BBC wins superbikes deal

["barry.croft" <barry.croft@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

UK listers will be interested in this snippet:
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The BBC have signed a four-year deal to cover the World and British
superbikes. The contract entitles the corporation to televise all 52
championship rounds of both competitions on BBC Grandstand at the weekends,
with extended highlights plus live coverage of the afternoon World Superbike
events. Suzi Perry will host the increased coverage with comment from
four-time world superbike champion Carl Fogarty. This four-year deal
confirms our long-term commitment to the best of British two-wheeled sport.
Perry is a well-respected motorbike journalist and has both presented and
produced programmes from around the world. BBC director of sport, Peter
Salmon, was delighted with the coup. "We have opted for the raw excitement
of two-wheeled racing in our strategy for motorsport," he said. "The biggest
events will, as ever, be live and available to all through BBC Sport." Dave
Gordon, executive editor of Grandstand, expressed his joy that the BBC were
able to support the sport of superbikes. "This four-year deal confirms our
long-term commitment to the best of British two-wheeled sport and reaffirms
BBC Sport as the terrestrial home of British Superbikes, as it has been
since the championship's inception in 1996," he added.
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(cynics hat) I guess the beeb has to do something to replace all the stuff
Sky has outbid them for, and this is probably all they can afford. It has
also been predicted by some (including Foggy) that the new GP rules
(allowing big 4 strokes) will see off Superbikes.

(optimists hat) I will always want to see bikes I can (apparently) buy being
raced, so I think Superbikes will last, and I for one will be very happy to
see them on Grandstand. I can't somehow imagine Foggy commentating without
lots of blunt comment and thickly-accented cursing, but hey, that'll be fun
too. Suzi always seems very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, she is certainly
no airhead, and boy have you SEEN her ... beauty AND brains AND into bikes!
I've been in lurv ever since I first saw her. With a bit of luck we'll get
the odd glimpse of Michaela Fogarty too. This'll really brighten up the
weekends.

Barry


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