MotoGP’s annual charity event Day of Champions will no longer take place at the British Grand Prix, the official charity Two Wheels for Life behind it has confirmed.
The day of fan activities, rider appearances and charity auctions is set to be replaced by a new format of events designed to still raise money for the charity.
The news of the event’s cancellation comes amid persistent paddock rumours in recent months that Silverstone was preparing to not renew their contract to host MotoGP at the end of the current deal in 2026.
However, that has been denied by circuit boss Stuart Pringle, who told The Race that despite the recent drop in attendance figures, they're still keen to keep working with MotoGP.
“I don’t know where this has come from,” Pringle admitted when asked by The Race. “We’re as enthused as ever.
“You’d be hard pushed to find anyone in the paddock who doesn’t want there to be an improvement in visibility and enjoyment of what is a fantastic championship, but certainly we’re fully committed to putting it on.
“I met with Dorna guys and TNT Sport recently, and we’re all working together on this. Yes, there’s a job to do, but there’s no suggestion that we shouldn't be doing it.
“I’m not suggesting that it’s a bed of roses promoting MotoGP in the UK at the minute, but that’s a reason to redouble our efforts and show people what they’re missing.”
An inevitable change?
Day of Champions was first introduced by US racing legends Kenny Roberts and Randy Mamola in 1989, and since then has raised millions of pounds for the work done by Two Wheels for Life, who use motorcycles to deliver vital healthcare across the developing world.
The 2024 event at Silverstone raised £246,000 through auctions, events and ticket sales, with thousands of fans able to buy unique access to the paddock for the unveiling of MotoGP’s special 75th-anniversary liveries.
“The first Day of Champions took place in 1989 at Brands Hatch,” said TWFL founder and CEO Andrea Coleman.
“Over the years we’ve built something special in the world of motorcycling thanks to our incredible staff and volunteers, the riders and teams, and the loyal fans, some who have been coming for the whole 34 years!
“We're proud to have raised huge sums to support the delivery of healthcare across Africa.
“While we’re sad that we have to see the end of Day of Champions, we recognise that change is inevitable and are excited to work on new projects that offer MotoGP fans what we do best; the chance to get the very best out of the sport they love and raise vital funds to support projects that use motorcycles to save lives!”
With the event’s logistics costing a significant amount to organise, and with circuit owners the British Racing Drivers Club not seeing any financial return from it, The Race’s sources have suggested that the decision to not continue with the event was not made by Two Wheels for Life.
That could, in turn, potentially see the event moved to another European race, with a number of other tracks believed to be keen to take over from Silverstone.
