The eBay online charity auction in honor of Verizon IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson went live on Monday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and will run through Monday, October 26. Fellow Verizon IndyCar Series driver Graham Rahal and eBay are partners in this charity to help raise funds for the late driver from England, who was killed when struck in the helmet by a large piece of debris off driver Sage Karam’s crashed race car in the IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway on August 23.
The auction will benefit his family, specifically his two young daughters, Jane, 7, and Jessica, 5.
Bidding began at 9 p.m. on September 14 and runs through 9 p.m. on Monday, October 26. All times are Eastern Time. Over the next six weeks there will be six “waves” of auctions for fans to bid on helmets worn by IndyCar drivers and other racing memorabilia.
Among some of the items are:
· More than 16 helmets from IndyCar drivers who competed in the 2015 IndyCar Series season finale at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, including winner and 2015 champion Scott Dixon’s helmet
· Memorabilia from IndyCar, Formula One, NASCAR, USCC, WEC, GRC and other series
· Stefan Johansson’s limited edition watch
· Signed helmet from racing legend Mario Andretti
· Roger Daltrey-signed microphone, which was used when The Who played Glastonbury in 2015
One hundred percent of the net proceeds will be donated to the Wilson Children’s Fund. The fund has been set-up to ensure that Wilson’s daughters are able to achieve the many dreams their father had for them.
“Justin was not just an incredible driver, he was an incredible person, teammate and friend. Through this auction, I hope we can raise as much money as possible to help provide for his wife, Jane and Jessica,” said Rahal, who was teammates with Wilson at Newman Haas Lanigan in 2007 and 2008. "We’re thrilled to partner with eBay and Auction Cause again. We have received incredible support from the entire IndyCar Series community, and drivers and teams from all over the world, including Formula One, NASCAR, IMSA, WEC, NHRA and V8 Supercars. I encourage everyone to spread the word so that we can honor Justin by supporting the one thing that meant the most to him -- his family."
In addition to Wilson’s two young daughters, Jane and Jessica; he is survived by his wife Julia, parents Keith and Lynne, and his brother Stefan, who is also an accomplished IndyCar driver.
The racing community has quickly rallied behind the family of the late race car driver, along with fans, drivers, and other motorsports figures domestically and globally to create this one-of-a-kind eBay Giving Works auction.
“Our goal is for fans to be able to connect and show their support for the late Justin Wilson through this unique eBay Giving Works auction,” said Jay Hanson, vice president of vertical experiences, eBay. “We’re pleased to be partnering with Graham Rahal and Auction Cause to help support the Justin Wilson Children’s Fund and hope this inspires charitable giving at scale.”
A link to the eBay auction is available at: http://stores.ebay.com/Celebrity-Charity-Auctions/Justin-Wilson-Memorial and via Auction Cause, the agency managing the sale, at: www.auctioncause.com. Additionally, fans can donate directly to the Wilson family fund at: http://justinwilson.co.uk/donate.
To donate:
Wilson Children’s Fund - U.S.
c/o Forum Credit union
P.O. Box 50738
Indianapolis, IN 46250-0738
(317)558-6000
For more ways to supports the Wilson Children’s Fund, please visit: http://justinwilson.co.uk/donate.
