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.

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…