Psst…Want a MotoGP bike?

OBSOLETE race bikes have a problem. As soon as they’re last year’s model or rendered uncompetitive because of rule changes, their reason for existence is eliminated and, as such, they can become practically worthless until they manage to reach ‘classic’ status and start to get invited to events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

So it will be interesting to see what Colin Edwards’ 2013-spec Forward Racing FTR-Kawasaki sells for when it goes across the auction block on June 7.

It’s being sold by Historics at Brooklands, which operates (funnily enough) at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. The estimate is that it will reach somewhere between £55,000 and £65,000 (plus VAT), which sounds simultaneously expensive – it’s an obsolete racer with no illustrious history to boast about – and cheap, since despite pretty dismal results it’s still a 245bhp, 157kg missile that will give its next owner an experience that mere mortals will never usually have the opportunity to buy.

The winner will also get FTR tech support including a test run of the bike with a GP technician on hand to make sure the new owner learns how to use it properly (presumably you don’t just flick the ignition on and bump start these things…). Oh, and they’ll throw in a couple of VIP passes for this year’s British GP at Silverstone.

Its sister bike, ridden by Claudio Corti, is also up for grabs, with a significantly lower £45,000 - £52,000 estimate, but the same supervised test session and VIP passes for the new owner.