BT Sport team break cover
After months of speculation, BT Sport has finally announced the team that will head their 2014 MotoGP coverage.
The team will be led by one of the most famous commentary teams in biking history, with former Eurosport commentator Julian Ryder joined by British Champion Keith Huewen.
The team, who led Sky Sports’ coverage of GP and World Superbikes in the nineties, are responsible for some of the most iconic commentary of the Foggy era.
The pair will also be joined in the box by MCN’s own GP correspondent Matthew Birt, who will be part of the team for selected sessions during the weekend coverage. MotoGP world feed commentator Gavin Emmett will also be joining as roving reporter.
The show will be anchored by television presenter Melanie Sykes, who will lead coverage from BT’s London studios alongside British world champions Neil Hodgson and James Toseland.
Coverage of GP weekends will start on a Friday morning, with five hours of live coverage every day of the weekend meaning all sessions and races will go out as they happen.
There will also be a special Tuesday night studio show, MotoGP Tonight, hosted by TT presenter Craig Doyle and former Olympian and keen biker Iwan Thomas, where they’ll be joined by a panel of experts to discuss the week’s news.
Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “It’s really exciting to be launching such a thrilling new sport on BT Sport, with a tremendous new team and what we believe will be a fresh approach to MotoGP and some fantastic new shows.
“MotoGP is the top, two-wheeled motorsport. It’s massive in the UK and we’re heading into it at full throttle and following every second of the action. We’re sure we’ll appeal to committed fans, but we also think we will win over and welcome new fans to the sport.”
Manel Arroyo, managing director, Dorna Sports, said: “I’m pleased that MotoGP is part of such a huge and exciting project as BT Sport. I’m sure that BT Sport will provide the in-depth coverage that MotoGP deserves so that British fans can follow the fortunes of British riders in the Championship.”
The team will be officially unveiled tomorrow (Friday) at the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show, where the team will be joined onstage by Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith.