Following its successful launch at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Chelsea last Friday, Zoom’s “F1 Images” charity auction has moved online with twenty-five pictures still available.
Designed to raise money and awareness for the Great Ormond Street Hospital charity, the project features photographs shot by a number of Formula 1 drivers and team principals.
Organised by Formula Money’s Christian Sylt, Zoom featured a number of shots showcasing elements of a race weekend rarely seen by the television cameras, while also bringing to light a number of images that go some distance to uncovering the lives of those in the sport, beyond its immediate walls.
Hosted by the ever buoyant Eddie Jordan, the first batch of twenty-five were successfully auctioned during the launch event, with entries by former world champions Michael Schumacher* and Lewis Hamilton, as well as F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone all fetching significant amounts.
Prior to the event, Jordan noted that:
“Sports people generally like supporting charities, one in particular – Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. It has been a privilege and pleasure to host the Zoom auction, raising much needed funds for this worthwhile cause.”
Meanwhile the online auction – featuring delightful images from the likes of Kamui Kobayashi, Kimi Raikkonen and Sir Frank Williams amongst others – gathers pace, although there is still plenty of time to place a bid for any available item. The auction runs until next Friday night (September 28th).
Sky Sports F1 filmed last weeks launch for a piece to be aired on “The F1 Show” next Friday night (September 28th), during which the final total raised will be revealed.
Interested parties can bid for the remaining items online at Coys.co.uk. For more information about the Zoom Auction, just check out their website here.
* {note 1}
Surprisingly Schumacher’s photo – a picture taken by the seven-times world champion facing out from his Mercedes cockpit – sold for more than twice the amount of the next most expensive photograph.
After a brief, but tense bidding war, Schumacher’s photograph sold for £2,500** to a private bidder in the US – something that raised a number of eyebrows amongst the guests. It was a subtle reminder that despite his lack of consistent top results since returning to the sport, the German name still sells.
Should this prove to be an indication as to the current value of Schumacher’s brand, then Mercedes may still be willing to hold onto the veteran for another season at least, irrespective of his results. Make no mistake – like Valentino Rossi in MotoGP, Schumacher makes F1 news.
** {note 2}
As an aside, a photograph of a pair of Turkish gnomes taken by Bernie Ecclestone sold for £1,100 following a bidding war between Damon Hill, Keith Sutton and an a member of a German marketing firm.
Meanwhile, signed photographs of Fernando Alonso from his 2006 championship winning season is going for a “mere” £99 on Grand Prix Legends, while a Schumacher autograph on the same site is retailing for £299. Indeed, signed photo’s from Franz Tost and John Booth (team principals with Toro Rosso and Marussia respectively) fetched a higher price than Alonso’s signature.
