Category:
Racing
Created: 20 June 2008
Thursday, the start of the British MotoGP. There weren't any bikes out on track, but the now-famous Riders For Health charity event, Day of Champions was hugely popular with many MotoGP racers from various classes donating personal effects for auction to the crowd. Helmets belonging to Ben Spies (AMA Superbike Champion, standing in for injured Loris Capirossi) and Valentino Rossi were being auctioned off, going for two or three grand a time. The event over-all raised over £186,000 for the charity. Incredible!
Also happening on the day was a pre-event press-conference attended by the race favourites; James Toseland, Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi and Chris Vermeulen. Rossi as ever had a lot to say about the history of MotoGP at Donignton Park, how much he loves it and how he thinks things will go.
During the conference, a journalist asked James what he thought about the recent British press coverage claiming that Carl Foggarty had said he doesn't think James has it in him to win the GP. This caused a stir and James ended up looking at Rossi who was laughing, saying "Carl, who?!". James explained that he was, and still is good friends with Carl and that he knows Carl gets taken out of context and assumes he actually meant he would like to ask James about this, not accuse!
The paddock was still being set-up as well, with most team hospitality units already up but promotional pieces being erected. Rossi was mobbed by a few fans for autographs of various things, but nowhere on the scale of like how he would at Mugello for instance!
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Day Of Champions»
Press Conference
