BSB gets <I>ITV1</I> live deal.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship fans get good news in 2006 with the announcement that the highly popular two wheel race series will be televised live on British terrestrial channel, ITV1, for all thirteen rounds.

The championship, which has most recently been televised on the Sky Sports subscription channel, will now be once more free to air in the UK.

Currently subject to contract, the new TV package, which covers initially the 2006 and 2007 seasons, with an option to extend further into the future, is an important step forward for BSB. As well as marking the return of top level motorcycle racing to the channel for the first time since the 1980s when the ITV World of Sport Superbike Challenge thrilled TV viewers with epic battles between the likes of the late-Barry Sheene, Ron Haslam (father of current BSB star Leon), Wayne Gardner and Randy Mamola.

"This is an incredibly positive development for the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and we are thrilled that ITV is to cover the series with live coverage," says Dorna's UK managing director, Tony Partis.

"We are continually looking at ways to improve the appeal of BSB and this is fantastic news for everyone associated with the championship - manufacturers, teams, sponsors and, most importantly, our fans."

Series director, Stuart Higgs, welcomes the step forwards in exposure. "All BSB programmes will be scheduled on Sunday afternoons as well as three Bank Holiday Monday events, and we will work closely with ITV to refine the
final format of each programme," he explains. "This represents a tremendous opportunity to showcase the spectacle of the Series to its biggest ever potential audience."

For ITV1 the move represents another increase in motorsport content, something which the channel has been pushing over the last few years.

"The British Superbike Championship provides genuine sports entertainment - high quality racing with plenty of thrills. We also have some exciting young riders coming through, so I'm delighted to bring this series to a wider audience," explains ITV controller of sport, Mark Sharman. "ITV's motorsport portfolio includes Formula 1, the World Rally Championship and the British Touring Car Championship."