Sylvain Guintoli puts custom Sega Sonic ‘Dark Rider’ motorcycle up for auction
Sylvain Guintoli has put his 2000 Bourget custom motorcycle up for auction in a bid to raise funds for the Luca Guintoli charity foundation.
Former WorldSBK champion and current TNT Sports MotoGP co-presenter, Sylvain Guintoli, has put his Sega Sonic the Hedgehog-inspired ‘Dark Rider’ motorcycle up for auction, with all proceeds going to the Luca Guintoli charity foundation.
The foundation was founded by Sylvain after his late son, Luca, tragically passed away at the age of six last summer, following a near year-long battle with cancer.
The motorcycle is a Bourget's Bike Works custom build that is a one-off model designed by Sega in connection with Oil Sweat & Gears and Atmospherics SFX.
The ‘Dark Rider’ motorcycle is inspired by Shadow the Hedgehog from Sega's iconic Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, which was known to be a favourite character of Guintoli’s son. In fact, Guintoli recently honoured his son by running the London Marathon in a full one-piece leather suit that featured a specific Sonic the Hedgehog design.
By running the marathon alongside his two daughters, Alicia and Layla, Guintoli managed to raise over £150,000 for PASIC (Parents' Association for Seriously Ill Children), which is an organisation that provides help and support to families whose children are fighting cancer.
Prior to being placed up for auction through Bonhams, the bike was displayed at various locations including the British MotoGP at Silverstone, Gamescom in Germany on the Sega stand, EGX/MCM Comic Con London, a Goodwood charity event, and Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 promotion in UK cinema foyers, according to the auction listing.
The bike’s listing also goes on to say that the motorcycle is “the first time a piece of Sega memorabilia, coming directly from the company, has been offered for sale at auction”.
The Bourget machine features a 1,750cc S&S Super Stock engine that’s equipped with Edelbrock cylinder heads, and is mated to a six-speed gearbox. From there, the bike comes with a claimed weight of 280 kg, and measures 900mm across the handlebars. As it stands, the bike is offered as a display model only, meaning it will need to be re-commissioned for road use. That will include changing the fuel tank, which currently features a foam dummy.
Additionally, the bike comes with V5C Registration Certificate, a photocopied US Title, an HMRC NOVA declaration, and a copy of the agreement from SEGA donating it to the Luca Guintoli Foundation.
The motorcycle is expected to fetch a price in the region of £10,000 to £15,000, and will officially go under the hammer as part of the Autumn Stafford Sale - The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show, on October 11.
You can find out more information about this bike, and other motorcycles going up for sale at this auction, on the official Bonhams website.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
