A STAR sporting donation is set to make a fast buck for a Kenilworth charity shop this week.
Formula One fans will have the chance to bid on a a racing suit worn by Ralf Schumacher when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers on Friday (November 23), with an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000.
The red overalls, worn by the six-times Grand Prix winner when he was driving for Williams in 1999, were pulled out of a charity bag left by a mystery donor at Kenilworth’s Scope shop.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, which holds regular valuation days in Kenilworth, is determined to raise as much as possible for the disability charity.
He said: “What an amazing racing red find. It must be one of the best charity bag donations ever.
“There are motor racing fans throughout the world who would love to own this exceptional piece of sporting memorabilia.
“What I particularly love about it is that it has Schumacher’s name written in pen on the name label – just like schooldays when our names were written on our sports kits to stop them going astray. This suit has gone astray but it couldn’t have landed in a better place. I hope Hansons can help Scope raise lots of money.”
The racing suit has been verified by Williams. It’s understood Ralf wore the suit in the French Grand Prix at Circuit the Nevers Magny-Cours in 1999. His older brother Michael Schumacher won that race.
Jonathan Williams, of Williams Heritage, said: “The Williams F1 logo, is in place of the usual Winfield logo, which indicates this overall was for races where tobacco advertising was prohibited.
“The white section on the lower torso is without a logo here. It would usually have been occupied by the Veltins beer logo. Only France during this time prohibited both alcohol and tobacco advertising, so these overalls are French Grand Prix and testing specification.”
Amanda Tucker, manager at the Talisman Square shop, has still not fully got over the shock of the find.
She said: “I had to do a double take when I first saw the suit coming out of the bag. Donations like this don’t come into the shop every day and we are truly thankful to our kind mystery donor. I felt like we’d passed the chequered flag.
“Donations are the lifeline of charity shops and this should fetch a swift price when we put it into auction. The funds raised will help Scope support the 13.9 million disabled people and their families in the country.”
The Ralf Schumacher racing suit will be sold at auction in Derbyshire. Bids can be made in advance by emailing [email protected]. Would-be buyers can also bid live by registering at www.the-saleroom.com ahead of the sale.
* Hansons auctioneers will next be valuing treasures at St Francis of Assisi Church Hall in Kenilworth on December 13, from 10am to 4pm.
Hansons valuer Helen Smith sports the Ralf Schumacher racing suit. Picture Hansons.
Six times Grand Prix winner Ralf Schumacher.
Ralf Schumacher behind the wheel.
