Businessman raffles Ducati Panigale V4 Speciale for £5 a ticket

British millionaire increases own wealth under charitable guise

Businessman raffles Ducati Panigale V4 Speciale for £5 a ticket

WE’VE SEEN it done countless times with houses, so why not bikes?

An anonymous British millionaire is raffling off a limited-edition Ducati Panigale V4 Speciale for £5 a ticket, with 20 per cent of proceeds to be split between the National Association of Blood Bikes and Make a Wish UK.

Ducati claims its Panigale V4 Speciale is the fastest, most powerful production bike ever, with a top speed of 200mph, a MotoGP-style frame and some incredibly advanced electronics. Editor Al called the base model 'another level in superbike performance' after riding it on launch in Spain earlier this year.

Ducati Panigale V4 review | Visordown test

It’s a marvel of Italian engineering and the chance to own one for just £5 sounds too good to miss.

The main prize includes leathers and an X-lite helmet worth £1,000, with nine runners up each receiving a X-lite X-803 Ultra Carbon helmet.

The businessman, who is also raffling off his house in a separate competition, commented: “The bike is incredible and a joy to ride but it’s also a real collectors’ item as there are only 1500 in existence. We thought a competition would be a great way to raise some money for Blood Bikes, a charity that do wonderful work through their many volunteers right across the country.”

However, the millionaire’s intentions are not as altruistic as he makes out. By selling 50,000 tickets at £5 each (plus a 50p transaction fee), he will raise in a total of £250,000 (plus the transaction fees).

Now only £50,000 of this will go to the two charities, leaving a nice £200,000 for the millionaire’s own already-ample bank account – an almost 600 per cent increase on the bike’s retail price of £35,000. He’s definitely a businessman, but generous? Certainly not.

So if you don’t mind making a rich man richer go ahead, because if you’re not in it, you can’t win it. But if you actually want to help the aforementioned charities, maybe take a look at more beneficial methods…

Ducati Panigale V4 tamed