Kenny's cap raises $1500 for US relief effort.

The New York Fire Department baseball cap that reigning World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr wore on the podium at Valencia in September has been auctioned for $1500, with all proceeds going to the relief aid in America.

Roberts, who was touched by the tragic events on September 11, wore the cap in front of millions of television viewers when he took third place in the Valencia GP. He then put it up for auction on www.suzuki-racing.com asking that proceeds go to the relief effort and it received hundreds of bids.

Most of the bids were between $100 - $200, but a select few took the bidding above $1000. It was eventually won by Dale Pestes from Oregon, USA, with a bid of $1380. He later increased that to $1500.

He said: "I went down to the bank at lunchtime today and made the contribution to the American Red Cross Northwest Response Team. I decided to up my bid to $1,500 to make it a nice round number. It was a pleasure to be provided with this opportunity to do something for the relief effort.

"The cap is a really nice gesture by Kenny. Ultimately, for me, I've been looking at various interesting ways to make meaningful contributions to the effort, and this has provided a great avenue to do so. Thanks again for the opportunity."

Team Telefonica MoviStar Suzuki boss Garry Taylor said: "I would like to thank Dale for making such a generous bid for the cap and donating money to the relief effort in the US. We were all shocked by the events and hope this small gesture can help in someway."