MotoGP charity two wheels for life raises a record-setting €234,000 at GP of champions

Let me tell you, when the motorcycle community decides to show up, they really show up. That said, the official charity partner of MotoGP, Two Wheels for Life, just absolutely smashed their previous fundraising efforts by pulling in a record-setting €234,000 during the GP of Champions celebrations across the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Great Britain race weekend. These funds go straight toward vital healthcare transportation programs in The Gambia, Nigeria, Lesotho, and Malawi. Absolutely beautiful work for communities that truly need it.

Now, the action ran from Thursday August 6 to Sunday August 9, spreading out across multiple days under the new "GP of Champions" format introduced last year to replace the old "Day of Champions." Thursday kicked things off with 750 guests at a sold out MotoGP Experience Day at Silverstone. Fans got exclusive paddock access to rub shoulders with the riders and teams. Thursday also marked the opening of the helmet and leathers park for attendees traveling by motorcycle, running all the way through Sunday.

Friday brought even more intensity to the Fan Zone inside MotoGP’s Racing for the Future Truck with the Silverstone Challenge. Over 150 fans donated for a go on the MotoGP Simulator, where the fastest lap around the Silverstone circuit won a Sunday grid experience for two. When the smoke cleared, 16-year-old Kacper Dubanowski took the crown with a blistering 1.55:699 fast lap. Meanwhile, 10 lucky fans experienced a wild, top-speed pillion ride around the Silverstone circuit aboard a Ducati MotoEX2, piloted by Ducati test rider Franco Battaini and former Grand Prix racer Fonsi Nieto.

Then came the auctions, hosted on Friday and Saturday by MotoGP TV presenters Michael Hill, Suzi Perry, and Gavin Emmett. Riders from all MotoGP teams joined them on stage to greet the crowd, talk up the red-hot race to win the world championship, and sign exclusive memorabilia. The auctions alone hauled in €122k. The big-ticket items were insane: a Valencia MotoGP experience for the season finale went for €8.4k, a pair of tickets to the FIM Award Dinner in Malaga, Spain fetched €5.8k, a VR46 Team Experience for two pulled in €5.25, a signed Alex Marquez replica helmet brought in €4.9k alongside his boots at €4k, and a set of Barry Sheene replica championship leathers from Dainese sold for €3.6k. Sprint Grid passes at €3.3k and a MotoGP village experience at €2.9k rounded out the heavy hitters.