Grapevine: Honda raise money for charity

5,000 fans attended the open day, which was held on July 15 in aid of two charities; Helen & Douglas House Hospice in Oxford, and Stepping Stones Pre-School in Brackley.

Star guests at the event were Jenson Button, Christian Klien, Mike Conway, Murray Walker, Anthony Davidson, James Rossiter, 1979 Formula One world champion Jody Scheckter, and sportscar racer David Brabham.

Honda F1 team CEO Nick Fry said: "We are delighted with the success of our very first Charity Open Day. To raise £75,000 at our first event of this kind is a fantastic achievement.

"Our primary objective was to raise money for our two team charities, but our second objective was to bring our fans closer to the team and the sport than is ever possible during a race weekend."

Fans were treated to stage appearances from the star guests, and they were given the opportunity to take part in a pitstop challenge, and to battle against the drivers in Scalextric and F1 Simulator challenges.