Jarno Trulli charity auction brings in €300,000

Jarno Trulli hosted a charity auction in the town of Monza last night, raising €300,000 for his Abruzzo nel Cuore appeal. Jarno has spent the past six months raising funds to help the victims of April's earthquake in the Italian region of Abruzzo, Jarno's birthplace. Through the website www.abruzzonelcuore.net and a charity football game, he had already raised around €150,000.

That fund was significantly increased last night in Monza when memorabilia from Jarno, Giancarlo Fisichella, Brawn, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Renault and Williams, as well as a unique Audemars Piguet watch designed and donated especially for the occasion, was put up for auction in front of an exclusive VIP audience of around 100.

Among the lots was a Jarno racing helmet, which was sold for €40,000 to two of the most dedicated fans of Panasonic Toyota Racing and Jarno; a Japanese couple who regularly attend overseas events to lend their support.

The Abruzzo nel Cuore appeal now has a grand total of around €450,000, which will be put towards reconstructing the affected areas and the use of this money will be personally overseen by Jarno. A similar auction will be held around the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, featuring items from Mark Webber, David Coulthard and Kazuki Nakajima.