U2 Bono's Ducati Motorcycle Sells
at NEC Bike Show Auction For £11,500
 A
rare Ducati 916 motorcycle, owned by U2 front-man
Bono, has sold at auction at the International Motorcycle
and Scooter Show, raising £11,500 for the charity
Riders for Health. The stunning Ducati has a truly
star-studded history having belonged to three of the
biggest names in rock music not only Bono but also
the late INXS front-man Michael Hutchence and fellow
U2 member Adam Clayton.
Bono, a leading campaigner for Africa
since the 1980s, donated the motorcycle to Riders
for Health to raise money to help health workers in
Africa reach rural villages with essential healthcare.
He signed the tank of the bike with a touching personal
message in memory of his late friend, Michael Hutchence,
putting For Michael, Bono.
The sale of the Ducati came at the culmination of
an exciting auction which took place on the Blackhorse
Stage at the International Motorcycle and Scooter
Show at Birmingham's NEC. In total, close to £20,000
was raised for charity through the sale of a series
of incredible pieces of one-off motorcycling memorabilia.
During a frenetic hour's bidding the lots sold included
a one-off race helmet signed by a host of motor racing
legends including Lewis Hamilton, Damon Hill, Stirling
Moss and Carl Fogarty, and a set of biking leathers
signed by MotoGP star John Hopkins.
Finlay McAllan, Managing Director of
MCIE, organisers of the NEC Bike Show was delighted
by the success of the auction:
I am really delighted that Riders for
Health chose the NEC Bike Show as the location for
this historic auction. It has been a great success
both for Riders and for the Show with thousands packing
in and around the Blackhorse Stage to watch the bidding
and help raise money for a great cause.
Riders' CEO, Andrea Coleman, said:
It's fantastic that we have been able
to raise this much money for our work. Riders for
Health is helping save lives in Africa because of
the support of British bikers, we simply couldn't
do this work without their support. We would also
like to thank the NEC Bike show, as well as Arai,
Shark, Alpinestar and all of the riders that donated
lots to the auction.
All the proceeds from the auction will
go to help support the work of the award winning UK
based charity, Riders for Health. Riders trains African
health workers in motorcycle riding and maintenance,
enabling them to reach remote villages with the kind
of regular, reliable healthcare we take for granted.
Riders makes sure health workers have access to properly
managed vehicles that never break down so they can
deliver healthcare day in, day out. The charity has
programmes in Zimbabwe, The Gambia, Nigeria, Kenya
and Tanzania. Riders for Health currently reaches
almost 11 million people in Africa. The money raised
in the auction will help to support Riders' goal of
reaching an extra 10 million people by the end of
2008.
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