Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127953
.. Riders For Health's Day Of Champions By Bruce Scholten Photos by Martha Young-Scholten DONlNGTON PARK, ENGLAND,JULY2 hat does Mick Doohan think of Riders For Health? "It's quite im por tant for how they're work ing in Africa," the four-time World Cha mpion said at the annual Day Of Ch ampion s a t Donin gt on Park. "By the sound of it, they' re working mir acles down there. I haven' t been there to see it myself, bu t anything that benefits people in Africa is good for us in the long ru n." Dooh an had just emerged from his show-busi ness ba p tism with Max Biaggi in the "Mick & Max Show." The current Grand Prix King and chief pretender to the throne fielded fans' questions on the tightest points race in decades. Emcee John Price introduced them as "four-time SOOcc champion & four-time 250cc champion ... along wi th four-time 500 runner up Randy Marnola!" The good-humored Mamola sai d, "I don't thin k there's any othe r charity in th e wor ld u sin g m ot orcycl es to sa ve li ves." Mamola w ent o n to thank th e crowd "from the bottom of my heart" for ra is in g a n es ti ma te d $90 ,000 by th e end of Su nday's Brit is h GP, an d as ke d th em to co nta ct organ izers Andrea & Barr y Co le ma n (e-mail: r id ers @ d ial.pipex.com; websit e: h ttp :/ / www . rider s.org) because, as he pu t it, "I want Day Of Champions to go on!" . I After a day of wheelies, jumps and s tu n ts by th e lik es of Ga ry Rothwell, M att "K an garo o Kid " Co u lte r (w ho jumped 10 Mitsubishi four-w heel-drives with his a mazi ng quad ), Ju m p in' Jack Semtex and bu oyant Fion a Beale, hundreds of biking mothers and fath ers and kids purchased tickets for audie nces with GP royalty, held in th e ex h ibition hall before th e Day Of Champions au ctio n began at about 5:30 p.m. Fans asked Kenny Roberts abo u t the future of 500cc GPs - and his rumored switch from the Mod enas KR3 project to a Ducati World Supe rbike team . Kenny (whose golfing mate and RFH co foun de r, Barry Co leman, insists Roberts is shy ) was happy that fans ' questions were se rio us, not silly. Ru li ng ou t no options for the Roberts Group's future, Roberts said, "We can do both." Stars su m as Kenny Rober ts [r. , Carlos Checa and Simo n Crafar (Sunday's Cinderella winner on the WCM Red Bull Yam aha 500) also field ed fans' qu estions. Bu t Day O f Cha mpio ns '98 a tte n dees' jaws d ropped and they stood in- respec t as three- tim e 500cc World Cha m p ion Wayne Rainey rolled his wheelchai r onto th e stage . Ackn owl ed gin g th e cheers, Ra in ey protest ed : "We ' re just normal people. Thanks to the fans for makin g us famous, and thanks for corning to help the cause." _ Although his retirem ent from Team Rainey Yamaha had been announced , Rainey said, " I' m not gone forever - I'm jus t taking a year off to wa tch my son grow." Minutes la ter, at th e world-famous Day Of Champions auctio n, noted trainer Dean Miller d onated "the helmet Wayne Rainey took off the day he won his first World Champ ionship." Co llec to r Moh ammed Manzur ou tbid ot hers to claim the icon for $1500. Ma nzur also collec ts Formula O ne car memo rabilia such as the driving sui ts of Ayrton Senna an d Michael Schumacher. After paying a tota l of $12,000 for a racing suit of Doohan's, a nd the leather s Biaggi wo uld race in on Sunday, Manzur said, "These are two of the greatest riders ever. In collecting, you have to buy the ve ry to p . A nd th e money goes to an important cause ." Longti me Cycle N ews read ers ma y recall an "In the Wind" snippet from the mid -1980s, when Mamola, Roberts, and And rea and Barry Co lema n p lanned a circus-like eve nt in which fans an d stars toget her could raise money for motorcycle trai ning in Africa. Day Of Champions has lived up to the dream almos t every ' year since 1990 at beautiful Don ington Park (w it h its castl e across the vall ey, and a World War II Spitfire fighter plane mounted abov e the Old Hairpin). On ce aga in, the paddock and pit s welcomed the fans, wh o saw tuners Jerry Burgess and Erv Kanemot o, and stars ra ng ing fro m ex-500cc World Champion Barr y Sheene to Am er ican novice Matt Wait in the flesh. I~ (Top) Wayne Rainey was a popular guest at the Riders For Health 's Day Of Champions, held prior to the British Grand Prix at Donington Park in England. (Above) World Champion Max Biaggi's leathers were put on th e auction block at Donnington Park. Biaggi Is shown In the background, about to shake hands with Randy Mamo la (ri ght). Between them is Alex Criville. 51