Former motocross World Champion Jamie Dobb and MotoGP World Champion Kevin Schwantz are preparing for the ride of their life’s this autumn, as they lead a peloton of famous fellow riders and friends on a mammoth 1600km bicycle journey from Donington Park in the UK to the Marco Simoncelli Circuit at Misano, Italy, in memory of the late MotoGP star.
The herculean ride will commence with a lap of the East Midlands circuit shortly before the British Superbike round there on 9th September and conclude just four days later on the eve of the San Marino Grand Prix amidst the company of a host of MotoGP paddock regulars and riders, who will join the twelve-man team on the final 10km stretch from Simoncelli’s home town of Coriano to the circuit named in his honour.
Amongst the team taking part in legs of the ride alongside Dobb will be current Grand Prix riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith, BBC MotoGP presenter Matt Roberts and former AMA Supercross star Jimmy Button, whose charity Road 2 Recovery will be one of several organisations to benefit from the effort as well as the Marco Simoncelli Foundation.
A close colleague and friend of Simoncelli and his family, Dobb says that he was eager to organise a grand gesture in honour of the popular rider, who succumbed to injuries sustained at the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Sepang last October.
“I was talking with friends from my daughter’s school because we wanted to do something together for charity and I came up with the idea,” explains Dobb.
“I had the great fortune to work with Marco and have been in contact with his father Paolo and Carlo Pernat since his passing as I wanted to do something in his honour and to keep his name alive, as Paolo has encouraged us all to do.
I thought this would be the perfect thing.
”To donate to the charity just click on cycle of wishes website.