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.
