Fabrizio Pirovano tribute Yamaha R1 raises £24,000 for cancer research charity

Updated: 05 November 2020

The bike's colours pay tribute to the 1993 Estoril win

A one-off Yamaha R1 paying tribute to the late World Superbike racer, Fabrizio Pirovano, has been auctioned off online to raise money for a cancer research charity.

The bike sold to an anonymous bidder for €27,000 (about £24,000) which will be donated to cancer research charity Fondazione Oncologia Niguarda Onlus.

Based on the standard 2020 R1, the four-cylinder superbike was dressed in a set of pink, blue and white fairings in memory of Pirovano’s tenth and final WSB victory, back in 1993 at Estoril aboard a Yamaha YZF750 SP sharing the same livery. This was the last time the world championship had visited the Portuguese circuit before the 2020 season closer.

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Revealed as part of the 2020 race weekend, which took place between October 16 and 18, the bike was paraded around the track ahead of the second race by close friend and 1992 125GP world champion, Alessandro Gramigni.

Following this, the bike was auctioned off on eBay, with proceeds going to the Italian charity – who have been supported by Pirovano’s family since he passed away in 2016, following a battle with cancer.

The winning bidder – who wishes to remain anonymous – will now be able to decide whether they want it delivered in race trim, as it was in Estoril, or in fully road legal trim with the replica bodywork. Both the Akrapovič race exhaust and the Pirelli slick shod wheels will be supplied as a separate kit.

By Dan Sutherland

News Editor - I joined the MCN team straight from studying at the University of Sheffield, starting out as Acting Consumer Editor, before becoming the Senior Online Reporter, Senior Writer and more recently the News Editor. Although my first love will always be performance bikes and racing, I have a passion for all things two-wheeled. I did my Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) on my 16th birthday and passed my full test around a year later. I now cover around 20,000 road miles a year on motorcycles of all genres and in all weathers. I have also experienced elements of advanced rider training, tackled countless UK and international short circuits and achieved an ACU race licence to begin a fledgling competition career.

The bike's colours pay tribute to the 1993 Estoril win