Melanie Sykes leads BT Moto GP team
BT Sport have announced a midnight launch of their Moto GP coverage for 2014, which includes TV presenter Melanie Sykes at the helm.
Sykes who has presented various entertainment and quiz shows on ITV such as Today with Des & Mel, Let’s do Lunch and the Vault will lead the BT Sport coverage with guests former British and World Superbike Champions, Neil Hodgson and James Toseland.
BT have taken over from BBC Sport and Eurosport and the channel which has been on-air since August 2013 has said it will be the most extensive coverage yet of Moto GP in the UK.
In the commentary box Julian Ryder, previously Eurosport’s MotoGP commentator of more than 14 years will be joined by former British Champion and Sky Sports presenter Keith Huewen, along with Motorcycle News chief grand prix correspondent, Matt Birt. MotoGP world-feed commentator Gavin Emmett will also be a reporter for BT.
BT will have live coverage from their London studio and at all 19 events, which includes practice, qualifying and the Moto2 & 3 class races.
A new hour-long programme, MotoGP Tonight, will be broadcast at 8pm on Tuesdays, after every Grand Prix weekend. This will be presented by BT Sport’s Craig Doyle and former Olympian and European and Commonwealth games 400 metres champion and biker, Iwan Thomas. This will feature an array of guests from the motorbike world.
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. – Simon Green, head of BT Sport
In addition to the TV coverage, viewers for the first time will see extra cameras and facilities on the BT Sport app.
Elsewhere in the past week former BBC Moto GP Matt Roberts has joined British Eurosport to anchor their British and World Superbike coverage.
