American fans raise thousands for Riders for Health

Thursday afternoon´s preliminary events at Laguna Seca ahead of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix included a Riders for Health auction attended by several MotoGP stars – which saw vital funds raised in support of the charity which assists and assures the delivery of medical supplies to impoverished parts of Africa.

A total of $28,300 was donated in the second annual event of its type, with a pair of tickets for Friday night´s exclusive Yamaha party at the Monterey Bay aquarium being auctioned off for $2,300 alone and 29 Laguna Seca `ride-in´ packages each sold for $500.

Premier class riders James Toseland, Toni Elias, Sylvain Guintoli, Randy de Puniet, Ben Spies, Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards and Marco Melandri all attended the event, with Melandri one of the stars of the show as he recounted details of his visit to Africa to see the work of Riders for Health in action.

The Italian commented on the effectiveness of the programme on the ground in Africa, where the provision and maintenance of motorcycles permits the crucial delivery of medicines to remote populations.