Rossi custom R1 to raise money for charity

A custom Yamaha R1 decorated in Valentino Rossi’s ‘Five Continents’ graphics is to be sold at auction to raise money for Riders for Health, the official MotoGP charity.

1972 Daytona 200 winner Don Emde, who launched US based fundraiser Friends of Riders for Health, led a team who customised the bike with thousands of dollars of aftermarket parts, all donated by the manufacturers.

New parts include Roland Sands aluminium wheels, an Akrapovic Evolution exhaust system, and Ohlins FGRT808 front suspension and TTX rear.

Don Emde said, “Riders for Health is the official charity of the MotoGP series and I am so appreciative of the support from everyone in the sport that were involved in the project.

“We did not want to rush the bike into an auction before we had a chance to give it wide exposure, so the exact auction date and location is not yet set.”

The bike, while presented as a track day bike, is also fully street legal. If you fancy bidding from the UK they hope to have a means in place when the date is set.

Emde said, “One thing I want to have in place would be the ability for anyone to bid on the machine, via online or some off-site methods. That would be something we would announce on the website, www.friendsofriders.org”

Pole Position Racing Service in Italy, which works with various MotoGP teams, created the AGV ‘Five Continents’ graphics for the project.