Price set for fans to buy Valentino Rossi memorabilia to aid Valencia victims

Valentino Rossi has donated a signed helmet in aid of the Cruz Roja, the Spanish Red Cross, in its efforts to support the people of Valencia following the severe flooding that hit the region in late-October.

The helmet is an AGV Pista GP RR with the ‘Soleluna’ design specific to Rossi’s final season in MotoGP: 2021. It also features Rossi’s signature on the right-hand side.

There are 10 days remaining on the auction — hosted by CharityStars — at time of writing, with it set to close on 6 December at 20:00 GMT. The minimum bid is €3,000, or around £2,500.

Rossi is far from the first MotoGP rider, past or present, to lend assistance in some form to Valencia in the wake of last month’s floods.

2024 Moto3 World Champion David Alonso joined Aspar Team boss Jorge Martinez ‘Aspar’ in the clean-up effort in Valencia in early-November.

2023 Moto3 World Champion and current Moto2 rider Jaume Masia also helped with the clean-up, while Aprilia MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales donated the 2013 Calvo KTM he won the 2013 Moto3 title on to the same auction as Rossi’s helmet.

Other items included in the auction are a Dani Pedrosa KTM fairing, Aleix Espargaro’s paddock scooter, and the aforementioned Masia’s 2024 Preicanos Moto2 bike.