The 2024 Day of Champions at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix was once again a huge success with the event raising a fantastic £246,000 for Two Wheels for Life.
The annual event, held on the Thursday of the British Grand Prix, began with the traditional Ride In, which saw 150 drivers join former GP stars Niall Mackenzie and Randy Mamola as they headed to Silverstone via the Super Sausage Café before being led on a lap of the 3.6-mile circuit.
The famous ‘Day of Champions’ auction saw all the riders on the MotoGP™ grid join hosts Michael Hill, Suzi Perry and Gavin Emmett on stage, offering a unique selection of priceless experiences and memorabilia donated by the MotoGP™ paddock community and friends of Two Wheels for Life. The event was a huge success, raising £80,000 on Thursday night.
A one-off offer of VIP tickets to the FIM end-of-season Gala Dinner has sold for an incredible £4,400. The highest bidder will stand shoulder to shoulder with all the motorcycle world champions from all disciplines at the end of the year.
Six-time MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez kindly donated a signed racing helmet which raised £4,200. The buyer was able to meet the eight-time World Champion in person backstage as he handed the item over to him before posing for a photograph.
As an example of the rare and exclusive opportunities on offer at the Day of Champions auction, three winners were able to win the chance to be on the MotoGP™ grid ahead of Sunday’s Tissot Sprint or Grand Prix, with these experiences raising a total of over £11,300.
Triumph Motorcycles kindly donated the crankshaft from one of US star Joe Roberts’ Moto2™ machines, which was beautifully presented in a bespoke presentation box and sold for £3,000. Money can’t normally buy an experience on Ducati’s MotoX2 two-seater, but with a ride for Friday donated to the auction, one lucky fan jumped on the back seat of the electric machine and paid £3,000 for the experience.
Other top-selling items included a special MotoGP™ 75th Anniversary Michelin tyre, signed by the entire MotoGP™ grid, which raised £2,400, and a bespoke oil drum seat from Two Wheels for Life, which also raised £2,400.
A MotoGP™ fan stood side by side with the winners on the podium at the post-race press conference and won the auction with a donation of £2,200.
A second Two Wheels auction on stage on Friday night raised a fantastic £26,000.
And Ducati UK once again supported Two Wheels for Life at their MotoGP™ dinner on Thursday, hosted by Neil Hodgson of TNT Sports and featuring performances by Pecco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin and Franco Morbidelli. The event raised over £11,500 for the cause, bringing the total auction proceeds at this year’s Grand Prix to over £110,000.
A further £120,000 was raised through ticket sales for the event, including Thursday paddock passes, which this year included the chance to attend the unveiling of the stunning 75th Anniversary retro liveries.
With donations raised during the remainder of the Grand Prix still being tallied, it is hoped that the weekend’s total will rise towards £250,000 to mark another hugely successful Day of Champions event.
Andrea Coleman, CEO and Founder of Two Wheels for Life, said: “All of us at Two Wheels for Life would like to thank everyone who came to the Day of Champions and got involved over the weekend. We are so grateful to Dorna, the teams and riders who bring incredible items and their energy and enthusiasm to the auctions. We are very proud of this sport and its fans and the money raised will have a huge impact on the world.”
