the remainder of the Grand Prix weekend including the MotoEX2 pillion ride, a raffle, and with donations added the £271,000 total was the icing on the cake of another wonderful British GP weekend!
Two Wheels for Life CEO and founder Andrea Coleman said:
“All of us at Two Wheels for Life would like to thank everybody who came to Day of Champions and who got involved over the weekend. We are so grateful to Dorna, the teams and riders who bring incredible items as well as their energy and enthusiasm to the auctions. We are very proud of this sport and its fans, and the money raised will have such an impact on the world.”
Young Alex and Marc Marquez fans don’t let a spot of rain put them off the Day of Champions auction. Photo by Nathan Turner at Fresh Focus.
“All of us at Two Wheels for Life would like to thank everybody who came to Day of Champions and who got involved over the weekend. We are so grateful to Dorna, the teams and riders who bring incredible items as well as their energy and enthusiasm to the auctions. We are very proud of this sport and its fans, and the money raised will have such an impact on the world.”
“All of us at Two Wheels for Life would like to thank everybody who came to Day of Champions and who got involved over the weekend. We are so grateful to Dorna, the teams and riders who bring incredible items as well as their energy and enthusiasm to the auctions. We are very proud of this sport and its fans, and the money raised will have such an impact on the world.”
