Rizla Suzuki pledge support for Australian bushfire auction

As their stars prepare for the Polini Grand Prix of Japan, Rizla Suzuki have nonetheless had time to indulge in some philanthropic activity to support a worthy cause. The MotoGP team have put a selection of exclusive memorabilia up for grabs as part of the Suzuki Victorian Bushfire Charity Auction, set up to help victims of last year’s natural disaster in Southern Australia.

Three ‘Rizla Suzuki MotoGP experiences’ are being offered, in which the winners will spend time with riders Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi. Suzuki's Australian star Vermeulen has also donated a pair of signed leathers that he used in preseason testing to the auction, whilst Suzuki Germany have donated a fairing panel from a GSX-R1000 MotoGP replica signed by both stars.

Bidding opens at 20.00hrs local time (10.00hrsGMT) on Thursday 23rd April, with five-minute intervals scheduled between each listing to make it easy for enthusiasts who want to bid on more than one item.The first item will close 10 days later, at 20.00hrs Australian time (10.00hrsGMT) on Sunday 3rd May, with the final item and auction scheduled to end at 22.15hrs Australian time (10.15hrsGMT).

"It was such an awful event that the least I can do is to put my support behind Suzuki Australia's auction to raise money for the Bushfire Appeal,” says Vermeulen of the auction.

“There were many terrible stories that we heard about the fires and if we can help in any way then we will. I think this is a great idea by the people at Suzuki Australia and they have put a lot of work into making this happen. I have donated some items to the auction and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has also put its weight behind the auction by supplying some amazing items for anyone to bid on. I hope it raises a lot of money to help those affected by the fires - I will certainly be keeping an eye on how much everything goes for!"