Oliver WhiteFerrari engineer and go-to guy for Felipe Massa when he’s at the circuit, Rob Smedley, has organised an auction in aid of the SANDS charity. SANDS is devoted to helping families who have to deal with the loss of a child through birth, and Rob and his wife Lucy received help from the charity last June following the loss of their daughter, Minnie. The auction, conducted via online auctioneers eBay, includes many items from Rob’s work in Formula One, and many drivers have already donated items.
Michael Schumacher has donated a pair of his race overalls form when he was competitively driving, while fellow Ferrari pilots Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen have also donated suits and gloves. Rubens Barrichello has parted with a helmet from earlier in the 2008 season and Timo Glock and Adrian Sutil have offered racing suits of their own, Timo’s from this year and Adrian’s from last. And it isn’t only current drivers who are offering to help, as Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer has handed over a pair of his overalls to be auctioned off.
There are also a slew of other items from non-motorsport sources, including some Emmerdale and Coronation Street paraphernalia, donated by British F1 broadcaster ITV. Also up for grabs is a magnum of Moet & Chandon, an Executive Box seat at Old Trafford for Manchester United’s game against Boro next season, and even a week’s skiing holiday in the French Alps.
I wouldn’t normally plug an event like this on BlogF1, but Rob and his wife have clearly gone to great lengths to raise what looks like being a lot of money for a worthwhile cause. The Smedley’s have also organised a party on the evening of what would have likely been Minnie’s first birthday, the venue being Marton Hall in Middlesborough, UK on 30th May. Further details and tickets are available via the dedicated website, where you can also learn more about Minnie’s story and donate to the fund. Links to the auction pages on eBay are also available from the Minnie’s Party website.
The SANDS website currently appears to be down, but the link is still up as I’m sure the issue will eventually be rectified.
Add comment